2008 HANNSPREE FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® MAGNY COURS 3, 4 and 5 OCTOBER ROUND 13 SUPERPOLE Magny Cours, Saturday 4 October 2008 Haga (Yamaha) grabs first Superpole of the year at Magny-Cours Noriyuki Haga’s exceptional end-of-season run of form continues at Magny-Cours this weekend as the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB rider powered to the Superpole for tomorrow’s French Round races with a new best lap of 1 minute 38.444 seconds. For the Japanese rider, who notched up a double win here last year and another double two weeks ago at Vallelunga, it was his first pole of the season and his sixth overall. The one-lap dash was a hard-fought affair, with the top 4 ending up in the space of three-tenths of a second and four different bikes on the front row from Yamaha, Suzuki, Ducati and Honda. Lining up alongside Haga will be Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare), the Spaniard producing his best performance of the year, followed by championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB): “I’m doing very well in this period and I’m very happy for pole position, but the situation this weekend was not so good, it was raining and dry, and I cannot find the right settings but that situation is the same for everybody. I just have to check another setting for tomorrow and then I’ll be ready.” Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare): “I’m very happy, for sure the Superpole is not one of my best things but I did a good job today. I hope to stay at the front tomorrow and fight for the podium. Last year I made a podium with Kawasaki but this year I will try and do the same for Suzuki.” Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox): “I’m pretty happy with how the day has been, the weather has finally come good, and I’m happy to be on the front row. My second split was not quite right and in the last chicane I didn’t do a great job and missed out on the fastest time. I know I’m going to have to rein myself in tomorrow but I’m looking forward to a good race.” Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda): “Well, the front of the grid has a bit of a family feeling about it as my brother also went well and is one row behind me. We did some good testing here last week, the bike is going well and I’m happy to be on the front row.” This time top Italian rider was Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Honda Althea), who set fifth quickest time after going well all weekend. Sixth place went to Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) of Germany, who ruined any chance of a front-row slot when he overcooked it during the second sector, losing precious tenths. Carlos Checa’s brother Davide (Yamaha France Ipone GMT94) had a good run to seventh, just one-tenth in front of Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati), with two more Italians, Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati RG), winner here in 2005, next up on row 3. Title contender Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) was looking a sure bet for a front row grid slot with his lap, but crashed out at the final turn. Times: 1. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’38.444; 2. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’38.574; 3. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1’38.666; 4. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’38.765; 5. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’39.349; 6. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’39.480; 7. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’39.514; 8. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’39.606; 9. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1’39.627; 10. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’39.957; 11. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’40.006; 12. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 0.000; 13. Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’40.147; 14. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’40.149; 15. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’40.631; 16. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’41.282. FIM Supersport World Championship Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) was back at the top after the second Supersport qualifying session, the Australian taking his seventh pole position of the year in 12 races. Behind Parkes was Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), quickest on Friday, and the youngster from Northern Ireland was followed by championship leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who surged up into a front row start position, with the final place going to Didier Van Keymeulen (RES Software Suzuki) of Belgium. Australian Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport Honda), also in with a chance of the title, was eighth quickest on row 2 that was also made up of Barry Veneman (RES Software Suzuki), Joan Lascorz (Glaner Motocard.com Honda) and Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport Honda). Frenchman Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport), returning to action after a lengthy injury, will start from row 4. Times: 1. Parkes B. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 1’41.543; 2. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’41.912; 3. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’42.481; 4. Van Keymeulen D. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 1’42.561; 5. Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 1’42.668; 6. Lascorz J. (ESP) Honda CBR600RR 1’42.729; 7. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1’42.926; 8. Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’42.976. Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Matej Smrz (Intermoto Czech Honda) took the pole position for the penultimate round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. The Czech rider set a superb lap of 1 minute 41.994 seconds, the only man to dip under the 1’42 mark, leaving his closest rival, Freddy Foray (Coutelle Junior Team Suzuki) trailing by almost one second. The front row is completed by Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) and Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team), while the other three championship contenders Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team), Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda) and Alessandro Polita (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) line up in fifth, seventh and eight respectively. Times: 1. Smrz M. (CZE) Honda CBR1000RR 1’41.994; 2. Foray F. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K8 1’42.892; 3. Simeon X. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’43.187; 4. Corti C. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’43.286; 5. Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1’43.464; 6. Millet J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’43.476; 7. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’43.551; 8. Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’43.569. European 600 Superstock Championship Race As expected, following his closest rival Vostarek’s promotion to Supersport, Loris Baz (Yamaha YZF Junior Team) won the European 600 Superstock title. The young French rider took the title with one round remaining, finishing runner-up to Britain’s Dan Linfoot (StoneBakerYamaha) after a terrific scrap that was only decided on the final lap. Third place went to another French rider, Matthieu Gines (Falcone Yamaha), while Vincent Lonbois (MTM Suzuki) of Belgium was fourth Results: 1. Linfoot D. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 17’44.716 (149,144 kph); 2. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 0.232; 3. Gines M. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 0.392; 4. Lonbois V. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 0.616; 5. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 1.091; 6. Rea G. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 1.734; 7. Beretta D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R600 3.377; 8. Black G. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 14.671. Points (after 9 of 10 rounds): 1. Baz (Yamaha) 166; 2. Vostarek (Honda) 121; 3. Bussolotti (Yamaha) 118; 4. Linfoot (Yamaha) 112; 5. Rea (Yamaha) 107; 6. Beretta (Suzuki) 78; etc. More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: Checa fourth in Magny-Cours Superpole HANNspree Ten Kate Honda World Superbike Championship, round 13 Magny-Cours, France 04 October 2008 Carlos Checa will start tomorrow’s two 13th round World Superbike races at Magny-Cours from the front row of the grid after setting the fourth fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole qualifying. Pole position at the 4.4km circuit in central France was taken by Yamaha’s Noriyuki Haga after cold and damp conditions affected all teams’ preparations for Sunday’s two 23-lap races. HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu, still suffering the after-effects of his big crash at Vallelunga two weeks ago, finished Superpole in 14th place. Martin Bauer, standing in for the injured Ryuichi Kiyonari, did not qualify for Superpole, and will start from the fifth row of the grid. Carlos Checa P4, 1m38.765s The bike and tyres are working well together but, of course, there will always be places where you can find a couple of tenths. Considering the weather that we have had during the weekend so far, I am happy with where we are and it’s always good to be on the front row. If we had not tested here last week, I’m not so sure we would be in this position and we might have struggled a little more. I think we have a good set-up for the races so I hope for two good starts and two good results. Kenan Sofuoglu P14, 1m40.149s That was not so bad and I’m happy that the free practice we had before Superpole was dry. Finally we got the chance to try some things and make some improvements. Each lap I did this afternoon was faster than before, including the one in Superpole, so I am definitely making progress. With a good start in the races I can improve even more, so I hope to finish each one well. Martin Bauer P17, 1m42.848s Unfortunately, the second qualifying session this morning was half-wet so I wasn’t able to improve the time from yesterday and ended up missing Superpole by a tenth of a second. It’s very frustrating because free practice was dry and I started to learn more about the bike and how to ride it. I’ll try to get good starts tomorrow and make up some places to score some points for the team. They have been great to work with and I’m really enjoying the whole experience. Ronald ten Kate team manager: I’m happy to see Carlos on the front row because we’re sure he has the pace to be fighting for a win tomorrow. Compliments as well to Kenan, who has had a pretty hard time riding the bike with all the bruises