FIM Superbike World Championship Donington Park, England September 7, 2008 Race Two Results (wet conditions, all on Pirelli tires): 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hon CBR1000RR), 23 laps, 40:26.508 2. Cal CRUTCHLOW (Honda CBR1000RR), -2.261 seconds 3. Troy CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1), -9.727 4. James ELLISON (Honda CBR1000RR), -20.227 5. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F08), -27.475 6. Max BIAGGI (Ducati 1098 RS08), -28.051 7. Gregorio LAVILLA (Honda CBR1000RR), -30.922 8. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 1098 RS08), -38.353 9. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), -50.196 10. Tom SYKES (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -57.346 11. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 1098 RS08), -63.093 12. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098 RS08), -66.697 13. Roberto ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR), -68.057 14. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -75.276 15. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -98.848 16. Makoto TAMADA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap 17. Shuhei AOYAMA (Honda CBR1000RR), -1 lap 18. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1 lap 19. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -1 lap 20. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), -2 laps, DNF, crash 21. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), -3 laps, DNF, crash 22. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -5 laps, DNF, crash 23. Fonsi NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -5 laps, DNF, retired 24. Matt LYNN (Honda CBR1000RR), -5 laps, DNF, retired 25. Chris WALKER (Honda CBR1000RR), -7 laps, DNF, retire 26. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 1098 F08), -11 laps, DNF, crash 27. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -14 laps, DNF, ride-through penalty, black flag 28. Christian ZAISER (Yamaha YZF-R1), -16 laps, DNF, retired 29. Ayrton BADOVINI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -17 laps, DNF, retired 30. Luca MORELLI (Honda CBR1000RR), -20 laps, DNF, retired 31. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yamaha YZF-R1), -21 laps, DNF, retired 32. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -21 laps, DNF, retired World Championship Point Standings (after 22 of 28 races): 1. Bayliss, 359 points 2. Corser, 258 3. Neukirchner, 254 4. Carlos Checa, 240 5. Haga, 230 6. TIE, Nieto/Biaggi, 192 8. Kiyonari, 190 9. Fabrizio, 172 10. Xaus, 156 11. Kagayama, 120 12. TIE, Lavilla/Smrz, 105 14. Lanzi, 99 15. Muggeridge, 71 16. Sofuoglu, 47 17. Tamada, 41 18. Laconi, 37 19. TIE, Sykes/Rolfo, 35 21. Nakatomi, 32 22. Crutchlow, 20 23. Ellison, 19 24. Badovini, 18 25. Russel Holland, 14 26. David Checa, 12 27. Haslam, 8 28. Gimbert, 7 29. Aoyama, 5 30. Niccolo Canepa, 3 31. Walker, 2 32. Michael Beck, 1 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Corser scores miracle podium in tough Donington weekend Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) secured a fine third place in the second race at Donington, in what was otherwise a particularly challenging weekend of action at a wet and dry Donington Park. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) was ruled out of each Donington race after a technical issue in race one saw him penalised for not stopping his machine in time after it developed a fault caused by a rider colliding into him, and then mistiming a subsequent ride through penalty. Neither rider was credited with a finish in the aggregate race one, as they were among several riders not allowed to take part in the restart, which was caused by an oil spill at Coppice corner. Corser had fallen and was not allowed to take his place on the grid for the restart, while Haga had earlier been classified as a retiree after his technical problem. He went out to take his place on the grid, only to be led away by race control. In race two, Haga was not classified as a finisher either after coming in too early for his ride-through penalty, and then being black-flagged. By contrast, Corser, who pushed hard throughout despite suffering multiple crashes this weekend, ignored the pain and stiffness of his body to record a superb third place, his ninth podium of the year. His bravery and skill delivered him an overall second ranking in the championship table, one higher than he started the weekend with. Haga is now fifth overall, on an unchanged 230 points. Both Haga and Corser started their races at Donington wearing unique one-off leathers and riding race bikes clad in special fairings designed by Yamaha Livery Design competition winner Ben Leeves. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) was 11th in a crash-filled race one, then a faller in race two. His team-mate Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) was a double no scorer. Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) stuck to his task in race one and scored 13th, dropping to 18th in race two. Troy Corser (DNF and 3rd – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “This is one of the toughest weekends we have had, and the conditions have been quite slippery in qualifying. I have had lots of crashes so I am pretty sore. Thanks to the guys in the team who have done a great job repairing the bike each time and putting me back on the track. I don’t know how many spares the team has left after this meeting!” Noriyuki Haga (DNF and DNF – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “In race two I knew I had to come in for a ride through penalty but there was so much spray in the early laps I could not see if there was a board out for me. So I came in to do my ride through on my own. I restarted out of pitlane and then I saw a black flag for me. I could not understand it as I had already done my ride through. But not when they wanted me to, apparently. So I had to pull in. Not a good day for me but thanks to all in the team for all the hard work, and for the support from the fans” Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “In some ways it was impossible to do worse this weekend, but we tried our best throughout. Nori had a really difficult day and scored no points. But what Troy did in race two was something incredible. He has had multiple crashes and he was in a lot of pain. As a rider, when you crash even once you lose a little bit of feeling and confidence, but even after several crashes Troy showed he had lost nothing. Troy is now second in the championship and that is a very positive thing to take away from this weekend. We continued to test the new Ohlins electronic suspension this weekend. It has mainly been tried in dry conditions so it was important to gather data in the wet. We have already found an advantage with the limited testing time we’ve had and plan to use it in Vallelunga where it was first tested six weeks ago.” Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 18th – Team YZF Yamaha) “The conditions were difficult in race one. We made a mistake when we decided to use intermediate tyres, when the other riders used slicks. After ten laps, my feeling with the bike was coming better. For the second race, we changed a few things on the setting of the bike. In this race, I did my best on this very wet and difficult race track.” More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Nakatomi in the top 15 After some complicated practice (30th time) Shinichi Nakatomi did a good first race, avoiding to crash, which was not the case for many riders. He finished honourably 15th and scored one point. He was 18th in race 2. Starting from the 30th position on the starting grid, Nakatomi was quickly 25th, and progressed to 23rd on lap 3. He did better and better, with the 21st place on lap 7, and then 18th when the race had to be stopped because of some oil on the track. After the restart, he was 17th after lap 12 and 15th after lap 17. Three laps later, the race was definitely stopped because of the rain. Nakatomi ended up 15th and scored one point. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) won the race and in the process made his advantage bigger in the World Championship standings. In race 2, Nakatomi on the rain was 28th after 1 lap and 24th after 2 laps. He kept on progressing with regularity and was 22nd after 18 laps and 20th at the end of lap 20. Finally he finished in 18th position. The winner was Kiyonari (Honda) who did a very beautiful race. Shinichi Nakatomi: “The conditions were difficult. We made a mistake when we decided to use intermediate tyres, when the other riders used slick tyres. After 10 laps, my feeling was coming better. For the second race, we changed a few things on the setting of the bike. In this race 2, I did my best on this very wet and difficult race track.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “The conditions were very difficult during the practice because of the rain. I would never have made a bet that we could finish in the points.” Race 1: 1-Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Sykes (Suzuki), 3-Biaggi (Ducati), 4-Lavilla (Honda), 5-Kagayama (Suzuki) Race 2: 1-Kiyonari (Honda), 2-Crutchlow (Honda), 3-Corser (Yamaha), 4-Ellison (Honda), 5-Fabrizio (Ducati) Superbike World Championship standings: 1- Bayliss (Ducati) 359 points, 2- Corser (Yamaha) 258, 3-Neukirchner (Suzuki) 254, 4-Checa (Honda) 240, 5-Haga (Yamaha) 230 12th round of the Superbike World Championship: September 21st at Vallelunga (Italy) More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Ryuichi Kiyonari won today’s second World Superbike race at Donington Park, making amends for crashing out of the lead in race one, in which series leader Troy Corser was victorious. The Japanese Ten Kate Honda rider had been near the top of the timing sheets in all practice and qualifying and started both races from second place on the grid. However, despite grabbing the early lead in race one, Kiyonari crashed out of the lead on lap two. The second 23-lap encounter at the 4km Derbyshire circuit saw chaotic conditions on the grid with a heavy shower forcing teams to switch to wet tyres and alter settings. The race got underway in a deluge, but Kiyonari shot into the lead and slithered his way to a stunning lights-to-flag victory. His HANNspree Ten Kate team-mate, Carlos Checa, crashed out of race one just before it was red flagged. Unable to join the grid for the restart, the Spaniard was forced to sit it out until race two, in which he finished ninth. The team’s third rider, Kenan Sofuoglu, endured a painful afternoon, crashing out of race one and sustaining an injury to his shoulder, which prevented him starting the second race. Ryuichi Kiyonari DNF and 1st: I was so disappointed to crash in race one. I got an incredible start, which is unusual for me and maybe I was a little too excited. I was so sorry for my team who worked so hard to give me a good bike for dry conditions, even though we had no dry practice. For the second race, I was actually quite pleased it rained, because we knew the bike was good in the wet. But the conditions were unbelievable in the early part of the race. I had very little control and, by the time the track started to improve, my tyres were finished, so I still had very little control. It was a little scary at times, but I’m very happy to repay the team with another win. Carlos Checa DNF and 9th: It was not easy at all today. Race one was very difficult and I had no confidence for race two in those bad conditions. The start was very difficult and I had to take my time, but I couldn’t get up to speed with the riders in front. I tried to catch Xaus towards the end of the race but it was just too risky. Kenan Sofuoglu DNF and DNS: It has been a very difficult weekend for me. I couldn’t get a good feeling for the bike during the practice and qualifying sessions and then the first race gave us completely different conditions. Of course, crashing early made it more difficult and my shoulder is quite sore so it would have been even harder to ride in race two. I can only hope for better conditions in Italy. Ronald ten Kate team manager: We’ve had quite an eventful race day. And that’s an understatement! We’ve had all sorts of weather, and in race one we were particularly unhappy to see all three riders crashing out. Race two brought the result we were looking for with Kiyo’s win. Unfortunately, Carlos faced some problems in the wet and Kenan was unable to start because of his shoulder. All in all, though, we’ve learned a lot and leave Donington quite positive. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: At the end of the WSBK 11th round at Donington Park, Team Pedercini places both its riders into the points. Nevertheless Vittorio Iannuzzo’s score has been deleted due to an infringement of the rules. RACE-1 started under a dim sun on a quite dry track. Iannuzzo and Badovini wisely avoided the battle of the first laps when the track was still pretty slippery. Then the race was stopped due to oil on the road. A new start was made and the two riders were able to lap with a very good pace which allowed them to reach the twelfth and thirteenth places respectively grabbed by Badovini and Iannuzzo who was sure to has taken his first seasonal points. Unfortunately the red flag stopped the race again when it was three laps to go. In that sort of situation all the riders should take the way of the pits through the dedicated lane which was taken by Iannuzzo on the wrong side in order to reduce the time to reach his paddock due to an arisen technical hitch. That kind of behaviour was tolerated until the start of this season when it has been decided to penalize the riders who take the lane on the wrong way. After all, Iannuzzo and Xaus were disqualified, allowing Badovini to take another place ahead. In RACE-2 the track was wet and both the riders had to take the way of the pits just after a couple of laps. Iannuzzo was stopped by a traction control hitch