FIM Superbike World Championship Miller Motorsports Park Tooele, Utah May 31, 2009 Provisional Race Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Ben Spies (Yam YZF-R1), 21 laps 2. Michel Fabrizio (Duc 1098F09), -9.080 seconds 3. Jonathan Rea (Hon CBR1000RR), -14.357 4. Max Biaggi (Apr RSV4 Factory), -15.636 5. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hon CBR1000RR), -17.156 6. Jakub Smrz (Duc 1098RS), -17.546 7. Shinya Nakano (Apr RSV4 Factory), -19.659 8. Noriyuki Haga (Duc 1098F09), -23.455 9. Tom Sykes (Yam YZF-R1), -30.489 10. Shane Byrne (Duc 1098RS), -31.775 11. Broc Parkes (Kaw ZX-10R), -33.246 12. Yukio Kagayama (Suz GSX-R1000), -36.758 13. Fonsi Nieto (Suz GSX-R1000), -36.887 14. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR1000RR), -42.639 15. Ruben Xaus (BMW S1000 RR), -42.777 16. Troy Corser (BMW S1000 RR), -45.596 17. David Salom (Kaw ZX-10R), -69.237 18. Jamie Hacking (Kaw ZX-10R), -86.703, ran off track twice 19. Leon Haslam (Hon CBR1000RR), -1 lap, DNF, crash 20. Gregorio Lavilla (Duc 1098RS), -14 laps, DNF, crash 21. Erwan Nigon (Yam YZF-R1), -14 laps, DNF, retired 22. Carlos Checa (Hon CBR1000RR), -17 laps, DNF, crash 23. Luca Scassa (Kaw ZX-10R), -17 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 28 races): 1. Haga, 265 points 2. Spies, 212 3. Fabrizio, 201 4. Rea, 133 5. Biaggi, 126 6. Haslam, 122 7. Sykes, 113 8. Kiyonari, 96 9. Checa, 93 10. Smrz, 82 11. Regis Laconi, 77 12. Kagayama, 76 13. Max Neukirchner, 75 14. Nakano, 61 15. Byrne, 59 16. Xaus, 40 17. Corser, 36 18. Parkes, 25 19. Lavilla, 11 20. TIE, Hacking/John Hopkins, 9 22. Sheridan Morais, 8 23. Tommy Hill, 6 24. TIE, Muggeridge/Nieto, 4 26. TIE, Scassa/Brendan Roberts/Roberto Rolfo/Matteo Baiocco, 3 30. TIE, Lanzi/Makoto Tamada, 2 32. Zemke, 1 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Home run for sensational Spies as he does the double It was a fitting result on race day for the Texan Terror Ben Spies at the Miller circuit as the Yamaha rider made it clear his home race belonged to him and him only. Spies led both races form the go with arguably his best race starts of the season ensuring he took the holeshot and had a clear circuit to work his magic on. Having extended a 4.2 second lead in the first race it was red flagged six laps in when Karl Muggeridge crashed out. The race was re started and run on aggregate timing to ensure any advantages from the first start where not lost. From the second start Spies led again with a convincing start over second place Checa to take his first win of the day. Race two saw another incredible start from Spies, keeping his pole position at the front of the pack. Followed closely by Michel Fabrizio, Spies ran a perfect set of 21 laps in the front to take his second win of the day to the delight of the home crowd. Team-mate Tom Sykes had an equally impressive race day. Following a bad qualification seeing him start from 22nd on the grid, Sykes had a lot of work to do. Race one saw him put his head down and work consistently up the pack, at the end of the race after aggregate he came home in 13th place. Race two saw an incredible start, Sykes put his talent out for all to see, picking off one rider after another to get down to ninth position. By this time the front pack had got too far away and Sykes ran out on his own for the remainder of the race to keep his top ten finish. Spies leaves Miller in second place in the championship on 212 points, 53 points behind leader Haga. Sykes heads to Misano in seventh with 113 points, nine points behing sixth placed Haslam. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (1st, 1st) “We’ve been working on our starts a little bit and with such a long straight we needed one. The first race was pretty comfortable for me, it’s a great track if you can get out in front and get into a rhythm. It was a tough race in race two, I almost feel like I robbed Michel of a win he rode so well. I tried to set a good pace but also a pace that was comfortable. In the last six laps I just pulled the pin and gave it everything we could. The pace was extremely fast and it was a great race. It’s great to get a double win here, unfortunately we all know Haga is not 100% but you got to capitalize on the weekends when you can. I think Misano is going to be another track the R1 is going to excel it so we’re going to go over there with an open mind and see what we can get away with.” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (13th, 9th) “We still had some issues with the bike today and obviously the starting position didn’t help matters much. We got off the line fairly well in race one but got boxed in on turn one and lost position a bit. A difficult first race but the red flag helped me re start further up the grid and I managed to run some consistent race times. For race two we made a bit more of a change and found another half a second which was good and had a good start. In the first lap I came from 22nd to 14th which was pretty good. Overall it’s been quite a difficult weekend with a couple of things but the team and I have sat down and put our heads together and we’ve made a drastic improvement to the set up and the way we work, we’re going to be stronger as a team and I’m confident I can now repay the team and deliver the goods.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: ROUND 7 MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK, UTAH SUNDAY 31 MAY, 2009 RACE REVIEW May 31st, 2009 – Tooele, UT (United States) Pirelli celebrates the performances of Ben Spies and the Diablo SUPERBIKE in resetting the lap record for American round of the Superbike World Championship. A crowd of nearly 50,000 fans was duly impressed by the competitiveness and professionalism of the Superbike and also the Supersport class, which was brought to the United States for the first time this year. The hometown hero Spies pitched a “perfect game” at Miller, beginning the weekend by breaking an eighteen-year old consecutive Superpole record set by Doug Polen, having used his DIABLO SUPERBIKE qualifiers to take the front spot on the grid in the first seven races of the 2009 season. The wildcard American Superbike rider Jamie Hacking surprised the crowd by putting in the fastest time during the first Superpole session, just one tenth faster than his old rival Spies. In the end it was experience that paid off as Spies put in a time of 1’48.344, just 0.15 seconds off the Best Lap time of Carlos Checa set on his HANNspree Ten Kate Honda in 2008. Inclement weather hindered the chances of Max Biaggi to register a better time, the only rider remaining on the track as an approaching storm began to wet the track towards the end of the third 12-minute session. Carlos Checa did not forget his double race win last year, and proved that he is still comfortable at this racetrack by qualifying second for the Superbike grid. Carlos Checa’s Ten Kate Honda teammate Ryuichi Kiyonari and Ducati Xerox’s Michel Fabrizio completed the front row of the starting grid for both Superbike races. Race 1: The excellent weather was ideal for Pirelli’s new softer “A” solution compound, which was chosen by Spies, Checa and Fabrizio on the front row of the grid. Only Kiyonari chose a harder “B” solution Diablo SUPERBIKE, hoping he could repeat his podium performances of Monza just a couple weeks ago. The first race of the day started well, with Spies out in front with Shinya Nakano on the Aprilia and Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati just behind. But on the fifth lap of the race, Shinya Nakano and Karl Muggeridge suffered crashes, and with Muggeridge’s bike lying in the middle of the track andpotential oil on the asphalt, a red flag was