FIM Superbike World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 26, 2009 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Ben SPIES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 20 laps, 40:15.420 2. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -0.213 second 3. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F09), -0.657 second 4. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), -8.311 seconds 5. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), -8.915 6. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098 F09), -21.175 7. Tom SYKES (Yamaha YZF-R1), -21.384 8. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), -21.599 9. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), -21.726 10. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), -25.180 11. Shinya NAKANO (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -25.612 12. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), -25.622 13. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), -26.246 14. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR1000RR), -31.098 15. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 1098R), -32.706 16. Broc PARKES (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -33.173 17. Fonsi NIETO (Ducati 1098R), -34.953 18. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Honda CBR1000RR), -57.751 19. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -60.273 20. Roland RESCH (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -89.794 21. Alessandro POLITA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -8 laps, DNF, retired 22. Luca SCASSA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -13 laps, DNF, crash 23. Milos CIHAK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -13 laps, DNF, mechanical 24. John HOPKINS (Honda CBR1000RR), -14 laps, DNF, retired/mechanical 25. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -14 laps, DNF, crashed twice 26. David SALOM (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -15 laps, DNF, retired 27. Makoto TAMADA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -17 laps, DNF, crash 28. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), DNS Championship Point Standings (after 20 of 28 races): 1. Haga, 326 points 2. Spies, 319 3. Fabrizio, 273 4. Rea, 206 5. Biaggi, 200 6. Haslam, 180 7. Sykes, 150 8. Carlos Checa, 145 9. Byrne, 134 10. Smrz, 132 11. Kiyonari, 119 12. Kagayama, 96 13. Nakano, 86 14. Regis Laconi, 77 15. Max Neukirchner, 75 16. Corser, 53 17. Xaus, 50 18. Parkes, 31 19. Lagrive, 19 20. Hopkins, 17 More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: SPIES LEAVES BRNO ON HIGH NOTE Texan closes to within 7 points of series lead BRNO, Czech Republic (July 26, 2009) In spite of a crash and DNF in race one, Yamaha’s World Superbike ace Ben Spies managed to conclude his debut weekend at Brno with a victory, his 11th of the season, and continued to narrow the gap to championship leader Noriyuki Haga. Spies had hoped to leave Brno with the Superbike World Championship lead, but an unfortunate collision with Michel Fabrizio on lap five left both of them on the ground in race one. That, combined with veteran Haga’s brave performance on the weekend, means that Spies goes into the five-week summer break seven points down to Haga, having cut the lead in half from 14. The first-race collision with Fabrizio left Spies furious in the immediate aftermath. The Italian tried to move inside Spies in a left-hand turn and lost the front end of his Ducati just as Spies was turning in resulting in a hard impact. Spies flew over the top of his bike and landed somewhat awkwardly, slightly injuring his knee in the incident. “It was not the best move in the world, but that’s how racing goes sometimes,” Spies said of the crash with Fabrizio. “Michel was trying to apologize to me after the crash and I didn’t want to hear it. I was trying to tell him to use his head. Obviously I was not happy at the time.” Spies received attention in the medical center between races. He credits the work the mobile medical staff did in helping him ready for the second race. “The good people at the mobile clinic massaged, iced and taped my knee and got me ready to go,” Spies said. “The knee was tweaked pretty good, but I figured I could take the pain for 20 laps. They don’t get enough credit for the work they do.” Spies came back with a marvelous performance in race two. He passed Troy Corser and the BMW in turn two on the first lap and led the rest of the way. Late in race two first race winner, Max Biaggi, came up to give Spies a serious challenge. “I looked back and saw Max and thought I might be in trouble,” Spies said. “He’s so good here and he caught me quick. I knew I was going to have to ride mistake free in the closing laps. Max and the Aprilia were very strong and I had to brake ridiculously late and square off the corners to stay ahead of him.” Spies’ Yamaha got loose a couple of times on the final lap, but in the end he was able to hold off Biaggi by 0.213 seconds. Spies said he felt being able to stay in front of a rider like Biaggi in a last-lap duel made this race one of his best performances of the season. Haga meanwhile turned in a masterful performance riding with injury to an eighth and sixth, allowing him to retain the series lead. With 11-career victories, Spies moves into a tie with three other riders for 15th on the all-time World Superbike wins list. He’s also tied with Raymond Roch for eighth on the all-time World Superbike pole wins list. In the U.S. both World Superbike races from Brno can be watched back to back on SPEED today (Sunday, July 26) starting at 3:00 pm Eastern. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team enjoyed its first double podium finish in round 10 of the 2009 World Superbike championship at Brno today as Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea finished race one in second and third positions respectively. It was the first time since the Ten Kate squad began Superbike racing in 2004 that it has had two riders on the same podium. Rea and Checa finished in fourth and fifth places in race two as Max Biaggi and Ben Spies took today’s wins. The opening 20-lapper around the 5.4km Brno circuit began in dramatic style as Italy’s Michel Fabrizio crashed into pole sitter Ben Spies taking both riders out of the race. The Hannspree Ten Kate duo profited from the collision, Checa climbing to the number two slot on the rostrum for the second time this season. Rea, meanwhile, was able use his strong results to strengthen his grip on fourth place in the points table in his rookie World Superbike season. Jonathan Rea 3rd and 4th We managed to grind out a good result in Superpole yesterday and we did the same in race one today. The team dug really deep to put us back on the podium after a really slow start to the weekend. Of course, two riders crashing in front helped us get some good points but we were with the leading guys when it happened. All in all, it’s been a good couple of races for us so we head into the summer break going in the right direction and I’m looking forward to recharging the batteries before we come back fighting again at Nurburgring in September. Carlos Checa 2nd and 5th Race one was a good result from a job well done. I got a good start and had a good pace. I felt very comfortable throughout the race and knew from my boards that I had a gap back to Jonathan. We have more understanding of the bike now and we were able to improve it from yesterday. Unfortunately, I had some chatter return during race two, especially when releasing the brake, which was strange. But it was a positive weekend and we were able to run with the leading riders from the opening practice session on Friday. Ronald ten Kate team manager We are quite pleased with these results and it was the first time in our Superbike racing history that we have seen two guys on a podium in a race. It was a very positive feeling. In race two we were marginally off the pace of the leading guys, so fourth and fifth were about the best results we could have expected. All in all, we are on an upward trend and hopefully we can keep this form after a couple of weeks off and return refreshed to Nurburgring. More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari took two 13th place finishes