while Badovini was not able to find the right feeling with the conditions of the road. Also the Superstock1000 team’s performances were influenced by the rain: Morais crashed when he was fighting for the first positions, Aldrovandi was forced to stop his motorbike in order to avoid a crash just after the start, losing that way more than 20 seconds, and Tiberio did the same. VITTORIO IANNUZZO | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Not Classified, Not Classified: “This season seems to be dogged by misfortune. I ran an excellent race-1 in which I found a good feeling with the track and I was able to be forceful but once again I was not able to capitalize the result which would have been really positive for my spirits. Anyhow this race showed me that I’m ready to get back to my real levels. I will show my real value in Vallelunga”. AYRTON BADOVINI | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 12th Classified, Not Classified: “In race-1 I made a good start, when the race was first time stopped I had already found a good pace and I was fighting for the points. After the second restart I was not able to be forceful and I lost many positions, but from the second laps I started a good recovery which allowed me to grab the twelfth place in the aggregate ranking”. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: Bayliss and Kiyonari share the wins in Donington World Superbike round Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) powered to the two wins in the elventh round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship, which was held in front of 45,000 spectators at Donington Park. In difficult track and weather conditions, the Australian won the first race, but then crashed out in the second, leaving his Japanese rival to take his third win of the year. Race 1 Bayliss’s chief rivals for the title were all eliminated and the Australian went on to break his jinx at the Leicestershire track. The race was interrupted for the first time when Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) deposited oil on the track, while Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki), Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Kiyonari crashed out. The second podium slot went to British wild-card Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) ahead of Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati), who moved onto the podium after team-mate Ruben Xaus had crashed after the red flags had been brought out for rain. Gregorio Lavilla (VentAxia Honda) had a good run to finish fourth ahead of Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare) and Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati), while Roberto Rolfo (Althea Honda) missed a chance for a good result when he crashed out of fourth overall and Corser notched up his sixth crash of the weekend. Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox): “I’ve been coming to Donington since 1988 and so am pretty happy with that race win. All weekend everything has been going great, we’ve had mixed conditions but we’ve been strong in both dry and wet. I was basically racing my lapboard the whole time because of the aggregate time and could have settled for second but I haven’t won here before and so really wanted the win.” Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki): “I was a bit disappointed they stopped the first part because I felt my pace was a bit stronger than Troy’s. In the second part the bike got off the line well, but then I made a mistake and misread one of the flags and also had a moment. But Troy was too quick today, he broke me with his fast laps so congratulations to him.” Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati): “I was already in the pit taking off my leathers and someone from the organization called me onto the podium so it was a bit of a surprise for me to take third place. My team made a very good change between the two parts and actually everything was very good, we made a good job.” Results: 1. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 29’55.384 (153,267 kph); 2. Sykes T. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1.266; 3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 28.636; 4. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 33.566; 5. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 35.966; 6. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 36.034; 7. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 36.442; 8. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 41.633; 9. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 42.075; 10. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 43.476; 11. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’12.578; 12. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’13.147; 13. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1’34.664; 14. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’56.726. Race 2 Kiyonari was back at the front in the second race after his crash in race 1. The Honda rider took his third win of the season, holding off a late surge from Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda). The final podium slot went to a battered and bruised Corser, who finished his difficult weekend with a gutsy third place. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) was fourth, ahead of Italians Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Biaggi. The race was held in the pouring rain, and the tricky conditions caught out Bayliss (Ducati), who crashed while in second place. Race 2 was again disappointing for Neukirchner and Checa, while Haga was black-flagged for not coming in for a ride-through penalty. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda): “It was very difficult for me, the race was hard and I made a few mistakes because I pushed very hard. At the start of the race it was just too wet, which made things even more difficult, but I had a good setting and a good machine. The last ten laps were even tougher because Cal was getting closer and closer all the time!” Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda): “We thought maybe in the dry we would have the advantage because we had a race here before, but it’s a fantastic result for myself and the team, we’ve both put a lot of effort in this weekend. To come out in the second race after having a technical problem in race 1 is fantastic, all credit to our guys, but I’d like to dedicate that result to Jonesy.” Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB): “This is one of the toughest weekends we’ve had, the conditions out here were quite slippery in practice, qualifying and the races. I had six highsides before the first race and another one there, so I’m pretty sore. But thanks to the guys, they’ve done a great job repairing the bike and getting it back on the track.” Results: 1. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 40’26.508 (137,277 kph); 2. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 2.261; 3. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 9.727; 4. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 20.227; 5. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 27.475; 6. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 28.051; 7. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 30.922; 8. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 38.353; 9. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 50.196; 10. Sykes T. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 57.346; 11. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’03.093; 12. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1’06.697; 13. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’08.057; 14. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’15.276; 15. Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’38.848; 16. Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R. FIM Supersport World Championship Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport Honda) scored his first win of the season, when he got the better of his fellow Australian, Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) with a terrific battle in the final stages. Thanks to this win, Brookes moves into second place, 32 points behind Pitt. A Honda 1-2-3 was completed by Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate), who held off Barry Veneman (RES Software Suzuki) for fourth. South African Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) scored a good result in fifth, while Team Stiggy wrapped up a good day with sixth place for Robbin Harms, the Dane coming home ahead of Joan Lascorz (Glaner Motocard.com Honda) and Didier Van Keymeulen (RES Software Suzuki). Before the race a tribute was held on the grid to Craig Jones, the British rider who lost his life in a crash at Brands Hatch. Results: 1. Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 34’53.607 (152,188 kph); 2. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.872; 3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 4.846; 4. Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 5.066; 5. Kennaugh H. (RSA) Yamaha YZF-R6 8.604; 6. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 8.990; 7. Lascorz J. (ESP) Honda CBR600RR 15.660; 8. Van Keymeulen D. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 16.674. Points (after 10 of 13 rounds): 1. Pitt (Honda) 169; 2. Brookes (Honda) 137; 3. Rea (Honda) 133; 4. Parkes (Yamaha) 119; 5. Jones (Honda) 100; 6. Foret (Yamaha) 97; 7. Lascorz (Honda) 92; 8. Veneman (Suzuki) 61; etc. Superstock 1000 FIM Cup A dominant win in the Superstock 1000 race went to Belgium’s Xavier Simeon (Suzuki Alstare), who took control at the end of lap 6 and powered to the chequered flag. Simeon’s second victory of the year moves him into second place, two points behind leader Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team), who finished fourth. The final two podium slots went to Italians Alex Polita (Sterilgarda Ducati) and Davide Giugliano (Cruciani Suzuki). Points leader Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda) could only finish sixth, while both Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) and Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) both crashed out, Pirro remounting to finish 19th. The next round of the Superstock 1000 championship, the penultimate one of the season, will be at Magny-Cours at the start of October. Results: 1. Simeon X. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R1000 21’30.092 (134,714 kph); 2. Polita A. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 16.109; 3. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K8 34.318; 4. Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 37.319; 5. Kirkham J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R1 44.199; 6. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 45.533; 7. Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 47.888; 8. Backlund F. (SWE) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K8 49.623. Points (after 8 of 10 rounds) : 1. Roberts (Ducati) 122; 2. Simeon (Suzuki) 120; 3. Berger (Honda) 119; 4. Polita (Ducati) 114; 5. Pirro (Yamaha) 83; 6. Giugliano (Suzuki) 71; 7. Antonelli (Honda) 57; 8. Smrz (Honda) 48. European 600 Superstock After dominating two days of qualifying, Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) completed the job with the race win. This was the first victory of the season for the Italian, who consolidates his third place in the standings behind leader Loris Baz (YZF Yamaha Junior Team), who could only finish 12th, and Patrick Vostarek (Intermoto Czech Honda), who came home fifth. The other podium places went to two British riders, Alexander Lowes (O Six Kawasaki) and Gino Rea (StoneBaker Yamaha). The Superstock 600 championship will also resume on October 5th at Magny-Cours. Results: 1. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 18’11.205 (132,723 kph); 2. Lowes A. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 5.559; 3. Rea G. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 11.227; 4. Linfoot D. (GBR) Yamaha YZF-R6 11.298; 5. Vostárek P. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 29.434; 6. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 30.765; 7. Lonbois V. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 32.599; 8. Johnston L. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 37.778. Points (after 8 of 10 rounds): 1. Baz (Yamaha) 146; 2. Vostarek (Honda) 121; 3. Bussolati (Yamaha) 107; 4. Rea (Yamaha) 97; 5. Linfoot (Yamaha) 87; 6. Petrucci (Yamaha) 69; 7. Beretta (Suzuki) 69; 8. La Marra (Suzuki) 49. More, from a press release issued by Sterilgarda Go Eleven: For the forth round in a row Team Sterilgarda Go Eleven takes a podium and opens again its nomination for the Superstock1000 title. Max Biaggi grabbed the third place at the end of the first race which was first stopped due to oil on track and then it was prematurely closed because of the heavy rain which has fallen during all three days of the British round. In race-1 Ruben Xaus was third until the second red flag was shown but unfortunately the Spanish rider slid off just during that lap and he was unable to get back to the pits on his own. When a race is definitely stopped, regulations set to assign the points to the riders according to the positions of the lap before the red flag, hence Xaus was appointed third classified. Nevertheless a specific clause says that the riders must get back to the pits within 5 minutes or they will be disqualified. So Xaus, who was already on the podium, was called to leave the step and he was replaced with Max Biaggi who finished the race just behind him. Race-2 was wet too and it was closed by Biaggi and Xaus respectively in 6th and 8th place. In Superstock1000 Alex Polita took a great second place behind Xavier Simenon. The ‘Pirate’ made an excellent start which allowed him to lead half of the race. Then the Belgian rider reached Polita and they started a thrilling battle for a couple of laps. The Italian rider chose