called. The restart came with Nakano rejoining the field, and again it was Spies out in front, this time followed by Carlos Checa who had begun to find his pace from the previous year. Spies broke into the 48’s his first lap out, registering a new lap record for World Superbike on this racetrack. Closing the gap on Spies and Checa was Ducati Xerox’s Michel Fabrizio, who has been a regular on the podium in the last several races and seems to have developed a bit of a rivalry with the American. Fabrizio’s teammate and points leader Noriyuki Haga, who many Ducati fans came to cheer on, was unfortunately plagued by back pains caused by a fall in qualifying sessions and could not better 8th position for the whole race weekend. The final race time for the first Superbike race was 14 seconds less than 2008, showing that not only have the lap times decreased, but the new solutions have guaranteed to maintain these lower lap times for the race distance. Four manufacturers in the top five positions in the final standings gave every fan an experience they would remember. Race 2: Pirelli brought a new rear solution to Miller Motorsports Park which was popular in Qatar and worked equally well on this racetrack, since nearly the entire grid preferred the “A” solution rear. With this solution and the warm temperatures and asphalt conditions, slightly less abrasive than last year, offered excellent performance and longevity. Ben Spies opened the second race with a lap time of 1’48.768, for a lap record nearly one second lower than the best race time set by Carlos Checa in 2008 during the Superbike debut at the Utah track. Michel Fabrizio of Ducati Xerox was determined keep up with Spies’ pace, but after maintaining a 1.5 second gap for nearly the whole race, he was unable to manage his tyres in the last laps of the race and ultimately finished second for the day. Jonathan Rea and the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda found a better setup for race two, and even though he lost the third position to Leon Haslam of Stiggy Honda on the 17th lap, Rea kept his consistency while Haslam suffered a crash on the last lap. Max Biaggi on his Aprilia could see the possibility to grab a podium spot at several points in the race, but had to go home with a 4th place position. Texan Ben Spies on his Diablo SUPERBIKE tyres grabbed the Superpole, managed to lead every lap of both races, and lowered the overall race time by 19 seconds, giving every American a reason to come back and see the excitement of World Superbike next year. Supersport: Pirelli serviced the World Supersport class in America for the first time this year, shipping nearly 2,000 Diablo SUPERCORSA tyres to support a grid of 30 riders which included two American wild cards. One wild card was female rider Melissa Paris, the wife of AMA Supersport champion Josh Hayes, riding on a Markbilt Racebikes Yamaha YZF-R6. In Saturday’s qualifying, it was Joan Lascorz on his ZX-6R who took the pole position with a time of 1’51.749, the first of the season for the Kawasaki Motocard.com team. The points leader Cal Crutchlow, previous Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu, and Kyalami race winner Eugene Laverty managed to keep the first four positions during the races in a constant state of change. On the very last lap, Kenan Sofuoglu daring passes of Cal Crutchlow and Eugene Laverty pushed the two riders wide and was able to take the lead and the ultimate win. During the intense changes of position, Laverty lost the lead he had maintained for every lap of the race. The final results saw the podium positions separated by only 0.5 second and four manufacturers in the top six positions, with Garry McCoy and his Triumph 675 tying the best performance for the brand from Phillip Island in 2008. Since this was a new racetrack, especially one characterized by high temperatures, Pirelli utilized this race to affirm the performances of the new softer compound solutions. This new Diablo SUPERCORSA SC0 development compound, characterized as the “A” solution for riders, offered adequate long-lasting capabilities, especially considering the hot temperatures experienced here in Utah. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Total domination by Spies in Utah US Round at Miller Motorsports Park Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) annihilated the opposition in the Utah US Round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Miller Motorsports Park, picking up his second double win of the year in his rookie SBK season. In front of 47,300 spectators the Texan again reopened the title battle in a championship that following Kyalami appeared to be firmly in the hands of Ducati. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who crashed heavily in practice, ran the two races in a bruised state, finishing ninth and eighth. The Japanese rider lost ground to Spies as well as to his team-mate Michel Fabrizio, who finished third and second. With the season now at its mid-point Haga leads on 265 points, with Spies up to 212 and Fabrizio on 201. Race 1 Spies dominated the first race to cut the gap at the top of the table, as Haga could only finish in ninth place, losing 18 points in the process. The race was interrupted on lap 7 after a crash involving Australian Karl Muggeridge (Celani Suzuki), who only came away with a few bruises. Spies powered away again in the second part to win by a comfortable margin on aggregate times. Behind Spies finished Spain’s Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), last year’s double winner, and third place went to Fabrizio who was slowed by two poor starts. It was a good day for Ten Kate Honda as Ryuichi Kiyonari and Jonathan Rea came home in fourth and fifth position respectively. Max Biaggi started from row 4 but worked his way up to sixth position at the flag on his Aprilia RSV4 machine. Ben Spies: “We’ve been working on our starts a bit and this is a long straightaway and I really needed to get a good one here. After the restart it was tough because I really wanted to win on the road and couldn’t take too many risks to keep Carlos at bay. I just wanted to cross the line first even though I had a six-second cushion.” Carlos Checa: “From the beginning Ben was too strong today. I didn’t have so much grip in the first part but then we adjusted the tyre pressure and it was better in the second. The Honda is working well here, we have a good base from last year and we used that benefit to get at a certain level and get a good result. We needed this result because it has not been so good for us since the start of the year.” Michel Fabrizio: “It’s a pity about the second start, I felt a bit like a ping-pong ball, because I was under attack from all sides by three of four other guys. Luckily, I managed to stay upright. Afterwards I managed to run at my own pace and get onto the podium for a good result.” Results: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 38’30.945 (160,527 kph); 2. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 9.394; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 12.742; 4. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 14.276; 5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 14.915; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 15.461; 7. Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 22.901; 8. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 25.425; 9. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 25.870; 10. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 26.093; 11. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 26.181; 12. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 29.275; 13. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 38.365; 14. Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 39.454; 15. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 39.513; 16. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 48.889 Race 2 The second race was similar to the first, with the three-times AMA Superbike champion Spies taking the lead at the first turn and never relinquishing it. Fabrizio this time got off to an excellent start and was second at the first corner, the Italian managing to keep Spies in his sights for over half the race before settling for the runner-up slot. Checa crashed out on lap 4, leaving the battle for the final podium place to be fought out between Rea, Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), who crashed out on the final lap, and Biaggi, competitive in the race after problems in qualifying. Kiyonari, Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) and Shinya Nakano (Aprilia Racing) all finished ahead of Haga in eighth. It was an encouraging race for Kawasaki, with Parkes and Hacking often running inside the top 10, but BMW again had a difficult time of things with Xaus and Corser finishing outside the top 15. Ben Spies: “That was a tough race, I almost feel like I robbed Michel because he rode fantastic. I tried to set a good pace but a pace that was comfortable and every time he took a tenth out I had to put a tenth back to keep him at bay. Then in the last six laps I pulled the pin and held it to the end. It’s good to get a double win here, unfortunately we know Haga’s not 100% but you’ve got to capitalize on the weekend and we made up some points.” Michel Fabrizio: “It was a good weekend, I tried every way possible until five or six laps from the end to give some problems to Ben but in my attempt to catch up to him I pusher a bit too hard and finished the front tyre so there was nothing I could do.” Jonathan Rea: “The guys have put a great bike under me this weekend, we’ve done some good development, but I’ve never had to race as slow as I could for third place because I had a few problems with the front and the front tyre. Ben and Michel put on a great run at the front, I couldn’t go with them. I could see a big gaggle of riders behind me, and thought I’d keep something in reserve until the end but I couldn’t see what happened with Leon’s crash. Anyway it was my second podium in two rounds so I’m very happy. Results: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 38’25.391 (160,914 kph);2. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 9.080; 3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 14.357; 4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 15.636; 5. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 17.156; 6. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 17.546; 7. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 19.659; 8. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 23.455; 9. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 30.489; 10. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 31.775; 11. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 33.246; 12. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 36.758; 13. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 36.887; 14. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 37.290; 15. Zemke J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 42.639; 16. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 42.777 Points (after 7 of 14 rounds): 1. Haga 265; 2. Spies 212; 3. Fabrizio 201; 4. Rea 133; 5. Biaggi 126; 6. Haslam 122; 7. Sykes 113; 8. Kyonari 96; 9. Checa 93; 10. Smrz 82. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 311; 2. Yamaha 253; 3. Honda 206; 4. Aprilia 129; 5. Suzuki 113; 6. Bmw 60; 7. Kawasaki 41 World Supersport Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) emerged the winner from the thrilling final lap of a race-long battle between four riders and three different makes: Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki. With just one lap to go the 2007 champion first passed points leader Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport), and then three turns from the chequered flag made a decisive move on Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), who had led from the start. For the Turkish rider it was the 13th win of his career, and the 67th for Honda in Supersport. The Ten Kate Honda rider is now back in contention in the points standings, third on 108 points behind leader Crutchlow on 135 and Laverty on 126. Kawasaki Provec scored a good fourth place with Joan Lascorz, who started from pole. Gianluca Nannelli (ParkinGO Triumph ) crashed out of the battle for fifth, which eventually went to Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport), but Garry McCoy held the Triumph flag high with a positive sixth place. Seventh went to 2008 champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who started from the final row of the grid. Results: 1. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 34’00.510 (155,831 kph); 2. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 0.368; 3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 0.521; 4. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1.833; 5. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 12.071; 6. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 18.108; 7. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 25.912; 8. Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 26.867 Points (after 7 of 14 rounds): 1. Crutchlow 135; 2. Laverty 126; 3. Sofuoglu 108; 4. Pitt 73; 5. Lascorz 73; 6. West 66; 7. Foret 55; 8. Aitchison 50; 9. Pirro 48; 10. McCoy 39. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 158; 2. Yamaha 135; 3. Kawasaki 84; 4. Triumph 46; 5. Suzuki 30 More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: SPIES DOMINATES HIS HOME WORLD SUPERBIKE EVENT American has perfect weekend and moves to second in standings TOOELE, Utah (May 31, 2009) Expectations were high for Ben Spies coming into the American round of the World Superbike Championship. The 24-year-old Texan lived up to those expectations and then some, easily controlling both rounds Sunday at Miller Motorsports Park. Spies rode his factory Yamaha R1 to a double victory, winning both races by over nine seconds each, in the most dominating performance in the series so far this season. In addition to winning outstanding fashion in front of a partisan crowd, Spies also moved past Michel Fabrizio into second in the series standings and chopped 35 points out of series leader Noriyuki Haga’s championship lead. At the halfway point in the season Spies has closed to 53 points behind Haga in the championship, renewing hopes for Spies of winning the World Superbike Championship in his debut season. “It’s an amazing feeling to win an international event in your home country,” Spies said. “I’ve won plenty of AMA Superbike races here, but to win a world championship event with the home crowd cheering you on is definitely a special moment and one I’m sure I’ll remember for the rest of my life.” Starting from the pole Spies sprinted away to a big lead early in the first race. A red fag stopped the race on the seventh of 21 laps after Karl Muggeridge crashed, ending up in the middle of the track. Spies had a four-second lead in hand when the race was stopped. The race would be figured in aggregate time giving Spies a relatively safe margin. Nevertheless, Spies again pulled away on the restart, turning a race-record lap as quick as 1:48.965, to pull away from the field. At the checkered flag his aggregate margin of victory was 9.394 seconds. “I knew I had a bit of margin in hand, but I definitely wanted to