in today’s two tenth-round World Superbike championship races at Brno in the Czech Republic. It capped a disappointing weekend for the Japanese ace, who began Friday’s practice session in positive style as he used new Ohlins suspension for the first time in competition this season. However, the subsequent practice and qualifying sessions and today’s two 20-lap races at the 5.4km Brno circuit proved difficult for Kiyonari and he expressed his disappointment at his two results. Ryuichi Kiyonari 13th and 13th What is really disappointing is that I am about one second per lap slower this year than I was on the same bike last year. It’s very frustrating and the biggest problem is that we don’t seem to know what the problem is. It’s like looking into a black hole and not being able to see anything. The feeling was a little better in race two but we achieved the same result even if the lap times showed a small improvement. I will find it difficult to enjoy the holiday because all I want to do is get back on the bike and ride every day until we find a solution. Ronald ten Kate team-manager Kiyo-san has endured a very tough weekend and basically had no feeling from his machine. Race two was better and he was only five seconds off a top six finish. We’ll take that away from Brno as a positive, but Nurburgring is quite a different track to this one and we will need to work very hard when we get there. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Wins for Biaggi and Spies at Brno, Haga keeps points lead Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Ben Spies (Yamaha) scored a win apiece in round 10 of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Brno in front of record 75,000 crowd. In race 1 the 25 points went to Biaggi after Spies had been wiped out by Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), giving Aprilia its first win in its return season to WSB. The second race saw Spies take a deserved victory, after the American managed to hold off Biaggi in the final stages. Fabrizio finished third, while points leader Noriyuki Haga, still not in the best of physical condition, limited the damage and managed to hold on to his championship lead by seven points. Race 1 Biaggi scored his first win of the season and his first win since Vallelunga 2007 in the opening race at Brno in the Czech Republic. It was also Aprilia’s first win in the category since Régis Laconi’s victory at Imola in 2001. Second and third went to the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo of Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea. Biaggi actually had a lonely run to the chequered flag after the other two favourites Spies and Fabrizio were eliminated when the Italian crashed in a fast left-hander, taking down his American rival with him. It was a great day also for the other new manufacturer to the series, BMW, who had the satisfaction of seeing Troy Corser lead the opening two laps, the Australian eventually finishing fifth to score the team’s best result this season. Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) got another good result for the Italian team in sixth. It wasn’t all good news for BMW however as Ruben Xaus crashed out on the opening lap, fracturing the femur bone in his right leg in the process. Sixth place went to Czech rider Jakub Smrz (Guandakini Ducati), who recovered well to score a good result in front of his home crowd. Seventh was Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda) and eighth Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who ran a defensive race to try and score as many points as possible. Makoto Tamada took home a good result for Kawasaki, the Japanese rider finishing in tenth place. Max Biaggi: “It’s great! What can I say! When I crossed the start-finish I was so happy to be winning this race and I had so many flashbacks of Brno, I can feel that it is one of my favourite circuits. Of course I don’t want to take anything away from Spies and Fabrizio, they were both very fast, but I remember Barry Sheene used to say ‘To finish first, first you have to finish’ and this is a part of the deal. I put my head down and did not make any mistake, so a big thanks to all my crew, Aprilia and in particular Gigi Dall’Igna, the ‘papa’ of our bike!.” Carlos Checa: “It’s a good result for the team to get two riders on the podium and I think we did a very good job. At a certain point I thought maybe I could catch Max, but in the end I had to preserve my tyres as the right side in particular was not so good, and I could see there was no way. I settled for second as I could see that Johnny was 4 seconds behind.” Jonathan Rea: “Well, in Superpole we had to ride through the problems and get a good result and we did the same here in the race, so I feel quite fortunate to get a podium. We didn’t quite have the pace of Max , but my team have done a really good job. I really love this place, but I can’t understand why I had a slow start to the weekend.” Results 1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 40’18.306 (160,863 kph); 2. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 3.631; 3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 9.948; 4. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 12.952; 5. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 14.599; 6. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 19.359; 7. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 19.680;8. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 20.731; 9. Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 21.923; 10. Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 27.807; 11. Nieto F. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 35.263; 12. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 36.535; 13. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 38.586; 14. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 40.061; 15. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 40.280; 16. Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 40.641 Race 2 Spies powered into the lead shortly after the start to head towards his eleventh win of the season. It wasn’t easy however as the Texan had to keep Biaggi at bay, and the Italian took second at the end. Third went to Fabrizio, who lost contact with the leading pair in the last few laps. Despite his win, Spies was unable to overtake Haga at the top of the table. The Japanese rider ran a heroic second race to finish in sixth place, holding off a trio of Tom Sykes (Yamaha), Byrne and Smrz in the final stages. Just off the podium were the Ten Kate pairing of Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa, their positions inverted from race 1. Once again Corser was up at the front in the early stages, but this time the Australian finished in tenth. Ben Spies: “It was a tough race, Fabrizio was there and I had to push and make good lap times. When I saw Max was there, he arrived quite quick and I had to start braking very late and stopping almost in the middle of the corner to get good drive so he couldn’t come by me. The first race obviously wasn’t so good but we rallied together for the second race. That pass attempt was not the best move in the world, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. A big thanks also to the Clinica Mobile guys because I wasn’t feeling so good this weekend.” Max Biaggi: “It’s a great result, I’m quite pleased, it’s not a victory but we proved that we have a lot of muscle and could fight with Fabrizio and Spies all the time. I stopped behind Fabrizio for quite a time, while Spies managed to pull away. In the end I passed him and went to catch Spies. I tried to brake very late, but I didn’t want to take him out like it was in the first race. We got a good result and it was a very good weekend here for Aprilia.” Michel Fabrizio: “It was really difficult to fight against Aprilia and Yamaha today. The only problem we had was coming out of the turns where I never quite managed to stay behind first Ben and then Max, but we should be happy with this third place and now we must look ahead.” Results 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 40’15.420 (161,055 kph); 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 0.213; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 0.657; 4. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 8.311; 5. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 8.915; 6. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 21.175; 7. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 21.384; 8. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 21.599; 9. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 21.726; 10. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 25.180; 11. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 25.612; 12. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 25.622; 13. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 26.246; 14. Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 31.098; 15. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 32.706; 16. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 33.173 Points (after 10 of 14 rounds): 1. Haga 326; 2. Spies 319; 3. Fabrizio 273; 4. Rea 206; 5. Biaggi 200; 6. Haslam 180; 7. Sykes 150; 8. Checa 145; 9. Byrne 134; 10. Smrz 132. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 412; 2. Yamaha 362; 3. Honda 306; 4. Aprilia 207; 5. Suzuki 133; 6. BMW 87; 7. Kawasaki 53 World Supersport There was a sensational end to the Supersport race as Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) had to retire with a mechanical problem two laps from the flag as he was heading for another dominant victory, thus re-opening the title battle. His closest rival Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) had been struggling all weekend and could only finish fifth. The win, after the four-way battle for second turned into the fight for first, went to his team-mate Fabien Foret, who returned to the top slot for the first time since last year, the Frenchman thus wiping out all memories of his nasty crash here on this track twelve months ago. In the sprint finish, the runner-up slot went to Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda), who managed to get the better of the two increasingly competitive Kawasakis of Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara. South African Sheridan Morais put in a good run for sixth place, ahead of Italian Massimo Roccoli (Intermoto Honda) and Garry Mc Coy (ParkinGo Triumph), while the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team again had a disappointing day, their two champions Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt only finishing ninth and tenth respectively. Results 1. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 37’14.367 (156,695 kph); 2. West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.148; 3. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.289; 4. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.400; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 6.823; 6. Morais S. (RSA) Yamaha YZF R6 14.896; 7. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 15.092; 8. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 15.634 Points (after 10 of 14 rounds): 1. Crutchlow 185; 2. Laverty 168; 3. Sofuoglu 128; 4. Lascorz 122; 5. West 95; 6. Foret 88; 7. Pitt 85; 8. Mccoy 63; 9. Aitchison 61; 10. Fujiwara 52. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 211 2. Yamaha 210 3. Kawasaki 133; 4. Triumph 77; 5. Suzuki 30 Superstock 1000 The Superstock 1000 FIM Cup round produced a real thriller. After leading for almost the entire race, Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda) crashed two turns from the chequered flag, throwing away a certain victory. The man who raised the winners’ champagne was Belgium’s Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox), who took his second win in a row and has now increased his overall points lead to 26 over Claudio Corti (Suzuki Alstare). The Italian could only finish sixth, because of vibration problems on his Suzuki right from the start. Second place went to Spain’s Javi Fores (Kawasaki Pedercini), who held off the Czech rider Ondrej Jezek (MS Racing Honda) in the final stages. In fourth place finished Frenchman Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Yamaha) ahead of Daniele Beretta (Ducati Xerox). Results : 1. Simeon X. (BEL) Ducati 1098R 24’52.839 (156,353 kph); 2. Fores J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 8.022; 3. Jezek O. (CZE) Honda CBR1000RR 8.079; 4. Barrier S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 9.607; 5. Beretta D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 9.666; 6. Corti C. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 9.922; 7. Lundh A. (SWE) Honda CBR1000RR 18.270; 8. Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 19.494 Points (after 6 of 10 rounds): 1. Simeon 130; 2. Corti 104; 3. Fores 84; 4. Berger 82; 5. Barrier 67; 6. Beretta 56; 7. Jezek 48: 8. Baz 33; 9. Giuliano 25; 10. Savary 23. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 130; 2. Honda 108: 3. Suzuki 104; 4. Kawasaki 84, 5. Yamaha 75; 6. MV Augusta 21; 7. Aprilia 12 Superstock 600 The outcome of the Superstock 600 race was decided on the last lap, with a seven-rider sprint to the chequered flag. In the end the win went to Belgium’s Vincent Lonbois (MTM Racing Yamaha), who held off points leader Danilo Petrucci (Yamaha Trasimeno). With second place the young Italian confirms his leadership in a hard-fought championship battle that sees five riders separated at the top by 22 points. Third place went to Italian Eddi La Marra (Honda Lorini), with France’s Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Yamaha), Norway’s Fredrik Carlsen (VD Heyden Yamaha), Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda) of Britain and Italy’s Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno) making up the top 7. Results 1. Lonbois V. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 19’19.920 (150,922 kph); 2. Petrucci D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 0.191; 3. La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 0.247; 4. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 0.315; 5. Karlsen F. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R6 1.087; 6. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1.207; 7. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1.262; 8. Kerschbaumer S. (AUT) Yamaha YZF R6 5.86 Points (after 6 of 10 rounds): 1. Petrucci 102; 2. Lonbois 89; 3. Rea 88: 4. Guarnoni 83; 5. Bussolotti 80; 6. La Marra 55; 7. Kerschbaumer 51; 8. Guittet 47; 9. Litjens 38; 10. Chmielewki 30 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) MAINTAINS HIS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH TWO GUTSY RACES AT BRNO; FABRIZIO TAKES PODIUM Brno (Czech Republic) Sunday 26th July: a day of highs and lows for the Ducati Xerox squad but the day finishes positively, Noriyuki Haga maintains the championship lead while Michel Fabrizio consolidates his third position. Michel Fabrizio, fast all weekend, was expected to finish on the podium twice at Brno today and, if it hadn’t been for a costly mistake in Race 1, that’s probably how it would have turned out. He made up for the DNF of the first race somewhat with a third place finish in Race 2. Noriyuki was a hero today, riding two great races, in spite of his injuries. He had suffered in every session due to the fractured scapula sustained at Donington Park, and even he himself said it would be hard to finish in the points zone today but he did just that, in both Race 1, finishing eighth, and Race 2, taking sixth position. In Race 1 Michel was immediately up in the leading group, and gained one position in each of the first four laps to find himself second, behind Spies, by the end of the fourth lap. In trying to get past Ben on the subsequent lap, Michel took the inside line on the final corner, losing unfortunately the front and the bike, and causing the blameless Yamaha rider to fall too. An unfortunate result for the two championship contenders who walked away unhurt. In the second race Michel was again one of the protagonists, up front once more with Spies and Biaggi. A fight for second position ensued between the two Roman riders, allowing Spies to gain an advantage. At a certain point Michel realised it would be difficult to catch the two leaders and he accepted third place. Noriyuki rode two of the bravest races of his career today, getting straight to work in Race 1, and making up three positions during the opening lap alone. With several riders crashing out, team-mate Fabrizio included, Nitro-Nori progressed up to eighth place by the seventh lap, and spent the remainder of the race battling it out against Smrz, Tamada and Haslam. Making it past fellow Japanese rider Tamada on lap sixteen, Noriyuki crossed the finish line in a worthy eighth position, taking eight points and thus extending his championship lead to 22 points over Spies. Doctor Corbascio of the Clinica Mobile continued to administer painkillers and injections to the sore shoulder during the day, doing everything possible to enable Nori to complete the race distance. In Race 2 Haga made up six positions by making a strong start and, by passing both Byrne and Corser, he then remained in sixth position for the remainder of the race, a few seconds off the pace of the leaders, and far enough ahead of the chasing pack to be safe. The 10 points earned in race 2 mean that Haga maintains his advantage in the overall classification, with 326 points to Spies’ 319. Fabrizio holds third position with 273 points. Ducati leads the constructors championship with a fifty point advantage over Yamaha. Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 DNF, Race 2 2nd) “I am very sorry for what happened in Race 1. It was my fault, I need to stay calmer, what more can I say? Before the crash I saw that Ben was breaking early at htat point of the track, so I thought I could get past him there. We’re fighting for a world title so I am angry with myself but at least neither of us were badly hurt. We made up for it to some extent in race 2, Ben more than me. I did all I could to stay with Ben and Max but they were too fast today; in fact the pace of the Aprilia, still in the development phase, is a bit scary with a view to next season. Anyway, I hold the third position overall and after the summer break I’ll continue with the fight for the title.” Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 8th, Race 2 1st) “I am not very happy but we have worked well this weekend despite the difficulties. The fractured scapula prevented me from performing as I hoped to. Having said that, I gained valuable points and find myself still in the lead, seven points ahead of Ben. I want to thank Doctor Corbascio and the Clinica Mobile doctors and also Rok, my trainer, for their help and support in these weeks. I also thank my team and Ducati for doing all they could to make me more comfortable on the bike and make the bike easier to ride. In the circumstances it’s a good result. Now I can go home to Japan with a smile on my face and there I will get down to some serious training to be in top form in time for Nurburgring, a track that I like a lot and where I hope I can rebuild my advantage.” More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda: Team Sterilgarda confirmed the good performance displayed in practice at Brno as Shane Byrne took fourth and eighth place, after two hard-fought races by the British rider and his opponents. In race one, he did not maintain his starting position as the trio Checa, Rea and Corser, who were fighting for the second, third and fourth place, opened a gap between themselves and Byrne. He tailed them for ten laps and overtook Corser in the thirteenth. He kept his position until the end and finished the race just three seconds behind third-placed Jonathan Rea. In race two, Shakey was not as effective. He maintained his starting position but was overtaken by a few riders in the first laps, dropping to tenth place and had to settle for positions 6 to 13. The last five laps were spectacular: he first passed Corser taking ninth place, he then overtook Smrz with two laps to go. In the last lap he outdistanced Sykes as well, but got wide and allowed his fellow countryman to pass him. In the final sprint he was beaten by both Sykes and Haga by only a few tenths of a second. SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R | 4th, 8th : “I’m happy with race one, not so much with the second. However, I established myself as one of the top riders. In race 1 everything went smoothly but in race 2 I got stuck in the pack where we overtook each other several times and this slowed us down. I could’ve finished seventh but I made a mistake in the last lap when I was attacking Sykes who eventually overtook me”. MARCO BORCIANI – team manager: “I enjoyed Shakey’s performance in race 1 when he missed the podium by a few seconds. We’re ninth in the standings now and the only private team with a rider in the top positions but we know we can do better. Now we have the summer break to keep on working so that we can do well at Nurburgring too in September”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: It was a mixed day for Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies in Brno. The first race started well with Spies, Biaggi and Fabrizio pulling away at the front but Fabrizio came in too hot three laps in and lost the bike, taking Spies out in the process. Race two and Spies got straight out in front, leading from the start. Again followed by Fabrizio and Biaggi, the two Italians fought amongst themselves until the closing laps when Biaggi got past and came after Spies. Spies adapted his riding and braked later and later into the corners to leave no opportunity for Biaggi to pass, and in doing so took a well earned victory and 25 points to add to his championship challenge. Tom Sykes was also to suffer in race one, an electrical problem temporarily dropping him back to 24th place. He fought back up to 16th but a crashing rider in front again dropped him down several places and out of contention. The second race was more positive, Sykes worked hard to pass fellow British riders Leon Haslam and Shane Byrne and started chasing down championship leader Noriyuki Haga. He closed the gap down to less than half a second but was unable to make a pass before the end of the race, so settled for seventh at the flag. As they head into the summer break, Spies is just seven points behind leader Haga with eight races left to run. Team mate Sykes remains in seventh in the standings, 30 points behind sixth placed rider Haslam. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (DNF, 1st) “race two was a tough race, Fabrizio was right there at the start so I had to make the push and put in the lap times to get ahead. Then I saw Max was up there, he arrived really quickly so I had to start braking very late and stopping almost in the middle of the corner and turning and getting a really good drive out so he couldn’t come by me, it was a great race. Obviously the first race wasn’t so good but we came back well for the second which was good for the points. I need to thank the Clinica Mobile guys, I arrived not feeling 100% this weekend and they looked after me really well and got me going. I want to thank Yamaha too, they gave me a great bike, it’s a shame we didn’t get to fight for the first race but I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes. ” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (DNF, 7th) “overall a disappointing day, it’s a shame as I certainly think we had the pace on the Yamaha this weekend. Unfortunately race one we were just on the back of the lead bunch, only a couple of laps in and felt comfortable when we had an electrical problem on lap four which dropped us to the back of the grid. I got the bike going again and went from 24th to 16th but then got struck again with bad luck when a rider crashed in front of me. Race two we changed a couple of things on the bike and used the other one to be safe. It took a couple of laps to get settled in and I got stuck scrapping for a couple of places which cost some time but eventually managed to go and start chasing Haga down. To come away with seventh isn’t great, I think we should have been higher up. We’ll keep our heads up and press on for the remaining four rounds.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “It was an up and down day and unfortunately through no fault of our own. Ben performed brilliantly all weekend, he did a fantastic job. It was impressive the way he held off Biaggi in the second race, we know how disappointing the first race was. Tom had some electrical problems in race one which meant he couldn’t fight at the front. He had a good pace in race two, it was a shame he couldn’t get past Noriyuki at the end. In the end we had a positive weekend as the gap for the championship gets smaller every race. We’ll take some time off now and come back ready for the Nurburgring in a month.