FIM Superbike World Championship Phillip Island, Australia March 4, 2007 Race Two Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 22 laps, 34:16.990 2. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F07), -0.274 second 3. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), -6.916 seconds 4. Max BIAGGI (Suz GSX-R1000K7), -7.013 seconds 5. Troy CORSER (Yam YZF-R1), -7.052 seconds 6. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F06), -23.176 seconds 7. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F07), -26.471 seconds 8. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), -26.486 seconds 9. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000K6), -26.486 seconds 10. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), -37.936 seconds 11. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 999F05), -41.308 seconds 12. Josh BROOKES (Hon CBR1000RR), -48.672 seconds 13. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), -48.717 seconds 14. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), -73.095 seconds 15. Alessandro POLITA (Suz GSX-R1000K6), -73.882 seconds 16. Christian ZAISER (MV Agusta F4-1000R), -77.925 seconds 17. Dean ELLISON (Duc 999RS), -6 laps, DNF, mechanical 18. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Jiri DRAZDAK (Yam YZF-R1), -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 20. Steve MARTIN (Hon CBR1000RR), -21 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia: Toseland upstages Bayliss in Race Two Brit James Toseland has upstaged local Troy Bayliss by taking the honours in the second race at the World Superbike Championship in Phillip Island. Toseland led for most of the race, stealing Bayliss’ thunder having won the first race comfortably, while Japan’s Noriyuki Haga finished the race in third spot. When the green light appeared it was Italian Max Biaggi who got the best jump off the line, moving straight into the lead by the first corner. However, similarly to Race One, he had given up the lead soon after with Troy Corser, Bayliss and Toseland overtaking him. Those three riders along with Haga formed a breakaway group – just holding their positions for the next eight laps, with Biaggi leading a clustered group of six riders behind them. Things changed on the 10th lap of the race as Biaggi caught up to the pack and overtook Corser into fourth. While that was happening, Bayliss overtook in a great move to gain the lead, but seemingly uncomfortable with being the race leader he let Toseland back through on the next corner. The only interest for the next 10 laps was the battle for third place, with Haga and Biaggi overtaking each other with several risky moves all over the circuit. In their efforts to gain the ascendency, Corser whizzed through into third, before a mistake saw him clip the dirt along the straight and relegate him back to fifth. The final two laps were full of excitement Toseland holding off Bayliss for first, Haga winning a dash to the line for third, and Biaggi earning an important fourth spot and leaving Corser to finish fifth. Australian Josh Brookes finished the second race in 12th spot for the race, while Steve Martin failed to finish. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: GOOD RESULTS FOR SMRZ AT PHILLIP ISLAND, NO LUCKY FOR NANNELLI. (Phillip Island 2007, March 4) White and black for the riders of Scuderia SC Caracchi in today’s race at Phillip Island. In Superbike events Jakub Smrz finished into the points both the races, and especially in race-2 has been very fast, ending just behind the top ten riders earning a lot of positions during the race. “I’m rather satisfied.” commented a smiling Jakub Smrz at the end of race-2. “Despite we’ve been able to made only a small test now, event after event, I feel always more confident on the Ducati and the results are coming. In gara-1 I started badly, at the first split I was 18th and during the first lap I lost a position more. Then I started to recover and I finished into the points. In race-2 on the contrary I had a good start and I got rid of the slowest riders early, arriving close to top ten riders. To some of the factory bikes I even earn about ten seconds during the race, so I’m very satisfied. Now are scheduled three circuits that I know, I could be confident to get good results and earn position in the Championship standing.” On the contrary Gianluca Nannelli is very disappointed , forced to stop with his Supersport at the 14th lap, owing a rear tyre that wear out in an anomalous way, a problem that never happened before on the 749R Ducati. “I started quite well, as well the contact between Kallio and Fores caused some confusion in the group, but I’ve been not too much damaged for it.” related Gianluca Nannelli rejoining the pit. “But stil the first corners I had a sensation for something wrong in the rear wheel and the situation early made worse, losing a lot of positions. Then I decided to stop, it wasn’t possible to go on in such conditions. Our team is now looking, with the Pirelli people, the cause of the problem. It has been a very pity because the bike during the warm up was running very well and I was confident in a good performance.