cross the finish line in the lead,” Spies said of race one. “I was a little more comfortable in the first segment [before the red flag]. In the second segment I didn’t want to take too many risks. I had to go fast enough to keep Carlos [Checa] at bay and at the same time keep things under control and that was a tough balancing act. I got into a good rhythm and this track becomes a lot easier if you can find that rhythm.” Spies’ 9.394-second victory over Checa was the largest margin of victory in the championship this season. In the second race Spies faced a much stiffer challenge from Ducati’s Fabrizio. The Italian rider kept within a second-and-a-half of Spies for much of the first half of the race. In the latter stages a relentlessly Spies found a second wind and in the course of a couple of laps quickly bolstered his lead to over six seconds. At the finish line Spies held a commanding 9.080-second margin over Fabrizio, nearly matching the margin he enjoyed in the first race. “That was a tough race,” Spies admitted of race two. “I almost feel like I robbed Michel of a win. He rode a fantastic race. I tried to set a good pace, a pace that was comfortable. Every time Michel took a tenth [of a second] out of my lead I tried to put it back the next lap. The last six laps I pulled the pin and did everything I could to win it. The pace was extremely fast. I saw a 48.7 on my timer and a string of 49s.” In fact Spies had bettered the record-setting pace of the first race and turned a blistering 1:48.768 in race two. “It was good to get a double win here. Unfortunately Haga was not at 100 percent, but you’ve got to capitalize on these weekends. He did when I had problems. We made up some points and I’m sure it’s going to be a fight for the championship from here on out.” Haga, who’d been incredibly consistent this season, building an 88-point lead in the championship coming into this event, suffered a big crash in practice and raced Sunday with a sore back. He finished ninth and eighth in the two races. It was a perfect weekend for Spies. He now has a series-leading seven victories on the season. On Saturday he set the record for the longest string of consecutive poles in World Superbike history, taking his seventh straight. He carries with him momentum going into the next championship round in Misano, Italy, on June 21. “We’ll see what we can do at Misano,” Spies said. “I’ve never been to that track before, but I’m sure it’s a circuit that the R1 will excel on, so we’ve got to go there with an open mind and ride 100 percent.” More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: SBK, RACE 1: BIAGGI FINISHES IN SIXTH PLACE A splendid sun provided the backdrop for Race 1 of the U.S. round of Superbike at Miller Park. In front of his home crowd and on his Yamaha Factory, it was Ben Spies who took home the victory, beating out Checa on his Honda and Fabrizio on his Ducati who came in third place. Spies took of like a lightning bolt from pole position and after just a few curves already had a modest advantage over his two challengers, Nakano and Kiyonari. And just slightly behind was a group formed by Checa, Fabrizio, Haga, Parkes and Biaggi. The Spaniard established a good pace, however, and caught up with Nakano during the fifth lap. In the sixth, the attempt to pass him went on for a while and when he cut in front of Shinya he was forced to brake, his steering froze up, he ended up on the ground and had to quit the race. During the same lap, Muggeridge’s fall forced the judges to stop the race with the red flags. Then a new round of 16 laps continued with Biaggi starting off from eighth position and Nakano, who did not participate in the race, even though he had qualified, because he didn’t return to the pit on his own motorcycle following the red flag, as required. The second start continued with Spies well ahead of everyone else as before, but this time he was followed by Kiyonari, Checa, Rea, Parkes and Biaggi. The Japanese driver and the Spaniard tried their best to catch up with the American driver, but they were unable to do so and Kiyonari ended up in difficulty halfway through the race, falling back several positions, while Rea, Biaggi and Fabrizio lagged behind. It was from this point that the time differences were calculated with the sum of the times of the two starts. With Spies, who already had the victory sealed and Checa who was sure to take second place, a battle started between Rea and Fabrizio at a distance for the third step on the podium and between Biaggi and Kiyonari for the two remaining positions. Rea finished in third place with slightly more than a two-tenths of a second advantage over Fabrizio, but it would be the Roman driver who would step atop the podium. Biaggi, in fifth place, right behind the Ducati team driver, would have to settle for sixth place in the overall classification behind Kiyonari and Rea, with all three within slightly more than one second of one another. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Day Of Dramas Sees Hacking Take Best Finish So Far WSBK, Salt Lake City, USA, 1 June 2009 Local rider Jamie Hacking made the most of his stand-in ride at Miller Motorsports Park in race one, finishing seventh, the highest placing of any Kawasaki rider in a single race this year. Broc Parkes, who had qualified seventh on the grid, was riding as high as fourth in the aggregated first race before he was forced to retire with electrical problems in the second heat. He clashed with another rider on the first lap of the second race, went right to the back of the field, and had to haul himself up to a fighting 11th place at the flag. In race two, Hacking ran off track on two occasions after a first lap collision, but kept going to finish 19th. It was a therefore something of a mixed bag of results for the Kawasaki duo, who wowed the trackside fans with their pace and combativeness on many occasion, but did not get all the full rewards their obvious pace deserved. Miller was seen as a landmark meting for the team, with strong second row qualifying positions for each rider, and their real world pace proving to be a boost for their prospects at the next round in Misano, on June 21. In the championship standings Parkes remains 18th, while Hacking went straight in at 20th, despite only finishing one race today. Broc Parkes: “I was really happy to get through all three Superpole sessions and start from the second row on the grid. I got good starts in both races but in the first race we had a few issues with tyres and then I had to pull out of the race with an electrical problem on the final lap. In race two we changed the tyres but I was hit in the first corner so I was dead last and had to try and claw my way back to a decent position. The bike was the best it’s felt all weekend. Our times showed that we could have easily sustain a position in the top eight so I’m a bit disappointed that the results this weekend didn’t reflect how good the team and the bike have been.” Jamie Hacking: “I’ve not ridden on Pirelli tyres before and also I had to get used to the electronics but I was really happy to complete all three Superpole sectors and to start on row two next to Broc. I got a decent start in race one and was feeling really good on the bike and in a comfortable fourth place before the red flag came out. But a seventh in the re-start was good. Race two I had an incident on the first corner as I had more entry speed then some of the guys around me, but someone ran into me, so I couldn’t turn in. I had to make my way out of the pack to try and save the bike. Having not raced with these guys I’m unfamiliar how some of them ride so I was really disappointed that this happened. I’d like to have had a solid race result in race two but it wasn’t to be.” More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team enjoyed a podium result in both of today’s seventh round World Superbike championship races at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City USA. In race one, Carlos Checa, climbed the rostrum for the first time this season with second place. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he crashed out of a comfortable second place in race two. In the second outing, it was Jonathan Rea who flew the Honda flag, with another impressive third place finish to follow up his WSBK podium debut last time out at Kyalami in South Africa. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland had earlier finished in fifth place in the two-part race one, which had been stopped after a crash involving Karl Muggeridge. Both 21-lap encounters were won by American Ben Spies, who has closed down his points deficit on series leader Noriyuke Haga. Rea’s results have leap-frogged him past fellow Honda-mounted Leon Haslam into fourth place, while Checa has moved up to eighth place at the halfway stage of the season. Jonathan Rea 5th and 3rd I was just settling into a good rhythm in race one when it got red flagged, but the second part was OK and I just couldn’t maintain the gap I had over Fabrizio, so he beat me to the podium, even though I finished third on the road. In race two, I just had to ride as slowly as I could to keep the guys behind me. There was a big gap to the guys at the front, who were riding at a fantastic pace, but I had a problem with the front of the bike. Luckily I was able to use the power of the CBR1000RR on the straights to stay ahead. I think we’ve found some consistency now, so we can return to Europe with our heads held high and look forward to some more good results. Carlos Checa 2nd and DNF Race one was nice I got a good start in the second part. I pushed really hard behind Ben (Spies) but I was not able to catch him. It was great to be back on the podium in America. The crash in the second race was a real shame because I had a good pace and I was comfortable in third position. I entered the chicane maybe a little tighter than before to try and close the gap on Fabrizio, but I touched the kerb with my engine casing and that was the end of the race for me. But I think we have grown up a lot here and moved things forward in a good direction it’s just a shame that the weekend had to finish like this. Ronald ten Kate team manager All in all, it’s been a good weekend really. To have three riders in the top five in race one was really satisfying and probably a unique WSBK result. The second race was looking even better until Carlos crashed out but it was still good to have Johnny bringing the CBR1000RR home in third place. I think we can conclude that we made another step forward this weekend and we will be helped by testing at Magny-Cours on our way down to the next race in Misano, where we hope to confirm and improve upon the current base settings. We are looking forward to bringing the good form we have found in South Africa and America back to Europe. More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: Ryuichi Kiyonari scored two top five finishes in the two seventh round World Superbike championship races at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, USA today. The Japanese Ten Kate Honda Racing rider had been on his best form since the weekend started with free practice on Friday and he had qualified his Honda Genuine Accessories-backed CBR1000RR Fireblade on the front row for the two 21-lap races around the 4.9km Miller circuit. Unfortunately for Kiyonari, his rear tyre slipped on its rim in both outings, preventing a repeat of the double podium finish he scored at Monza earlier this month. Both races were won by American Ben Spies. Ryuichi Kiyonari 4th and 5th I got a good start to the second part of race one and took the holeshot I think, but I had a problem with the tyre which was the same in race two. It was moving on the rim and made rear grip a real problem in both races. We decided to go with the softer tyre after warm-up but we hadn’t had a chance to do any longer runs with it. It was OK for the first couple of laps but then the problems started. It’s very disappointing but I guess the results are not so bad, and a lot better than last time at Kyalami. Ronald ten Kate team manager I am really disappointed for Kiyonari-san, who has been on the pace all weekend and looked good for more rostrum finishes before his tyre started to spin on the rim in both races. However, I believe we have all made a good step forward this weekend and we will confirm and improve upon our base settings at a test in Magny-Cours on our way to the next race in Misano. We’ll work hard to bring Kiyo’s good performance here back to Europe. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: FABRIZIO (DUCATI XEROX) REPEATS HIS 2008 PERFORMANCE TAKING TWO PODIUM FINISHES TODAY AT MILLER Miller Salt Lake City (USA) Sunday 31st May: Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) takes home 36 important points having visited the podium twice, with a worthy second and third place finish in the races held today at Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City. Michel’s team-mate Noriyuki Haga, who had difficulty finding the right feeling with his Ducati 1198 this weekend, had a more difficult day and closed the two races in ninth and eighth position. Race 1 became dramatic when, after five laps, Suzuki rider Muggeridge crashed and caused a red flag that led to a subsequent second heat. Recommencing from the positions they held before the red flag was shown, fourth and fifth, Ducati riders Michel and Noriyuki did not make the strongest start this time around and found themselves in eleventh and eighth place respectively at the end of the first lap. Michel made a great recovery, fighting his way through the pack from eleventh to fourth, which meant third place according to the aggregate race results. Noriyuki, still very sore from yesterday’s crash, found it difficult to make progress with his 1198 but, knowing that today is all about taking as many points as possible home, he held strong to come home in a valiant ninth position. In Race 2 Noriyuki made a change to his bike’s setting but unfortunately it did not make a great difference to the feeling he had. Although he held third place for a few laps at the start, he was gradually overtaken by various riders including team-mate Fabrizio and concluded the 21-lap race in eighth position. Michel also made up a couple of places at the offset, and was in second behind Ben for the entirety of the race. Alhtough he remained close to Ben for the best part of the race, his efforts to stick with the frontrunner resulted in front tyre wear that in the final laps began to slow Michel down, causing him to lose a few seconds. Fabrizio did however finish a clear five seconds ahead of third-placed Honda rider Rea. In the championship standings, Noriyuki continues to hold the lead though with a slightly diminished advantage of 265 points over American Spies who has 212. Fabrizio is in third place with 201 points. Ducati dominates the manufacturers classification with 311 points, Yamaha chases with 253. Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 3rd, Race 2 2nd) “Well Race 1 was quite hard, because after the restart I felt like a ping-pong ball, there were three or four guys coming at me from all directions causing me to lose some positions. I had to push hard to pass them again and it wasn’t easy but my desire to be up on the podium gave my the strength I needed and so I’m happy with the result. In the second race I got away well and did all I could to stick with Ben out front. The gap between us was about 1.5 seconds and I pushed hard to close it up, perhaps too hard, because in the last laps my front tyre was finished and I couldn’t do more to catch him. Ben was really strong today so I can’t complain that I didn’t win. I take away 36 valuable points and now we head to Misano where I’d like to be back up on the top step of the podium.” Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 9th, Race 2 8th) “I did not have a very good feeling with my bike in Race 1. It was very hot out there and I can’t say I was having an easy time. We changed the setting a little for the second race but I still wasn’t able to fight for the podium despite the fact that it was only a few seconds out of grasp. Unfortunately many riders were just stronger then me today. I am not 100% of course after my crash yesterday and I didn’t expect to win here today but I am happy to have taken points all the same, important points for the championship. I’ll get back in shape before Misano where I want to be back fighting for the win.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: CHECA AND REA TAKE MILLER PODIUM FINISHES Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a second place finish in race one at Miller Motorsports Park today and in race two his team-mate Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) secured a fighting third place, promoting each rider up the championship standings. After a superb qualifying performance, finishing second on the grid, Checa rode hard in an aggregated race one, and although he was unable to get close to the race winner Ben Spies, Carlos took his best finish of the year by some distance with his runner-up slot. This was his first podium finish of 2009, and although he fell in race two, while chasing another podium finish, he is now ninth in the championship table, one place up on his previous standing. Race one, stopped and restarted because of a crash which saw Karl Muggeridge fall and stay on the track for some time, had three Hondas in the top five places, with Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Racing Honda CBR1000RR) and Rea fourth and fifth respectively. They had been third and 11th respectively in Superpole. In the second race of the day, a full 21-laps from start-to-finish, Spies won from Michel Fabrizio, with Rea fighting all the way to take third, as he headed up a battle which involved six other riders at some points. Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) was a disappointed 12th in Superpole but completed the top ten in race one, after a tough multi-rider fight in each of the two aggregate legs. He was pushing for the podium against Rea when he fell on the last lap of race two, in the same fashion Checa did, when his alternator cover also touched down on a kerbstone. Kiyonari was to finish race two in fifth place, part of the fighting group from first to last. Jake Zemke (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) was 23rd on the grid, and 18th on aggregate in race one. Set-up improvements moved him to 15th in race two, scoring a single point. Tommy Hill (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) who had qualified only 25th after crashing and hurting his left foot, did not race at Miller, after discussion with his team. In the overall championship standings, Rea is top Honda, rider, fourth overall on 133 points, Haslam slipped from fourth to sixth, on 122, and Kiyonari is eighth, on 96 points. The next round is at Misano, on June 21. WSS Sofuoglu Wins As Honda Go 1-2 Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) secured his second WSS race win of the 2009 season with a last lap attack on eventual second place man Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) and championship leader Cal Crutchlow. Sofuoglu went from third to first in the space of a few corners and moved to within 27 points of the lead, with seven rounds gone. Sofuoglu set the lap record of 1’52.285 on the 15th lap of 18, as he used radically new machine set-up in this race to get himself back up the points table after some disappointing recent results. Laverty had led the race from the start, but on the third corner from the flag Sofuoglu dived inside and held his line to push Laverty to second in the race, just ahead of Crutchlow. The top three were covered by 0.521 seconds. Laverty had been second in qualifying, Sofuoglu sixth. Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) overcame a heavy crash on Saturday to take seventh, an incredible achievement because of his start from the last row of the grid. He had fallen in the single qualifying session before recording a lap time, but was allowed to race because of his previous fast times in early unofficial sessions. Matthieu Lagrive (Honda Althea CBR600RR) was ninth, just one place ahead of Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR), making it five Honda riders in the top ten places. West had been only 22nd in qualifying making his top ten finish hard, but ultimately rewarding, work. Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) was another heavy crasher in practice, but he recovered well enough to go from 14th on the grid to 12th in the race. The last point, for 15th place, went to Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR), as Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea CBR600RR) fell in the race, after starting from 9th on the grid. In the overall standings, Crutchlow has 135, Laverty the best Honda rider with 126 in second place, Sofuoglu third on 128, Pitt fourth on 73, tied with Joan Lascorz. West is sixth, with 66 points. WSB Rider Quotes Jonathan Rea said: “I made a change between races with the front tyre, upping the pressure a bit it wasn’t the right way to go. I didn’t have as much grip on the way into corners, but the bike has improved in terms of the throttle connection so I concentrated on making the most of the power on the exit of the corners, and that was how I stayed in front. Getting a podium was good for the team and we have definitely made real improvements. Every lap I was watching the big screen out of the last turn to see who it was behind me. I knew I had a little bit of a gap, but for me I had to ride as slow as I could for third place. We’ve been on the podium now two weeks on the run, so it’s almost enough for us.” Carlos Checa said: “Race one was good, after all that has happened earlier this year, and despite my crash in race two we can leave here with everything being positive. We made progress and were on the pace and now we have a test in France to keep working, and be fast in Misano. In race two maybe I went in with too much angle and hit the kerbstone at the top of the hill, and that kerb is so high, we already complained about it last year. It was a shame because I knew I had good pace for the second race as well.” Leon Haslam said: “It has obviously been a bit of a disappointing day for us, finishing the first race in tenth position and then taking a DNF in the second one. I rode really well in the second race, and I should have been in third place here. As I tried to make a pass on Rea, I hit the kerb and ended up on the gravel. I am disappointed with my results, but then again, the pace I have been running and everything else is working just fine. We have a few more issues that we will have to work on for the next round, but fingers crossed we should be at the rostrum every weekend from now on. I am feeling very good with the bike and what it can do, so bring on Misano.” Ryuichi Kiyonari said: “I got a good start to the second part of race one and took the holeshot I