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: CHECA AND REA ON PODIUM AS LAVERTY CLOSES IN Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) continued his status as top Honda rider in the 2009 World Superbike Championship after two intense races at Brno, after qualifying on the front row in Superpole. In race one a double podium finish for team-mates Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and Rea put them second and third respectively, in a race that was filled with drama for many other riders. In the second race Rea and Checa finished fourth and fifth respectively, scoring more valuable points. In the championship itself, Rea is fourth with 206 points; Checa is eighth on 145. Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) was seventh in race one, despite qualifying 17th, but chatter in race two held him back to 12th place. He is sixth in the series, on 180 points. For Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) a pair of 13th places were an improvement on his qualifying pace of 18th, but it was a luckless day for John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR), who started 20th on the grid and crashed out of race one and retired in race two. Matthieu Lagrive (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) was an impressive ninth in race one, and 14th in the second as he attacked the field from his 16th place grid position, made worse by two bad starts. He was 19th after one lap in race one, making his recovery through a quality field particularly impressive. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) scored his first 2009 championship point, in race one, for 15th place. WSS West Only 0.148 Seconds From Brno WSS Race Win Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) went from a third row start, after posting the tenth best time in World Supersport qualifying, to second in the 18-lap Brno Supersport race, only missing the win by a fraction of a second. In a race that had looked almost processional at some stages, West started moving forward at the midpoint, but when long time leader Cal Crutchlow slowed and then retired the battle for the final podium place quickly became a four-way fight for the win, right until the final corner. Fabien Foret won the race, from West, Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara, with the front four covered by only 0.400 seconds across the line. The next best Honda finisher was second fastest qualifier Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) who was fifth in the race. Laverty found set-up issues in race conditions after crashing in practice and losing track time, but he still made ground to Crutchlow in the championship fight, cutting his lead to 17 points. Four rounds remain, after the long summer break. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) improved on their respective 14th and 24th place qualifying positions to go ninth and tenth in the race today, but each was unable to find a race-long set-up that worked well. In the championship standings, Crutchlow has an unchanged 185, Laverty 168, and Sofuoglu is third, with 128. West is now on 95 points, fifth. Pitt is seventh, on 85. Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) qualified 12th but retired from the race, while Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) recovered from 21st on the grid to 14th, and scored two points as a reward. Mark Aitchison (Althea Honda CBR600RR) and his team-mate Jason O’Halloran (Althea Honda CBR600RR) each crashed out of the race in separate incidents. A long summer holiday of five weekends awaits both Superbike and Supersport riders now, with the Nürburgring in Germany the next round. Raceday is Sunday, 6 September. HONDA RIDER QUOTES: Jonathan Rea: “We managed to grind out a good result in Superpole yesterday and we did the same in race one today. The team dug really deep to put us back on the podium after a really slow start to the weekend. Of course, two riders crashing in front helped us get some good points but we were with the leading guys when it happened. All in all, it’s been a good couple of races for us so we head into the summer break going in the right direction and I’m looking forward to recharging the batteries before we come back fighting again at Nürburgring in September.” Carlos Checa: “Race one was a good result from a job well done. I got a good start and had a good pace. I felt very comfortable throughout the race and knew from my boards that I had a gap back to Jonathan. We have more understanding of the bike now and we were able to improve it from yesterday. Unfortunately, I had some chatter return during race two, especially when releasing the brake, which was strange. But it was a positive weekend and we were able to run with the leading riders from the opening practice session on Friday.” Leon Haslam: “I had a lot more chatter from lap one in the second race. I was doing lap times half a second off what I did in warm-up. The group in front was not that far away but I couldn’t go any faster than I did.” Ryuichi Kiyonari: “What is really disappointing is that I am about one second per lap slower this year than I was on the same bike last year. It’s very frustrating and the biggest problem is that we don’t seem to know what the problem is. It’s like looking into a black hole and not being able to see anything. The feeling was a little better in race two but we achieved the same result even if the lap times showed a small improvement. I will find it difficult to enjoy the holiday because all I want to do is get back on the bike and ride every day until we find a solution.” Matthieu Lagrive: “I’m very happy for today’s races results but I’m just a little disappointed only because of my two bad starts. I’m sure with a better starts I would be able to reach the front group of riders because my bike was very good today and I could have run fast times all the way through. In the second race my start was so bad that I had to overtake seven or eight riders in the first lap. My bike set up has significantly improved due to the good solution we found during Imola testing.” John Hopkins: “It has been a bad day at the office. This morning in the warm up we used a soft front tyre, and it was my decision to use the tyre in the race. I was trying to catch up with the group in front of me, but lost the front of the bike and crashed out of the race. I started the second race with a harder front tyre, but it took me a while to get the confidence back. I made a mistake at the start and lost some ground before my bike broke down. It was definitely not the weekend we had been hoping for.” WSS Rider Comments Anthony West: “Halfway through the race I felt really good and it was a strong race for our team, especially to take a podium result into the summer break. We did some good work this weekend. After I got past Laverty I just felt stronger and it’s been great to get this result back again and improve my confidence.” Eugene Laverty: “It’s not the result I had hoped for but at least I’ve pulled some points back on Cal. My crash this morning left us with a lot of work to do and although my Parkalgar Honda was ready for the race it didn’t feel quite the same. We have a bit of a break now so we can put this behind us and get ready for Germany.” Kenan Sofuoglu: “After the Imola test it looked like we had a good pace and a good set-up but we found problems here. In qualifying we made a mistake with the big gearing change we tried. In warm-up it looked OK but in the race I had no front grip after four laps, which is not normal. I chose the hardest front tyre so we would not have this problem, so I am very disappointed.” Andrew Pitt: “We still don’t have the confidence to really grab the front end and push it in hard, and I don’t know why but the bike was not revving right out so we had issues passing on the straights. We struggled for power and ended up in a bit of a battle with Barry Veneman who is riding my bike from last year. It’s just not happening right now.” Mark Aitchison: “I had a really good start off the line, but going on the straight Sofuoglu bumped into my bike, bending