for a wise tactic which allowed him to reduce the gap from the ranking leader thanks to the second place gained today. MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 3rd and 6th Classified: “In race-1 I had some problem in the first part because of a lack of rear grip. I took advantage of the first stop in order to make a change which has proved to be good. Since that time I was able to be forceful and after all I took the third place. In race-2 I performed very well despite the really hard condition of the track. For the forth time in a row I finish on the podium, race by race I increase the feeling with the motorbike and I hope to give a win to the team within the end of the season”. RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | Not Classified, 8th Classified: “I’m really sorry to have lost the podium in race-1. I think that this rule is deeply wrong because it took away from me a result taken on the track. In race-2 I had an hitch at the electronic gear after just a couple of laps. I was forced to shift closing the gas and so losing precious time”. ALEX POLITA | Ducati 1098R | 2nd Classified: “This result brings me back among the claimants for the title: Roberts, Simeon and Berger. It will be an hard fought battle but I will face the last two rounds with the knife between the teeth because nobody will give me anything. I tried to break everyone early on but Simeon was always close behind me. In the second half of the race I suffered for a lack of grip and my rival took advantage of it. I tried to follow him but it was really difficult with that kind of tyre. I though to the ranking and I cut by half the gap with the leader thanks to the second place”. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Rizla Suzuki’s Tom Sykes kept his cool during a red-flagged aggregated race one at the 11th round of the World Superbike Championship at Donington Park today to take a close second place to Troy Bayliss after leading for a large part of the race. A dry opening race got off to an excellent start with Sykes immediately slotting into second place. In the early stages he set the pace for six laps running and snatched the lead from double World Champion Bayliss at Coppice on lap seven. Sykes’s Rizla Suzuki had awesome pace and the Huddersfield rider pulled a gap of 3.9 seconds over Bayliss before the race was red flagged due to oil on the circuit. The grid re-formed with the riders taking their place according to race positions at the point of the red flag, giving Sykes pole position. He got away well in the restart taking the holeshot but was passed by Bayliss after a slide going into the first corner. Shortly after that, two riders crashed in front of him at the Esses slowing him further. His hard-riding kept Bayliss honest for the remainder of the race before a down-pour with two laps to go meant it was cut short gifting the win to the World Champion elect by 1.266secs. Race two was hit by a deluge of rain while the riders were forming on the grid. Sykes’s Rizla Suzuki technicians worked hard to adjust his machine to the treacherous conditions but ran out of time. Battling the conditions and the dry settings on his GSX-R1000, he had to settle for 10th place, while Ryuichi Kiyonari took the win. Tom Sykes: “The first part of race one all went to plan and it was fantastic. I was watching the time on my board increasing with Troy behind and I felt I had good pace. The red flag was frustrating but I hid it well and composed myself. I got a clean start grabbing the hole-shot, but a slide and an incident at the Esses allowed Troy to get past me and then get away. “Race two was a tough one but what can you do in conditions like that, I just kept it steady as I was struggling for grip. Overall it has been a good day, I’ve taken a podium at World level, we’ve gained some valuable wet settings and I’m now looking to Croft. I’d like to say a big thank you to all of the Rizla Suzuki team and the fans, this has been a brilliant experience.” Jack Valentine – Rizla Suzuki Team Manager: “Tom has taken his first World Superbike podium and it is all credit to him and the Rizla Suzuki team – well done. I am sure if the race had not been red flagged he would have won it – he has shown just what a good rider he is and what the Rizla Suzuki team is capable of. “Race two was a bit of a let-down but given the weather conditions Tom did his best; we’ll chalk it up to experience and move on. Everyone is on a high now following Tom’s debut World Superbike podium so we can’t wait to get to Croft and continue with the British Championship.” TEAM ALSTARE SUZUKI REPORT: Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto, Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukirchner were happy to leave Donington Park after a difficult weekend, but unhappy with the results. The heavy rain on Friday and Saturday gave way to a mostly dry track in the first race, but then came back with a vengeance in the second. Kagayama and Nieto finished 5th and 7th in race one, which was a two-parter because of a red-flag, but Neukirchner crashed out of contention when he high sided after hitting a puddle of water. Just before the start of race two, the heavens opened, causing all riders to change from a dry set-up to rain-tyres and a wet set-up. The conditions were atrocious and there were 13 retirements including Nieto in the soggy 23-lapper… Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 19th: “This day was very difficult, just like the whole weekend! I am almost pleased with fifth position in the first race, but for me, fifth is not good enough! Because we had no dry track time, we had to guess what dry settings to use and so the bike was not as good as it could’ve been. So I think that to finish fifth after qualifying 24th is maybe not so bad. In race two, we changed to full wets and a wet set-up after the rain came down while we were on the grid and I always knew it would be a very long and difficult 23 laps. Just like Friday and Saturday, I could feel no grip at the rear, so I just had to ride round and try and get to the end of the race. This is not my style and so I am not happy, but when you feel the bike aquaplaning and slipping in the corners, it is hard to ride. Our engineers now have a lot of data to analyse and think about and I hope that they find solutions to our problems.” Fonsi Nieto – Race 1: 7th, Race 2: DNF: “Like everybody else, I think, I used slicks on the front and rear in race one and although we didn’t have a good dry set-up, I managed seventh, which is not too bad considering I started from 23rd on the grid. I would prefer to forget race two! All weekend we’ve had problems with rear grip and we never found any set-up that worked well. I really found it hard just keeping upright in race two and after 18 laps I decide to pull in because otherwise I am sure I would’ve crashed. For me this was a weekend to forget.” Max Neukirchner – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 14th: “Not all of the track was dry