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: BAYLISS AND TOSELAND SHARE PHILLIP ISLAND WINS – BRILLIANT RACES WOW RECORD AUSSIE CROWDS Phillip Island provided the perfect backdrop for two of the best Superbike races ever witnessed at the classic track, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) winning the first from James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) then Toseland took the second race win from Bayliss. Up to five riders were involved in the fight for podium places, with each race coming down to a man-to-man fight over the last few laps. Toseland now leads the championship by 16 points, 90-74, over Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). RACE ONE – 22 LAPS A three-rider fight for the win became a two-rider duel nearer the end, but the first race of the day finally became the property of Bayliss, who beat Toseland by just over two seconds with a late spurt of pace. Third came Biaggi after early leading light Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) dropped down as tyre wear affected his Yamaha more than some other machines. He finished fifth, behind his team-mate Noriyuki Haga. Corser set a new lap record, 1’31.826, which would last the day. RACE TWO A second race rolling maul at the front saw Toseland get his revenge by injecting a sudden burst of final pace which only Bayliss could stay with, but not overhaul on the last sector of the track. Toseland held on well to record a margin of victory of only 0.274 seconds. Behind, a superb battle for the last podium of the day went to Haga, with Corser attempting to block the last corner manoeuvre of Biaggi, albeit unsuccessfully. In the championship chase, Bayliss is now third on 64 points, Haga fourth on 50, and Corser fifth on 45. LANZI AND XAUS SHARE DUCATI DISPUTES Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) overcame the charge of Ruben Xaus comfortably in race one but in the second running, he had to give best to the tall Catalan by almost the same margin. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) did not start the races, nor did another inured rider from qualifying, Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda). Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was 11th and 10th. TOUGH DAY FOR KAWASAKI RIDERS AFTER GOOD QUALIFYING FOR NIETO Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) enjoyed strong qualifying performances but had to work hard for only ninth and 14th places, as he lost pace throughout the races. Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) had an even worse day, retiring from each race. WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE A superb win for 2002 World Champion Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) at the Phillip Island circuit saw him leap to second in the championship, after giving Kawasaki its first WSS race win since the 2003 season. Second place man in Australia, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), extended his championship lead to seven points over Foret, and a first podium of the year came for long-time leader Broc Parkes (Yamaha SSP Racing). Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) went fourth in the race with Althea Honda rider Katsuaki Fujiwara fifth and Pere Riba (GIL Kawasaki) sixth. In the championship Sofuoglu has a seven points advantage over Foret, 45 points to 38. Fujiwara is third, with 27 points. Charpentier set a new lap record, 1’34.976 on lap two. More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Some useful points Shinichi Nakatomi finishes two times in 13th position, with useful points for the championship. The Yamaha R1 was better and better all weekend long. It is a positive evolution. So the work will continue in the next days with the purpose of finishing in the top ten in the races and in the championship. Nakatomi started the first race 16th on the grid and was 14th after one lap. He did a good race and finished 13th at the chequered flag. There was a very nice fight between James Toseland (Honda), Troy Bayliss (Ducati), Max Biaggi (Suzuki), Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and Troy Corser (Yamaha). Finally, Bayliss ended up winning the race in front of Toseland. In race 2, Nakatomi started again 14th and fought until the end with Joshua Brooks. The Australian barely finished in front of Shinichi for four hundredths of a second. Like in the first race, James Toseland (Honda), Troy Bayliss (Ducati), Max Biaggi (Suzuki), Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and Troy Corser (Yamaha) fought for the victory. This time, the British rider was first in front of Bayliss, while Haga climbed for the first time this year on the podium. Shinichi Nakatomi: “In the first race, I was with a group of riders during three laps, and then I lost the contact. After that, my lap times were faster and faster. In race 2, my total time was 10 seconds quicker. I had a nice fight with Joshua Brooks. I tried a last lap attack but he beat me. I have now a much better feeling with the bike. For the next race, we shall have a better performance.