from his horror crash two weeks ago in Italy. The weather has been the biggest enemy for Martin so far, but he’s chipping away at the times and just needs a little more time on the bike. I hope he’ll be able to collect some points tomorrow. Results World Superbike, Magny-Cours, final qualifying: 1 N Haga JPN (Yamaha) 1m38.444s 2 F Nieto ESP (Suzuki) 1m38.574s 3 T Bayliss AUS (Ducati) 1m38.666s 4 C Checa ESP (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) 1m38.765s 14 K Sofuoglu (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) 1m40.149s 17 M Bauer AUT (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) 1m42.848s More, from a press release issued by Ducati Xerox: Saturday Oct 4 2008 Superpole – Magny-Cours BAYLISS ON FRONT ROW FOR TOMORROW’S SHOWDOWN AT MAGNY-COURS Magny-Cours (Francia), Saturday 4th October 2008: in a Superpole session that remained surprisingly dry this afternoon at Magny-Cours, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was satisfied to conclude proceedings with a place on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s crucial races. Bayliss registered the third fastest lap of the afternoon, just behind pole-sitter Haga and second placed man Nieto. Michel Fabrizio will line up at the front of the third row, in ninth place on tomorrow’s grid. Riders were unable to improve this morning on the times they set in first qualifying yesterday, due to a track that was part dry and part very wet. This meant that Ducati Xerox riders Troy Bayliss and Michel Fabrizio both qualified for Superpole with the times they set yesterday, that is in second and fifteenth place respectively. Tomorrow Australian Troy Bayliss has a strong chance of securing his third world title. With a 79-point advantage over Yamaha-rider Corser, Bayliss could seal the deal in Race 1, needing only to complete that race with an advantage of at least 75 points over Corser. Troy Bayliss 1m38.6s “I’m pleased with how the day went and am happy to be on the front row tomorrow, especially when I see that my second split was not quite right but anyway third place isn’t bad and the laps I completed in free practice before Superpole were pretty good too. I’m looking forward to good races tomorrow. We’ve had very mixed conditions so far and finally we saw some sun this afternoon but I hope it will stay like dry overnight because the track is staying wet for a long time. I plan to pull the reigns in a bit tomorrow and calm myself down and get two good results.” Michel Fabrizio 1m39.6s “I’m a little disappointed as I wanted to do better than the third row for tomorrow, and I thought I’d done a pretty good lap in Superpole this afternoon. Anyway the result is not so bad and being at the front of the guys on the third row may be an advantage. I just need to make two great starts to be able to fight up there at the front with the others! We will see how things go tomorrow because from what we’ve seen so far it’s clear that the weather will obviously play a part, I’d like it to remain dry.” TIMES (Superpole): 1. Haga (Yamaha) 1m38.4s; 2. Nieto (Suzuki) 1m38.5s;Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m38.6s; 4. Checa (Honda) 1m38.7s; 5. Rolfo (Honda) 1m39.3s; 6. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1m39.4s ….. 9.Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m39.6s More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda Go Eleven: Magny Cours, day-2 WSBK’08 Round 13 Max Biaggi and Ruben Xaus will start both the race of the penultimate WSBK round respectively from the eighth and eleventh positions. The starting grid was defined after a Superpole which followed just one dry qualifying session, in which the rider focused their job on fine-tuning the bike for the race. Max Biaggi ran the first part of the track effectively, but in the second part he got chattering problems which caused a loss of some tenths of second. On the contrary, Ruben Xaus, who started with some imperfection, recorded his best time of the weekend in the second part of the track. Good performance for Alex Polita too; the ‘pirate’ will sprint from the second row, thanks to the eighth time recorded at the end of the second session of qualifications. MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 8th qualified in 1’39.606: “I entered the Superpole without having tested the qualifying tyres because I preferred to spend all the qualifying sessions seeking for the best set-up for the race. It will be difficult to fight for the podium, on this track we suffer a gap of acceleration respect to the four-cylinders bikes”. RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | 11th Classified in 1’40.006: “I entered the Superpole too much nervous, and I made some little mistake in the T1, then I got more feeling and I improved. In the free practice I was able to be forceful with worn-out tyres, so I think I will play my best game in the second half of the race”. ALEX POLITA | Ducati 1098R | 8th Classified in 1’43.569: “I would have liked to start from the front row, but it’s all right anyway. We had the opportunity to work on the set-up just on a single dry session. My pace might give me the opportunity to be one of the top-riders of the race and I’m determined to give my best in order to try to grab the head of the championship ranking. It will be an hard battle, where nobody will give me anything”. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: PRESS RELEASE | Magny Cours, day-2 Beyond all expectations the positions of the starting grid have not changed. Despite the better weather, the second timed session took place on a wet track which prevented the riders to improve their times. Therefore the few laps done yesterday have determined the Superpole entry list in which even the riders of the Team Pedercini whished to be. In spite of two backline starting positions, Badovini and Iannuzzo hope to collect something more in tomorrow’s race. The Italian duo have spent the afternoon free practice in order to find the setting by which facing the race, their goal is still finishing into the points. AYRTON BADOVINI | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 20th Classified in 1’43.244: “Three of four testing sessions have been substantially useless. In today free practice we have finally been able to work, but some issued still remain to be tested in tomorrow morning warm-up which will be crucial to find the best trim for the bike by which facing the first race. Especially we must succeed to improve the way we enter and get out of the corner in order to be quicker in opening the gas”. VITTORIO IANNUZZO | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 25th Classified in 1’45.490: “Unfortunately yesterday I have been able to run just three timed laps and today I was sure to have the chance to improve my position on the starting grid. On the contrary the weather limited my performance once again. I feel in good form, I hope to be able to show it tomorrow in the two race, which I will face it totally determined to get a good result”. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto finally laid his Superpole demons to rest by setting the second quickest lap in the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out at the World Superbike Championship round at Magny-Cours today. He had been fourth in regular qualifying, but stormed round the 4.411 kilometre circuit in 1:38.574 – a time bettered by just one tenth of a second by Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). Max Neukirchner had a big ‘moment’ on his Superpole lap but recovered to finish with the sixth fastest lap and Yukio Kagayama was another to give the spectators and TV fans a heart-stopping moment, but he too managed to stay on the bike and complete his lap. Unfortunately he lost the best of half a second in the process and now faces a hard day tomorrow from 15th place on the grid. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) took Superpole – his first of the season – with a lap of 1:38.444. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) is third and Carlos Checa (Honda) fourth. Fonsi Nieto – 2nd, 1:38.574: “Superpole is not normally my best thing so I am really happy to finish second in it today. Now I am going to be in a good position to challenge for the podium right from the start. We tried quite a few different set-ups and tyres today as we also did a race distance and I think we have a good set-up on one of the bikes. We also did some work on the gearing and the mapping and now I am looking forward to the races tomorrow. I like this track and I feel confident that I will have a good day tomorrow.” Max Neukirchner – 6th, 1:39.480: “In the afternoon untimed practice I had a little crash but I don’t know why. Nothing was different from the laps before but exiting the Esses I lost the front and crashed. Fortunately there was no problem for me, but it gave my mechanics a lot of extra work! I made a small mistake in Superpole when I had a big slide and lost between five and seven-tenths of a second so my grid place is not so good. But I think we have a good set-up for the race and as long as I get good starts I will be able to fight for the podium. This morning the track was never completely dry so we have not had much dry time here. But it is the same for everybody – except the ones who tested here recently – and I will just have to put my head down and go for it.” Yukio Kagayama – 15th, 1:40.631: “My position is not so good after Superpole but that is because I had a very big slide exiting the hairpin. I almost crashed but I stayed on somehow. I lost a lot of time and as I tried to recover I probably pushed too hard and lost my rhythm. I need two good starts tomorrow if I am to have any chance. But I want to get some good results and I will push very hard in the races tomorrow for sure.” Final WSB Qualifying: 1 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:38.44, 2 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare) 1:38.574, 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:38.666, 4 C Checa (E-Honda) 1:38.765, 5 Rolfo (I-Honda) 1:39.349, 6 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki) 1:39.480, 7 D Checa (E-Yamaha) 1:39.514, 8 Biaggi (I-Ducati) 1:39.606, 9 Fabrizio (I-Ducati) 1:39.627, 10 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:39.957. 