in the first race and I was a bit unlucky because I hit a puddle and high-sided and that was that. Our dry set-up was a gamble, because there had not been any dry track time in the past two days and we had to take a chance – like everybody else. But still, I was angry because I had crashed and could not continue. The conditions in race two were very difficult and the track was very, very slippery and I had no rear grip at all – just like yesterday and Friday! When the rain fell while we were on the grid, we had to put on wet tyres and soften the suspension, but it wasn’t anyway near a good set-up and I struggled throughout the race. It has been a frustrating weekend for us all, so I hope the next round in Vallelunga will be better – and dry! Race 1: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 2 Tom Sykes (GB-Rizla Suzuki), 3 Biaggi (I-Ducati), 4 Lavilla (E-Honda), 5 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare), 6 Smrz (CZ-Ducati), 7 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare), 8 Haslam (GB-Honda), 9 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 10 Ellison (GB-Honda). Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki) DNF. Race 2: 1 Kiyonari (J-Honda), 2 Crutchlow (GB-Honda), 3 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 4 Ellison, 5 Fabrizio (I-Ducati), 6 Biaggi, 7 Lavilla, 8 Xaus (E-Ducati), 9 Checa (E-Honda), 10 Tom Sykes (GB-Rizla Suzuki), 14 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 19 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare). Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare) DNF. Points: 1 Bayliss 359, 2 Corser 258, 3 Max Neukirchner 254, 4 Checa 240, 5 Haga 230, 6 Fonsi Nieto 192, 7 Biaggi 192, 8 Kiyonari 190, 9 Fabrizio 172, 10 Xaus 156, 11 Yukio Kagayama 120. SUPERSTOCK 1000 REPORT: Team Alstare Suzuki rider Xavi Simeon superbly controlled the eighth round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race at Donington today, running out a comfortable winner by over sixteen seconds. The young Belgian shadowed early leader Polita for the first five laps, then swept past on lap six and immediately began to pull out a gap on the Italian. Lap by lap, he increased his lead and never looked in trouble on his way to his second victory of the season. With series leader Roberts (Ducati) finishing in fourth, Xavi is now only two points behind with two rounds remaining. Xavi Simeon – 1st: “I had the feeling that this would be a good day for us and I am very happy about the win. After the disaster at Brands Hatch in the last round, I knew I really had to win today to keep my title hopes alive. The track was wet, but it wasn’t raining and parts of it did sort of dry up towards the end of the race, but not enough to cause a dry line. I followed Polita for a few laps, to see where he went and how the track was and then made my move on lap six. After I went past, there was no response from him and I was able to increase my lead bit by bit. Towards the end, I had a big gap, so I knew that all I had to do was keep my concentration and the victory would be mine. Now I am only two points behind Roberts and I feel that I can go to Magny-Cours and go all-out for another win.” Superstock 1000 Results: 1 Xavi Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki), 2 Polita (I-Ducati), 3 Giugliano (I-Suzuki), 4 Roberts (Aus-Ducati), 5 Kirkham (GB-Yamaha), 6 Berger (F-Honda) Points: 1 Roberts 122, 2 Xavi Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki) 120, 3 Berger 11, 4 Polita 114, 5 PIRA 83, 6 Giugliano 71. WORLD SUPERSPORT REPORT: RES Software Hoegee Suzuki’s Barry Veneman put in a strong performance and finished fourth at Donington as team mate Didier Van Keymeulen finished eight. Marc Hoegee – Team owner RES Software Hoegee Suzuki: “We had a great weekend with very good results. The team worked very hard and both guys showed an excellent pace. After all the work we’ve done this weekend we deserved a podium but the battle was exciting and the results are good. The whole team did a good job this weekend and in Vallelunga we will fight for the podium again.” Barry Veneman: “I am satisfied with the fourth position and with the points I scored. I felt strong on the bike and I was able to follow the front guys. I also felt that I was able to ride on the podium and actually I am a little fed up that this was not the case today. I made two small mistakes and that costs me too much time. Still I showed today that I am strong on the bike and that I am able to ride with the top riders.” Didier Van Keymeulen: Tom Sykes (GB-Rizla Suzuki), Tom Sykes (GB-Rizla Suzuki), “My start was very good and immediately I was in the front group. I was able to follow this group for a long time. After I overtook Lagrive, I stayed fifth for a long time. But then I felt I had some problems with the front and I lost time. I was not able anymore to push hard and I just had to let Kennaugh, Harms and Lascorz overtake. But I am very satisfied with the eight position and for sure I will battle for points again in Vallelunga.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: DISAPPOINTMENT AT DONINGTON. Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama and Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner were happy to leave Donington Park after a difficult weekend, but unhappy with the results. The heavy rain on Friday and Saturday gave way to a mostly dry track in the first race, but then came back with a vengeance in the second. Yukio and Fonsi finished 5th and 7th in race one, which was a two-parter because of a red-flag, but Max crashed out ofcontention when he highsided after hitting a puddle of water. Just before the start of race two, the heavens opened, causing all riders to change from a dry set-up, to rain-tyres and a wet set-up. The conditions were atrocious and there were thirteen retirements, including Fonsi, in the soggy 23-lapper. Yukio and Max struggled throughout, with Max ending 14th and Yukio 19th. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) won race one, with ‘wild card’ Tom Sykes (Suzuki) second and Max Biaggi (Ducati) third. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) dominated race two and ran out a comfortable winner ahead of another ‘wild card’, Cal Crutchlow (Honda), with Troy Corser (Yamaha) third. Yukio – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 19th This day was very difficult, just like the whole weekend! I am almost pleased with fifth position in the first race, but for me, fifth is not good enough! Because we had no dry rack time, we had to guess what dry settings to use and so the bike was not as good as it could’ve been. So I think that to finish fifth after qualifying 24th is maybe not so bad. In race two, we changed to full wets and a wet set-up after the rain came down while we were on the grid and I always knew it would be a very long and difficult 23 laps. Just like Friday and Saturday, I could feel no grip at the rear, so I just had to ride round and try and get to the end of the race. This is not my style and so I am not happy, but when you feel the bike aquaplaning and slipping in the corners, it is hard to ride. Our engineers now have a lot of data to analyse and think about and I hope that they find solutions to our problems. Fonsi – Race 1: 7th, Race 2: DNF Like everybody else, I think, I used slicks on the front and rear in race one and although we didn’t have a good dry set-up, I managed 7th, which is not to bad considering I started from 23rd on the grid. I would prefer to forget race two! All weekend we’ve had problems with rear grip and we never found any set-up that worked well. I really found it hard just keeping upright in race two and after 18 laps I decide to pull in because otherwise I am sure I would’ve crashed. For me this was a weekend to forget. Max – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 14th Not all of the track was dry in the first race and I was a bit unlucky because I hit a puddle and high-sided and that was that. Our dry set-up was a gamble, because there had not been any dry track time in the past two days and we had to take a chance – like everybody else. But still, I was angry because I had crashed and could not continue. The conditions in race two were very difficult and the track was very, very slippery and I had no rear grip at all – just like yesterday and Friday! When the rain fell while we were on the grid, we had to put on wet tyres and soften the suspension, but it wasn’t anyway near a good set-up and I struggled throughout the race. It has been a frustrating weekend for us all, so I hope the next round in Vallelunga will be better – and dry! More, from a press release issued by Honda: KIYONARI TAKES WET WEATHER WIN AT DONINGTON PARK Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) put on a dazzling display of controlled wet weather riding to lead the entire second race of the Donington Park WSB weekend and cancel out the memory of a first race crash. Race one lasted only 19 laps in total, and was an aggregate even after an oil spill brought out the red flags, then the return of heavy rain stopped the second leg four laps early. In a weekend which had featured wet sessions in every single outing until the first WSB race itself, Kiyonari, who had qualified second behind Troy Bayliss, fell while leading on lap two of the first race, at the same spot his team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR Jr) would fall at seconds later. Kiyonari’s brilliant recovery after a delayed second race, which was started in sudden monsoon conditions and on full wet tyres for all, puts him eighth in the championship on 190 points. Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) is still the top scoring Honda rider in the championship standings, fourth overall despite crashing out on a suspected oil spill in race one, and then posting a ninth place finish in race two. He had been a strong third after the wet Superpole session, but could not quite match his practice pace in the second race. Bayliss was awarded the first race win, from local wildcard Tom Sykes and eventual third place man Max Biaggi, who inherited that place from his team-mate Ruben Xaus after the Spanish rider crashed on his slow down lap and was not classified a finisher. In race two, local Honda wild card rider Cal Crutchlow took second after chasing ‘Kiyo’ for much of the race, with Troy Corser third. James Ellison, another local Honda rider, was fourth in race two. In the championship itself, Bayliss has 359 points, Corser 258, Neukirchner 254 and Checa, 240. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR) was on for a great raceday at Donington, despite finishing only 25th in qualifying, until he fell and brought down wildcard Honda rider Leon Haslam at the Foggy Esses. He took points for 13th in the second race and now sits 20th in the championship. Fifteenth-place qualifier Gregorio Lavilla (Vent-Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) rode hard to a season-best fourth in race one, and took a measured seventh in race two. Karl Muggeridge (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) missed out on Superpole but went ninth in the opener, posting a DNF in race two after falling at the final corner. Chris Walker (Vent-Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) retired from each race after qualifying 13th, while Shuhei Aoyama (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) was 14th in race one, 17th in race two. Matt Lynn (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) replaced Jason Pridmore at Donington in a last minute rider switch, but had a torrid time in the changeable weather conditions, failing to meet the qualifying time but being allowed to race anyway, before posting two DNFs. Kiyonari said: “I was so disappointed to crash in race one. I got an incredible start, which is unusual for me and maybe I was a little too excited. I was so sorry for my team who worked so hard to give me a good bike for dry conditions, even though we had no dry practice. For the second race, I was actually quite pleased it rained, because we knew the bike was good in the wet. But the conditions were unbelievable in the early part of the race. I had very little control and, by the time the track started to improve, my tyres were finished. It was a little scary at times, but I’m very happy to repay the team with another win.” Checa said: “It was not easy at all today. Race one was very difficult and I had no confidence for race two in those bad conditions. The start was very difficult and I had to take my time, but I couldn’t get up to speed with the riders in front. I tried to catch Xaus towards the end of the race but it was just too risky.” Sofuoglu said: “It has been a very difficult weekend for me. I couldn’t get a good feeling for the bike during the practice and qualifying sessions and then the first race gave us completely different conditions. Of course, crashing early made it more difficult and my shoulder is quite sore so it would have been even harder to ride in race two. I can only hope for better conditions in Italy.” Rolfo said: “I am really disappointed with today’s results of course. Starting from the last rows always makes life difficult, but after the first few opening laps the bike felt great and I was able to make some fast laps quite quickly and in few laps I reached fifth place. During the tenth lap the race was red flagged. In the second leg of the race, after an excellent second start, I had a bit of a battle with Haslam and Sykes. In the Esses I tried to overtake them but I crashed and I was not able to restart. I’m sorry for the team and I want to thank them for setting things up so well on the machine.” Lavilla said: “So far this has been the best weekend for the team and for myself but ironically it’s also been the hardest as the whole weekend has been in the wet. The first race was a gamble for tyre choice as the weather was really unpredictable with spots of rain and dry periods but we managed to finish fourth. Race two was once again a difficult one as we had a really heavy downfall on the starting grid and on the first lap.” Walker said: “I was desperate to make it into Superpole coming into this weekend and I ended up qualifying about where I wanted to be. I had two strong race starts and was moving along well but we had technical problems in the races.” Round 12 of the 14 round World Championship takes place at Vallelunga 21 September, with only WSB and WSS classes in attendance. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) TAKES FIRST EVER DONINGTON SUPERBIKE WIN Donington Park (UK), Sunday 7th September 2008: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and his Ducati F08 today achieved a fantastic victory at Donington Park, one of the only international tracks at which he had until now failed to take a Superbike win. Race 1 became complicated as a track that was drying out caused more than several riders to fall in the initial laps, which in turn left an excess of oil on the track leading to a red flag after just nine laps. The race was restarted, with the remaining riders lining up on the grid again, in the order in which they had completed those first laps, meaning that Bayliss restarted in second and Fabrizio in tenth place. Troy battled it out at the front against wild-card Suzuki rider Sykes and ultimately reigned supreme, despite a gutsy performance from Sykes. Fabrizio’s restarted race unfortunately didn’t ever really get underway as a slippery track caused him to come off, unhurt, in the first lap. Race 2 was declared wet just minutes from the start, with heavy rain falling in the opening laps that then eased off as the race progressed. Bayliss was once more up front from the start, this time up against Kiyo and wild-card Crutchlow, but in thinking he could push harder, the Australian legend lost the rear and came off in lap 11, unable to continue the race due to damage to his F08. Fabrizio had a much better second race and despite losing several places at the start, falling back to sixteenth position at the end of the first lap, he was able to progress through the field to take a very worthy fifth place finish. Bayliss has increased his championship lead by a significant number of points and leaves round 11 of the Superbike championship with 359 points and an 101 point advantage over second-placed rider Corser. Fabrizio’s fifth place finish in Race 2 takes him up to 172 championship points, lying now in ninth place overall. Ducati continues to lead the manufacturers championship, holding 439 points ahead of second-placed Yamaha (366 points). Troy Bayliss (Race 1 – 1st, Race 2 – DNF) “I’m really happy to have finally taken a win at Donington today (in Race 1) after all the years that I’ve been coming here! Then in Race 2 I was feeling equally good at the start, even though the rain was so heavy I almost thought they might cancel it a couple of laps in. But conditions improved and I felt comfortable so at a certain point, when it looked like Kiyo might have been starting to have a bit of trouble, I thought I could push bit harder and try to catch him. Unfortunately though I lost the back at a certain point and came off at a pretty fast speed, though luckily I haven’t hurt myself. We’ve improved on our points lead overall and we leave here with an advantage of 101 points over Corser and 105 over Neukirchner which was our aim for this round so we’re all very happy with that.” Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 5th) “I can say I’m satisfied with the results of this weekend’s work in the sense that I’ve gained more valuable points with my Race 2 result. We were lucky that the championship organisers gave us extra time to change tyres before that race started though! I needed a few laps to build up confidence with the tyre and at the start visibility was also extremely bad, but once the rain eased a bit I was able to start passing some of the others. I’m sorry for Race 1 because I was going well before the restart but then in “part 2″ of that race, I simply slid, without hurting myself thankfully, and we unfortunately couldn’t continue.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: MORE CRASHES, MORE BRUISES, BUT SECOND PLACE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP! Troy suffered more crashes this weekend then any race season, but somehow managed to force himself back on the bike and take a superb podium in race two today at Donington. Four crashes yesterday were followed by one in this morning’s warm-up and then another in today’s first race. This one was inadvertently caused by his team mate Noriyuki Haga, whose bike blew up and dropped oil on the track, resulting in Troy, Makoto Tamada and Carols Checa all falling. After massage and medication, Troy dragged his bruised and battered body back on to his R1 Yamaha for race two and was rewarded with a rain storm of near biblical proportions! Despite the treacherous and slippery conditions, Troy kept both wheels on the deck and took a tremendous third place behind Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) and ‘wild card’ Cal Crutchlow. Troy’s effort saw him move into second place in the championship, behind fellow countryman Troy Bayliss (Ducati). Bayliss had won race one, a two-parter because of a red flag, caused by Haga’s oil spillage, with ‘wild card’ Tom Sykes (Suzuki) second and Max Biaggi (Ducati) third. Troy I just want to lay down somewhere soft and not move for a while! I have never had six crashes in a season, let alone a weekend! Each time I seemed to fall on the same part of my body and now my right hip, side and back are a mass of bruising. Somehow both my hands are also black and blue and I feel as if I have been though a hurricane. I, and some others, fell on Nori’s oil in race one and the race was red-flagged. I thought I might make the restart, but could not do so because I couldn’t get myself and the bike back to the pit-lane within the five minutes allowed in the rules. At least the first race took place mainly in the dry, unlike the second! We were all on the grid with dry set-ups because it had been dry, but then torrential rain started and all the teams had to run and get wet tyres, fit them on the bikes and try and alter the settings for a wet race. I actually thought that the organisers would delay the start a little so that we could all get our work done properly, but they didn’t and we began as normal. It had taken some effort just to get my leg over the bike and throughout the race I was worried that my right foot would slip off the footpeg because of the wet conditions. I knew if that happened, I would not have had the strength or flexibility to lift the leg back up and on to the footpeg again and my race would’ve been over! Luckily, I managed somehow and the reward was a podium and second place in the championship. Bayliss is far too ahead to catch, but I would be very happy to finish second in the championship at the end of the year and will do my best to do that.