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “2 times 13th in the two races make us happy because we earn some points and we are now 15th in the championship, only 2 points away from the 12th position. This is good regarding the stage of development of our Yamaha. At every race, the set up was better. We still have some work to do on the engine, but the chassis is very efficient. Overall, we are satisfied. We hope to be soon in the top 10.” Race 1: 1-Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Toseland (Honda), 3-Biaggi (Suzuki), 4-Haga (Yamaha), 5-Corser (Yamaha)…13-Nakatomi (Yamaha) Race 2: 1-Toseland (Honda), 2-Bayliss (Ducati), 3-Haga (Yamaha), 4-Biaggi (Suzuki), 5-Corser (Yamaha)…13-Nakatomi (Yamaha) World Championship standings: 1-Toseland (Honda) 90 points, 2-Biaggi (Suzuki) 74, 3-Bayliss (Ducati) 64, 4-Haga (Yamaha) 50, 5-Corser (Yamaha) 45…15-Nakatomi (Yamaha) 10 3rd round of the Superbike World Championship: April 1st at Donington (United Kingdom) More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 2, Phillip Island, Australia Sunday 4th March Circuit: 4.445 kms. Crowd: 63,250 (3-day). Conditions: Dry, sunny/cloudy 21-23 C. PODIUM FOR MAX IN OPENING RACE. FOURTH IN THE SECOND. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra Max Biaggi took a superb third place in the first race at Phillip Island today and was on course for another podium in the second before losing out on the very last lap. A third and a fourth means that Max leaves the Australian circuit in second place in the championship, 16 points behind leader James Toseland (Honda). Max’s team mate Yukio Kagayama was a non-starter today, due to a heavy fall yesterday, but the Japanese rider should be fit for the Valencia tests on March 18th and 19th. Bayliss (Ducati) and Toseland battled it out for victory in the first race, with Bayliss taking the win in front of his home fans by just over two seconds. Max took third after a tremendous charge up the field in the closing laps after disposing of both Troy Corser and his Yamaha team mate Noriyuki Haga. The second race saw yet another Toseland v Bayliss fight, but this time it was Toseland who took the honours by a narrow margin. Max had fought both Corser and Yamaha again in the closing laps and was about to take third, until Haga muscled past on the last lap and held on by less then a tenth of a second MAX Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 4th I enjoyed the racing again today, especially getting a podium in the first race. From Friday until today, I never really got a good feeling with the front end of the bike and that probably prevented me from getting two podiums here. Tyre wear is always a problem at Phillip Island and I think I was more aggressive in race two and tyre went off more – certainly more then in race one. Our bike was pretty close today and now we will work more on set-up details and getting it working better for the next race at Donington. I am not unhappy today, though it would’ve been good to take that second podium. Results Race 1: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 2 Toseland (GB-Honda), 3 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 4 Haga (J-Yamaha), 5 Troy Corser (Aus-Yamaha Motor Italia), 6 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 7 Xaus (E-Ducati), 8 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki), 9 Nieto E-Kawasaki), 10 Martin (Aus-Honda), Race 2: 1 Toseland, 2 Bayliss, 3 Haga, 4 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra),, 5 Troy Corser (Aus-Yamaha Motor Italia), 6 Xaus, 7 Lanzi, 8 Fabrizio (I-Honda), 9 Neukirchner, 10 Rolfo (I-Honda), Points: 1 Toseland 90, 2 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 74, 3 Bayliss 64, 4 Haga 50, 5 Troy Corser (Aus-Yamaha Motor Italia) 45, 6 Lanzi 44, 7 Xaus 32, 8 Neukirchner 31, 9 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 23, 10 Nieto 20, YUKIO (from the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne) According to the doctors here, I am recovering very well. I have had a lot of X-rays and checks and maybe there is one more check to come. The good news is that I haven’t broken anything! When I crashed, I was sure that I had broken my collarbone and maybe some ribs, but I have escaped those injuries. My crash was a high-side at the second corner and I went up into the air before coming back down onto