think, but I had a problem with the tyre which was the same in race two. It was spinning on the rim and made rear grip a real problem in both races. We decided to go with the softer tyre after warm-up but we hadn’t had a chance to do any longer runs with it. It was OK for the first couple of laps but then the problems started. It’s very disappointing but I guess the results are not so bad, and a lot better than last time at Kyalami.” Jake Zemke said: “The biggest problem I had in qualifying was with turning in the middle of the corners, but we improved it in race one and then again in race two and we got a point because of it. Obviously I have to thank the team and John Hopkins for getting this opportunity, and we made some progress, so I wish the team success for the rest of the season.” Tommy Hill said: “I hurt my left foot in a crash and had two sets of X-rays which proved inconclusive. After discussion with the team we decided not to race.” WSS Rider Quotes Kenan Sofuoglu said: “We have had some problems with the set-up of the machine in recent races, and our results were not so good. But we kept working step-by-step and finally this morning we found a completely different set-up and it was like a new bike. I understood in warm-up that I could win the race, but in the beginning I could not pass some riders. I know how hard my mechanics worked last night so I want to give them a good result.” Eugene Laverty said: “I was disappointed not to win because I didn’t expect Kenan to come through on me but he made a fantastic pass and held his line by carrying a lot more speed than me through that corner. I am happy for him to get a win because it has been a tough period for his team, so it looks like we are going to have to work that bit harder to maintain our position. I made a silly mistake in warm-up and crashed, and had to ride my spare bike, so the guys made a great job to put a great bike underneath me.” Andrew Pitt said: “I tried a new setting this race, something different that we didn’t use before, and now I think we have turned the corner. Before the problem with my crash yesterday we were on the pace. I have a headache and my leg is a bit sore, but I got through the race OK. I think we are on the way up again.” Anthony West said: “I have been frustrated recently and at the beginning of the race I just couldn’t push the bike but when the tyres started sliding around a bit I had a bit more feeling with the bike. Then I could manage it better than the other guys. We got a top ten and some points but it’s not where we should be.” Mark Aitchison said: “I got into the Esses and was following McCoy. We went in left but as we went right he bobbled and I had nowhere to go. I almost ran up the back of him and had to change line so that put me onto the rumple strip and I went down. It was just a bit unfortunate.” Matthieu Lagrive said: “OK, we got some points but I am not so happy to not have a good solution before practice and qualifying. I saw before the race where our set-up problem was, but it was too late. The whole weekend was difficult but we made some progress on raceday.” Gianluca Vizziello said: “A good race but my rear was spinning a lot, so I was sliding instead of driving. One point is OK, but I think we should be better in the next race.” Miguel Praia said: “I had a very big crash in practice so I was pleasantly surprised to score points and almost get a tenth place finish. The bike was great but it was a very hard race for me, particularly because I ripped my thigh muscles and you really need them to move around the bike.” More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda: Team Sterilgarda returns from the USA with 11 points after today’s two races. In race 1, Byrne lost several positions at the start dropping to fourteenth place after the first corner. After a few laps, the race was interrupted and the red flag was displayed. As a consequence, the riders got back on the starting grid as the standings were to be determined by adding the times of the two parts of the race. Byrne, who was recovering positions before the stop, could not be as incisive but managed nonetheless to recover progressively until he reached seventh place in the partial standings but finished eleventh after both times were added. In race 2 Shakey got a good start but got wide between the third and the fourth corner as he was trying to overtake Haslam. He lost nine seconds and contact with the front runners. However, he did not give up and finished tenth. SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R | 11th, 10th: “I had a good pace in both races. Unfortuntely, I didn’t have a good start in race 1 and made a mistake in the second one. I certainly could’ve done better. However, we have to look on the bright side. We were very effective in practice and constantly fast in race. We have to keep it up and be more competitive”. More, from a press release issued by Stiggy Racing Honda: Strong race ends in Miller gravel for Haslam The first Superbike race for the seventh round of the championship was red-flagged after just 5 laps into the 21-lap race at the Miller Motorsports Park today. The re-started race left another 16 laps to tackle. Leon Haslam had qualified in 12th position, but struggled to find flow throughout the race. He launched a tough performance and managed to bring his bike back home in tenth position, while temporary teammate Jake Zemke took 18th place at the line. Ben Spies took the win in the aggregated race in front of his home audience. The second Superbike race was saved from the red flag, but accounted for an even bigger number of crashes, including Leon Haslam. Haslam started from a 12th position on the grid, but gained three positions on the first lap. He got handed another position after an unfortunate crash by last-year’s double Miller winner Carlos Checa, and gains another one as Shane Byrne runs wide and drops to the back of the field. From then on it is hard work for Haslam, as he pushed his Stiggy Racing Honda forward through the field and finds himself in the middle of a seven rider group on the hunt for front runners Michel Fabrizio and Ben Spies. But Haslam was on the pace, and first moved himself past Haga before putting the pressure on Kiyonari. He set his fastest lap, and launched himself into the top five in the second half of the race, where he then battles for third place with the Honda pairing of Riyuchi Kiyonari and Jonathan Rea. Haslam first puts the pressure on Kiyonari and decides the outcome of the battle by claiming fourth place in the first sector on the 15th lap. Rea is the next in line to lose his position to Haslam, but the latter then struggles to find enough acceleration in his bike on the long straight of the Miller track. Haslam out breaks Rea going into the first corner, but the fellow Honda rider quickly reclaims his ground. Haslam tails Rea into the final lap of the race and rides on the limits of his bike’s potential when tragedy hit and he undeservedly crashed out in one of his strongest performances to date, with just half a lap left to the flag. The crash of Haslam moved Jake Zemke into the top 15 as he took his first WSB point home for the team. Ben Spies took another win in the second race, followed by Michel Fabrizio in second and Jonathan Rea in third. Leon Haslam, Race 1 – 10th, Race 2 – DNF: ” It has obviously been a bit of a disappointing day for us, finishing the first race in tenth position and then a DNF in the second one. I rode really good in the second race, and I should have been in third place here. As I tried to make a pass on Jonny [Rea], I hit the curb and ended up on the gravel. I am disappointed with my results, but then again, the