my right handlebar. It was really very difficult ride in that condition and I tried to adjust the handle bar with my hand while I was riding the bike. It took two laps to made this adjustment and after I tried to find my rhythm with the bike. I was pushing very hard to recover as many positions as possible. During the sixth lap I was trying to pass Pitt but I lost the front and I crashed.” Miguel Praia: “It is a shame I had a technical problem as I felt really good all weekend and I was definitely on for a personal best finish. I feel we achieved a lot and can build on it for the next race. I’m a little disappointed not to finish the race but I know there is a lot more to come.” Gianluca Vizziello: “The qualifying was not so good and it made things difficult for me. Not a good start and not a good race. But I got a couple of points so we take something away.” Jason O’Halloran: “After a very good start I got away with the group and I pushed very hard starting from the beginning. Near to the end of the first lap I was kicked from the saddle. I ran the risk of a crash and I lost quite a few places. At the end of the first lap I was only in twenty-eighth position. Unfortunately near to the end of the race I made a mistake and I crashed.” More, from a press release issued by Stiggy Racing Honda: Stiggy Racing Honda’s Leon Haslam salvaged the difficult Brno weekend by taking an impressive 7th place in race one of the World Superbike Championship at Brno today. In spite of a two-day test three at the Czech circuit three weeks ago the team struggled to get to terms with the track since the start of the weekend. Haslam had to start the two superbike race from a low 17th place on the grid, but progressed through the field at a constant pace to finish the first superbike race in seventh place. Chatter issues in the second 20-lap race halted Haslam’s attempts to set up the connection with the fast group in front of him, and the Englishman had to hold his own mid-pack and settle for 12th place in a race where the average pace was very high. The squad suffered another blow in the face when American John Hopkins found luck no where near his side at Brno this weekend as he crashed out on the 11th-lap of the first Superbike race and had to prematurely end the second one due to an engine failure. Leon Haslam, Race 1 – 7th, race 2 – 12th: “I am pretty disappointed with the whole weekend. We found an average set-up for race one and I was happy to be able to coming through in seventh place. We made a few changes for the second race, but I had a lot more chatter, from lap one in the second race. I was doing lap times half a second off what I did in warm-up. The group in front was not that far away but I couldn’t go any faster than I did.” John Hopkins, Race 1 – DNF, race 2 – DNF: “I made the decision to race on a soft tyre, but lost the front of the bike as I tried to make the connection with the group in front of me and crashed out of the race. We used a harder front tyre in the second race, but after I made a mistake at the start and lost some ground, my bike broke down and I had to return to the garage. Brno is a track I really like and I came here expecting a lot more, but we have been struggling here all weekend. It was definitely not the weekend we had hoped for.” Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager: “Our hopes were very high this weekend after our recent test here. It is hard to say what the real problems was, but we have been struggling here since the start of the weekend. Leon found it hard to get to grips with the Brno track, but he did manage to take some points home for us. John had a disappointing weekend as well. We had hoped for better results after his opening practice. It looked good, but did not came through as we had hoped. I think everyone needs the summer break now and I am sure we will come back a lot stronger for the next races.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsports: BEST WEEKEND OF THE SEASON FOR TROY. RUBEN INJURED. The work done away from the track, together with the recent successful Italian tests, all added up to Brno being the best weekend of the season to date. Troy finished a superb fifth in race one, after leading the first couple of laps, and followed that up with a tenth in race two, despite tyre problems. Ruben had qualified alongside Troy on the second row of the grid and was looking forward to him and Troy challenging the leaders in both the 20-lap races. But, a crash on the opening lap of the first race put paid to any chance of glory and left Ruben in the medical centre. After X-rays, it was discovered that he had broken the neck of his right femur. His right leg and hip area were put in plaster, to keep everything in a stable condition and prevent any further damage. Ruben will fly to hospital in Barcelona, where a specialist will assess the situation and decide what course of action is required. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) won the first race, after Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) took out Ben Spies (Yamaha) after just four laps, with Honda team mates Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea in second and third. Spies won the second race and closed the gap on series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) to just seven points. Second was Biaggi, with Fabrizio third. Troy – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 10th I’m generally pretty happy with how the weekend has gone and it’s been good to be consistently in the top seven or eight in every session and also qualify for final Superpole. I feel so much more comfortable on the bike now and don’t feel as worn out afterwards as I have been. The recent tests have helped us a lot and it’s good to know that we are going in the right direction and it’s also good to know that there’s more to come. It’s a shame that Ruben crashed because I’m sure that he would’ve been right up there in both races. He is as happy with the rideability of the bike as I am and both of us are really beginning to enjoy ourselves. Ruben – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: DNS That was a bit pity because I have been so happy about the bike this weekend because it has been so much easier to ride. Finally we were getting somewhere and then I crash! I guess that maybe the tyre was a bit too hard and a bit too cool. I didn’t highside, I just fell off. I was sliding along OK and than I hit some deep gravel and that spun my right leg round and that’s when the damage was done. I want to be positive and say that at least the injury has happened when we are about to have five weeks or so off and that will give me time to recover. I can’t wait to get back on my bike and carry on with the recent improvements. Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director) Firstly I would like to say that I hope it will not be too long before Ruben is able to join us again. I hope he is in not too much pain and I hope that he will heal quickly. The doctor told us that it is not a complicated break, so we will keep our fingers crossed for a speedy recovery. Ruben’s crash does not hide the fact that this weekend has been very positive for us and we are all happy about the recent improvements. We achieved our goal of a top five finish and, more importantly, we know which direction to take now. It’s good to see Troy and Ruben smiling this weekend and I’m really pleased that Troy is happy with the bike. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Ups And Downs For Superbike Pair WSBK, Brno, Czech Republic, 26 July 2009 Makoto Tamada recorded a fine top ten finish in race one at Brno, but for both Makoto and his team-mate Broc Parkes, raceday was both kind and sometimes less than kind. In his comeback ride after injury, Tamada was running in the top seven for the majority of race one, but after his rear tyre lost traction near the end, he dropped back to a still-creditable top ten placing. Parkes was 12th in race one, recovering from a start position back on the fifth row. Tamada had qualified 11th. Makoto went out of race two after tangling with another rider, almost saving the crash as he ran onto the trackside gravel. He re-broke his recently healed finger in his fall, meaning that the five week gap until the next race in Germany gives him some welcome time to recover. Parkes paid a price for a slow start off the line in race two, but was encouraged that the changes he made to his machine after race one had a positive effect. In the title chase Parkes is 18th on 31 points, Tamada 27th despite missing many rounds through injury. Makoto Tamada: “I felt a lot more confident on the Ninja ZX-10R this weekend as the machine was working really well. We made some big improvements with the suspension and swing arm and we had good engine power. I was running in the top ten for the majority of sessions and was very happy to qualify on the third row and make it into Superpole. In race one I didn’t have such a great start but I was able to move up and battle for seventh before I ran out of rear grip and had to finish in tenth. Race two was a major disappointment as I was hit by another rider on lap three and broke my middle finger again from the previous injury and wasn’t able to finish the race.” Broc Parkes: “It’s been an up-and-down weekend as the bike was working really well here on Friday but I had two crashes yesterday which set us back in our bike set-up and made us miss out on moving up the grid during Superpole. Starting that far back is always hard and I didn’t get a good start in race one, so to end up twelfth was a bit of luck due to a few crashes and drop-outs at the front. Race two I didn’t get a good start again which was a shame as we had much better lap times and rear grip which would have put us in the top ten had we qualified better. Overall I feel disappointed things didn’t work out as well as we’d hoped as we could have been a definite top ten here in Brno for both races.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Yukio Kagayama has endured a frustrating day in the 10th round of the Superbike World Championship in Brno in the Czech Republic. Having been unable to find a good bike set-up in practice, today’s two races were always going to be hard work, so he certainly didn’t a crash not of his own making: On lap 15 of race two, he was right behind John Hopkins going into a right-hander, when suddenly Hopkins slowed without warning. Kagayama hit the rear of the American’s Honda and crashed. This followed a 14th in race one and left him feeling disappointed and frustrated. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) won the first race after Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) crashed and took out Ben Spies (Yamaha) after only four laps. Honda team mates Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea finished in second and third, with Shane Byrne (Ducati) fourth. Spies made up for his first race disappointment by winning the second race, to close the gap on series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) to just seven points. Second was Biaggi, with fellow Roman Fabrizio third. Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 14th, Race 2: DNF: “All year we have had problems trying to find good set-ups at the track and this weekend was no exception. And sometimes we have also had big problems with grip. In the morning warm-up we found a good tyre and I could do 2:001 lap times easily. So we chose the same tyre for the first race and it didn’t work at all! It was sliding around right from the start of the race and I couldn’t push hard at all. I wanted to go faster, but I couldn’t turn the bike and kept missing my apexes. After five laps of fighting, I decided to go as fast as I could without crashing and that’s what I did. “We used a different tyre in race two and it was a bit better, but after a while it started chattering. I got caught in a group and I just couldn’t overtake anybody because I had to be careful on the brakes. I was just behind Hopkins when his bike suddenly slowed in the corner and I hit him. I don’t think it was his fault; something went on his bike, but it’s just my luck that I fell and he didn’t!” WSB Results: Race 1: 1 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 2 C Checa (ESP-Honda), 3 Rea (GBR-Honda), 4 Byrne (GBR-Ducati), 5 Corser (AUS-BMW), 6 Smrz (CZE-Ducati). 14 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki Alstare Brux). Race 2: 1 Spies (USA-Yamaha), 2 Biaggi, 3 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 4 Rea, 5 C Checa, 6 Haga (JPN-Ducati). Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki Alstare Brux) DNF. Championship Points: 1 Haga 326, 2 Spies 319, 3 Fabrizio 273, 4 Rea 206, 5 Biaggi 200, 6 Haslam 180. 12 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 96. FIM SUPERSTOCK 1000: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Claudio Corti suffered vibration problems after a few laps of today’s 12-lap Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and was unable to challenge the leaders in the closing stages. Although he retained second spot in the championship, the gap between him and series leader Xavi Simeon is now 26 points. That gap would’ve been less if Frenchman Maxime Berger (Honda) had not have fallen off while in the lead. He led the majority of the race and was still in front with less than a lap to go when he inexplicably tipped off, gifting Simeon the victory in the process. Javi Fores (Kawasaki) then took second, with Ondrej Jezek (Honda) third. Claudio Corti – 6th: “I am not so happy with how the race went today. After qualifying yesterday, I knew I could keep up a good race pace and that’s what I set out to do at the start of the race. I was in fourth for the first five laps or so, but then the bike started to vibrate and I couldn’t push any harder. I kept going as hard as I could, but when I got passed I could not respond. But there are still four rounds of the championship remaining and I will be fighting as hard as I can in all of them.” Superstock 1000 Results: 1 Simeon (BEL-Ducati), 2 Fores (ESP-Kawasaki), 3 Jezek (CZE-Honda), 4 Barrier (FRA-Yamaha), 5 Beretta (ITA-Ducati), 6 Claudio Corti (ITA-Suzuki Alstare Brux). Championship Points: 1 Simeon 130, 2 Claudio Corti (ITA-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 104, 3 Fores 84, 4 Berger 82, 5 Barrier 67, 6 Beretta 56. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: SBK, RACE 2: BIAGGI ALMOST PERFORMS AN ENCORE BUT ENDS UP IN SECOND PLACE The 75,000 spectators in attendance watched a spectacular Race 2. Biaggi re-opened a race that already seemed to be over during the initial laps, duelling it out with his rivals up to the very last metre. In the end it was Ben Spies on his Yamaha who took home the victory with a 0:213 lead over the Roman driver. Fabrizio finished in third place again, stopping the clock just 0:675 behind Spies. The start was a carbon copy of Race 1, with Corser taking off like a missile, but by the end of the first lap, Spies, Fabrizio and Biaggi had broken away. The American seemed to have secured the top position, immediately gaining a one second lead over his adversaries, who by refusing to give up, however, managed to shave off a few tenths of a second with the persistence they displayed lap after lap. During the seventh lap, an extremely close battle began between Fabrizio and Biaggi, with the latter attempting to pass his rival several times, but failing to do so and the Ducati driver gaining back his position time and again. This continued up until the fifteenth lap when Biaggi finally managed to pass Fabrizio and took off after Spies, who in the meanwhile had managed to pull ahead a few more metres. However, during the next lap, his advantage had decreased, thanks to Biaggi’s fastest lap, resulting in a new track record at 1:59:961 with Biaggi glued right to the back of the American’s motorcycle, inflaming the race as well as the public that was watching it. The RSV4 seemed to be getting the better of the R1, but Spies somehow managed to fight off Biaggi’s attacks, crossing the finish line first with the Roman driver right on his tail. Thanks to his victory in Race 1 and the second place finish in Race 2, Max has moved into fifth place in the championship classification while Aprilia consolidates its fourth place position in the manufacturer’s championship. Nakano finished in eleventh place, and after a good start managed to keep up with the group that was battling it out for the seventh position. “After the victory in the first race, second place is really a great