15 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) 1:40.631. SUPERSTOCK 1000: Team Alstare Suzuki rider Xavi Simeon had his first proper dry practice of the weekend so far and ended qualifying for the ninth round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup at Magny-Cours in third place. Matej Smrz (Honda) took pole position with a lap of 1:41.994 with Freddy Foray (Suzuki) second. Completing the front row alongside Simeon is Claudio Corti (Yamaha). Xavi Simeon – 3rd, 1:43.187: “I am not happy because I did not go as fast as I wanted, but it’s OK because I am on the front row of the grid. Today was the first time we’ve had a dry track and we found that although the bike is working well, the rear tyre is not! I had some problems with rear grip so I couldn’t push any harder. My bike has a good set-up, is good in the corners and the only problem is rear grip. But I know that my race pace is good, so I think I can do well tomorrow. This is a technical track and although it is not hard to learn, it is a track where it is hard to cut those last fractions of a second. In the warm-up tomorrow we will try a different set-up – to see if we can get more grip from the rear – and hopefully we will find a little improvement. At the moment it would be better for me if it was a wet race, but if it is dry I will going be charging as hard as usual and going for a win.” Final Superstock Qualifying: 1 Smrz (CZ-Honda) 1:41.994, 2 Foray (F-Suzuki) 1:42.892, 3 Xavi Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki) 1:43.187, 4 Corti (I-Yamaha) 1:43.286, 5 Roberts (Aus-Ducati) 1:43.464, 6 Millet (F-Yamaha) 1:43.476. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: A crash right at the end of a superb Superpole lap robbed Troy of another possible Superpole victory and relegated him to the third row of the grid for tomorrow’s thirteenth round of the Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours. The uncharacteristic fall happened within sight of the chequered flag and means that Troy has got to get rapid starts if he is to keep up his recent run of good form. His team mate Noriyuki Haga won Superpole today – his first of the season – with a lap of 1:38.44. Second quickest is Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki), with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) third and Carlos Checa (Honda) fourth. Troy -12th, 1:41.515 (from timed practice) In Superpole, my first two splits were very good and I thought that I might be able to take Superpole – or get very close to it. I was pushing hard, maybe a little too hard, and as I braked hard for the second last right-hander, I unloaded the front and down I went. I wasn’t hurt at all, but I was very disappointed because it means that I will now have to start on the third row of the grid in tomorrow’s races. Mind you, I’ve started from the fourth row at Magny-Cours before and ended fourth, so I know good results are still very possible. All I’ve got to do is get good starts, put my head down, stick my elbows out and go for it. There may be a bit of carnage along the way, but I am determined to give it my best. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Haga laps up Superpole win Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) was fastest qualifier going into the Superpole competition, thanks to the time he set on Friday, and he converted that into a stunning pole position with a new track best time. His remarkable 1’38.444 Superpole lap came after another disrupted day of practice due to inclement weather conditions. The final timed session this morning started out on a damp track leaving the qualifying order largely as it was at the end of Friday. Haga’s outstanding pre-race performance delivered him his first pole of the 2008 season, despite starting from the front row on five previous occasions, and having scored six race wins. His career Superpole total now stands at six. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) was fifth going into Superpole but slid off on the final right-hander before the last chicane on his Superpole lap, while leading the field by 0.4 seconds. By regulation, he has now been relegated to the back of the row behind that which he originally qualified on, leaving him 12th on the grid. World Championship leader Troy Bayliss was third in Superpole, with Fonsi Nieto and Carlos Checa also on the front row. Both David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) and Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) easily qualified for Superpole, with Checa an impressive seventh, and Gimbert 13th after this specialised one lap contest against the clock. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) was 19th overall. Noriyuki Haga (1st – 1’38.444 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “To me it doesn’t matter about pole so much as long as we get on the front row. The feeling of the bike is working well even though the weather yesterday and this morning was not so good. We hope for sunshine tomorrow. We will check the data from last year, but otherwise we are ready for the races.” Troy Corser (12th – 1’41.515 – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I’m not sure what happened in my crash but I just lost the front on the right at the bottom of the hill. It’s not ideal to start from the third row but nothing we can do now except make up places as quick as I can tomorrow. Our bike usually works well here, so that’s positive.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “In the end our bike is working well here and both riders know their job very well. We were not expecting a pole position maybe, but we need a good result for tomorrow. Even though Troy is starting from the third row we know he can still fight for the podium.” Shinichi Nakatomi (19th – 1’43.139 – Team YZF Yamaha) “I have been unlucky during the first qualifying session. Every time I went on the track to do a quick lap, it started to rain again. My lap time was not good enough. Today the conditions were better, but not enough to go faster. I have just been unlucky.”