pace I have been running and everything else is working just fine. We have a few more issues that we will have to work on for the next round, but fingers crossed we should be at the rostrum every weekend from now on. I am feeling very well on the bike and what it can do, so bring on Misano. ” Jake Zemke, Race 1 – 18th, Race 2 – 15th: ” The cornering of the bike became a lot better and enabled me to get around the track a lot easier in the second race. The set up was better this race, even though we developed even more chatter. We started off the weekend well, but we were going backwards with the settings on Saturday. The team came up with solutions before the race, that made us run the lap times closer to what we should be doing. I am happy that Stiggy [Johan Stigefelt] gave me the change to ride here. Hopper [John Hopkins] has been around all weekend and is looking good, so he should be back for Misano. I would like to wish John, Leon and the team the best of luck for the rest of the season. It has been a great pleasure to work with this team.” Johan Stigefelt, Team Manager: ” Leon had a fantastic race here today and deserved to be on the podium. He was riding on the limit of his bike, and then hit the curb on the last lap. It’s just bad luck, but that’s racing. After the result in the first race we came back, like we always do. It shows how well the team works and how strong we can be. Jake was struggling in the qualifying sessions, but rode a good second race. It is good for his team, as they have worked hard to prepare him a good package throughout the weekend. We know that some of the tracks we come to will prove hard for us in the beginning, but we have been developing our bikes fast at every track. I am looking forward to the next round in Misano, at the track we know well.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: FRUSTRATION AND DISAPPOINTMENT IN USA. It was a day of disappointment and frustration for Troy in the seventh round of the Superbike Word Championship at the Miller Motorsport Park, USA. The two days of practice and qualifying had already been a frustrating affair and today was no better – though this time the problems were not solely bike-related. When Troy was taken out and crashed in the first race in Monza, he damaged ligaments in his right shoulder. He was already riding with a cracked bone in his left hand and so was not at 100 per cent. Throughout race one, his shoulder became more and more painful, but he somehow managed to score a point. In race two, his shoulder got progressively worse and prevented him from muscling his bike round the 4.96 kilometre circuit as he wanted. But he didn’t want to pull out of the race and kept going as best he could. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) continued his weekend of domination by taking both victories today – much to the delight of the home fans. Carlos Checa (Honda) was second in race one, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third. Behind Spies in race two was Fabrizio again, with Jonathan Rea (Honda) third. Troy – Race 1: 15th, Race 2: 17th Until I started the weekend, I had no idea how good or bad my right shoulder would be. I had been more concerned about the cracked bone in my hand and that is why I gave Kyalami a miss. The rest certainly did it good, but the rest obviously wasn’t enough to heal the shoulder properly, so now I’m going to have to get it seen to and get the right treatment for it. It was hurting in race one and just got worse in race two. I found it difficult to brake hard and change direction and couldn’t push hard at all. This just compounded what was a tough weekend for us all. For whatever reason, our bike and the tyre we could use just didn’t work well at all. It’s something we have to sort out for sure, but at least we’re going to be back in Europe and will have a chance to use our workshops again. Although it has been a disappointing and frustrating weekend, the last two flyaway races have given us a lot of info and data to work with and hopefully we’ll be able to make big improvements for Misano. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: ONE POINT IN A DISAPPOINTING WEEKEND The seventh round of this year’s Superbike World Championship will not going down in Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport history as one to remember. Starting from their lowest grid positions this season was always going to be difficult for riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus and it is to their huge credit that they brought their bikes home in both races. Troy and Ruben fought hard in the pair of 21-lappers and managed to score just one point, thanks to Troy’s fifteenth place in race one. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) continued his weekend of domination by taking both victories today – much to the delight of the home fans. Carlos Checa (Honda) was second in race one, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third. Behind Spies in race two was Fabrizio again, with Jonathan Rea (Honda) third. Troy – Race 1: 15th, Race 2: 17th There’s no disguising that this has been a hard weekend for us all here at Miller. Although we had some difficulties during the weekend, my main problem today was my right shoulder. I damaged the ligament between the shoulder and the collarbone in the Monza crash and it has not recovered yet. Race one was hard enough, but I just ran out of strength in race two and had a hard time keeping going. Every time I braked or changed direction, I felt that there wasn’t enough strength to move the bike and that tired me out. I also had some problems with the tyre moving on the rim in race two and that didn’t help us either. Since Monza, the bikes have been on the road (well plane actually) to Kyalami and then on to USA, so it’ll be good to get them back to the workshops, analyse what’s been going on and then make the right improvements. Hard work for sure, but I’ve no doubt we’ll get there. Ruben – Race 1: 21st, Race 2: 16th We didn’t think that this season would be easy, but perhaps today was harder then it should’ve been. Of course we began the races from the last rows of the grid and that made life difficult. Towards the end of the first race my lap times were consistent and good and pretty close to the guys fighting for top ten places. My bike didn’t feel right in race one, but it felt better in race two, but my grid position held me up. Between race one and race two my mechanics did a superb job by changing engines in such a short time and I want to thank them for the good and fast work – especially because the bike ran perfectly. Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director) For us, today was more or less the same as all weekend, but there are three aspects we have to consider. First, there is our disappointment, because we have been so much better this season. Second is that we found a lot of surprises we didn’t expect with the way the bike was working at this track with these tyres. Third is the huge amount of info we received, which will go back for analysis. Our recent timeline has not been good for us, because the bikes went from Monza to South Africa and then straight on to USA, so there has been no opportunity for us to collate all the data in our workshops, figure out what changes are needed and do the work required. At least now we head back to Europe and can work at home and make some modifications in time for Misano. This season’s pace is going faster and faster and we must fight to keep up. Today’s result was one to forget, but I’m proud of the whole team for the hard work they always put in and the motivation to improve by them and the riders is as strong as ever.