result,” declared Biaggi. “I can’t help but be satisfied with a weekend like this one. I battled it out for a long time with Fabrizio and it wasn’t easy to pass him. Plus Spies had set an excellent pace and began pushing ahead right from the get go. I caught up with him right away, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to take the victory away from him, his bike was really stable and he had some great breakaways. We changed the rear suspension for Race 2 and I believe it was the right choice. Now after the holidays, we’ll be going to Germany, where it won’t be easy because we’re going to have to start from scratch again and I hope to find myself in the same situation as today and to have these very same types of races.” “After the disappointment of the first race,” declared Nakano, “I started off rather well in the second race. We had changed the bike’s settings and it was better, so I was battling it out for seventh position the whole time. When I would try to push forward though, I had some problems at the front of the bike, so I couldn’t force it. Eleventh place is certainly not a good result, after these three, very difficult days. I’m going to have to go into the next race at Nurburgring with a different attitude.” More, from a press release issued by PAul Bird Motorsports: MIXED FORTUNES FOR PARKES AND TAMADA AT BRNO After a month’s break, the PBM Kawasaki World Superbike Championship Team were back in action at Brno in the Czech Republic, hoping for a return to their early season form but they were to suffer mixed fortunes in round ten of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship this weekend. Australian Broc Parkes and Japanese rider Makoto Tamada got off to a great start with the www.supercasino.com, Vent-Axia and Kick Energy-backed Ninja ZX-10Rs running inside the top ten in early practice but the teams hopes were dented when Parkes had a big crash on Saturday morning which set them back but despite this, both riders qualified for Superpole. However, Parkes suffered another crash whilst running inside the top six early on which meant a 19th place start for him but Tamada, on the comeback trail after injury, was inside the top ten of the second Superpole session only to be bumped back to 11th but nonetheless, it meant a row three start for him. In the first race, both riders made bad starts but battled through the field to end up with Tamada in 10th position, after holding 7th for much of the race before lack of rear grip dropped him down, and Parkes claimed 12th place for good measure. However, in race two, both riders were destined not to add to their points tally as Parkes battled against set-up woes, the legacy of his two high-speed crashes on Saturday, to finish in 16th place just outside the points but worse was to befall Tamada. In a third lap clash with Lorenzo Lanzi, Tamada tumbled and as a result, sustained a broken left middle finger, which was a repeat of his Monza injury, meaning he scored no points either. The PBM Team is next in action at the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship round at Brands Hatch in two weeks time (August 7/9) where Parkes will be looking to mix it up with the BSB regulars and Tamada is facing a race against time to get fit for the meeting following his hand injury. Broc Parkes: “Its been an up-and-down weekend as the bike was working really well here on Friday but I had two crashes yesterday which set us back on our bike set-up and made us miss out on moving up the grid during Superpole. Starting that far back is always hard and I didnt get a good start in race one so to end up twelfth was a bit of luck due to a few crashes at the front. In race two I didn’t get a good start again which was a shame as we had much better lap times and rear grip which would have put us in the top ten had we qualified better. Overall I feel disappointed things didn’t work out as well as we’d hoped as we could have been a definite top ten here in Brno for both races.” Makoto Tamada: “I felt a lot more confident on the Ninja ZX-10R this weekend as the machine was working really well. We made some big improvements with suspension and the swinging arm and we had good engine power. I was running in the top ten for the majority of the sessions and was very happy to qualify on the third row and make it into Superpole. In race one I didnt have such a great start but I was able to move up and battle for seventh before I ran out of rear grip and had to finish in tenth. Race two was a major disappointment as I was hit by another rider on lap three and broke my middle finger again from the previous injury and wasn’t able to finish the race.” Paul Bird, Team Owner: “We had mixed fortunes this weekend in Brno. In one instance the bikes never looked so strong on track and then on the other we were pushed back by unfortunate crashes during qualifying for Broc and also in race two for Makoto. I feel the race results didn’t do us justice as this was a circuit which was well suited to our bike and we could have finished with a few more points. At least we’ve proved that we have made progress again and taken some positive steps forward so we just have to keep the momentum up for the next few races.” Paul Risbridger, Team Manager: “We started the weekend from Friday onwards fairly strongly on the ZX-10R. We had some new chassis parts and suspension set-up to try which both riders said was working well. This was proved in Free Practice and Qualifying sessions over the weekend. It was encouraging to see Makoto’s performance, which was the strongest of the season so far; when in race one he was a genuine top ten contender. Unfortunately the race results were affected by a number of crashes and this prevented us achieving the top ten finishes we felt the bike was capable of this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Trou Corser’s publicist: SUPERB FIFTH FOR TROY IN BMW’S BEST WEEKEND OF THE YEAR! Troy took a tremendous fifth place in the first WSBK race in Brno today and probably would’ve had another top six finish in race two had it not been for tyre problems. But, despite the problems, Troy still managed to finish in the top ten, to give him and the BMW team their best weekend of the season. The only negative was that Troy’s team mate Ruben Xaus fell heavily on the opening lap of race one, breaking the neck of his femur in the process. Whether or not the Spaniard will be fit enough to race in the next round remains to be seen, but at least there is now a five week or so gap before that takes place. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) won the first race, after Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) crashed and took out Ben Spies (Yamaha) after only four laps. Honda team mates Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea finished in second and third, with Shane Byrne (Ducati) fourth, just ahead of Troy. Spies made up for his first race disappointment by winning the second race, to close the gap on series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) to just seven points. Second was Biaggi, with fellow Roman Fabrizio third. Troy – Race 1: 5th, race 2: 10th t’s been a good weekend for us, even though Ruben got injured. That was a shame because he qualified next to me on the grid and I’m sure he would’ve also got some good results. What was good about this weekend is that we have been on the pace consistently in every practice, qualifying and we also got into final Superpole for the first time. That shows that we are making good progress and it is due to the hard work put in by the whole team and some really good tests in Italy recently. The bike is much easier to ride now and I can now feel everything that is going on and really ride the bike. Also, at the end of the day, I’m not worn out! We know which direction to take and now we need to work on how to manage the tyres on this bike. Today, we probably didn’t have exactly the right tyres in the two races. But if we had chosen some other ones (ones we hadn’t tested very much), it would’ve been a bit of a gamble. It’s really great to see the whole team smiling again and it’s a good way to finish before the long summer break. The next round of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship takes place at Nurburgring in Germany on September 4/6. (