the bike. I must have banged my chest on the fuel tank and that’s when the damage was done. Then I fell down and my first feeling was that I had hurt my lung or chest in some way because I had the same type of pain as when I crashed at Paul Ricard circuit in 1999. That time I damaged a lung and this time I felt the same – that is a problem with breathing. At the moment my shoulder joint is very tender and the doctors here are advising some sort of surgery – not immediately, but some time in the future. But I do not want this now, so I will have to wear very heavy strapping when I am on the bike again, at the Valencia tests. As for my lung; there had been some tubes in yesterday, but this morning only one small tube and that will come out later today, followed by some more checks. If everything is OK, I can leave the hospital this evening. My priority is to get back to Japan as soon as I can, see my own doctors and then get better quickly. But, my problem is that sometimes, with this type of lung injury, normally you are advised not to fly for two weeks! I think I will be able to fly before that time, but I still will have to stay in Australia for a week or so. This means lots of rest and maybe some time on the beach! At the moment, I am positive that I will be at the Valencia tests (March 18-19) and be ready to race at Donington at the end of the month. This is my plan. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) PUTS TITLE DEFENCE ON TRACK WITH A WIN AND A SECOND PLACE AT PHILLIP ISLAND Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 4 March: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) put his title defence back on track with a win and a second place in an exciting day of racing at Phillip Island in front of a record 63,000 crowd. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was out of luck and finished sixth and seventh in the two races. Troy battled with James Toseland (Honda) throughout the first 22-lapper and eventually made his move on his British rival on lap 18 to take the win. “That’s the sort of racing everybody likes to see at Phillip Island” declared Troy, “so to come out of top in a race like this is extra nice. We were a bit surprised as we’ve been struggling with the tyre all weekend but everybody’s in the same boat and after 12/13 laps it was always going to be difficult. That’s why Davide (Tardozzi) said go as slow as you can, but basically I had to hang on the best I could and see what we’d got at the end.” The second race was just as exciting, with a five-way battle for the lead that also included Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha) and Max Biaggi (Suzuki), but this time Toseland held off Bayliss for the win. “I was watching my board and the big screen all the time and I could see Nori and Max with me and James was preserving his tyres. I didn’t want to get caught up behind anyone so I went into the lead but thought that this wasn’t going to be any good because I’m going to destroy my tyre. Eventually when James put the hammer down we cleared off quite fast, the last three laps we were on the limit and my fastest lap was the last one. I threw everything at James but he still beat me in the second race so congratulations to him and his team.” Lorenzo Lanzi had a difficult weekend and could only manage sixth and seventh in the two races but is sixth overall in the standings on 44 points. “In race 1 I had a problem with the clutch at the start and was in twelfth position at the end of lap 1. I did everything possible to get back into contention and when I was with Haga and Biaggi I had totally finished my rear tyre, as we had chosen the softer one, so I had to try and salvage sixth place. In race 2 we didn’t make the ideal choice of tyre, again the softer option, because we were thrown off guard a bit by the times I recorded in race 1. I was sixth and was catching on the guys ahead but the tyre went right off and I finished seventh in a photo-finish with Fabrizio.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: ROUND 2 PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA 4th MARCH 2007 RACE REVIEW 4th March 2007, Phillip Island (Australia) After two days of qualifying records – in Supersport with Foret and Superbike with Bayliss – the question was how the weather would turn out on raceday. Dry conditions for warm-up suggested the softest tyres to the riders for race use, and they expected to exploit its great performance for the whole race distance. Race1: AIR HUMIDITY 50% AIR TEMPERATURE 23°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 37° Before the green light people were talking about strategies, looking after their tyres, maybe setting a conservative early pace. Then they started – at full throttle. Toseland took the lead (overtaking Biaggi) and started pushing hard. Lap after lap the times were close to last year’s best. After Toseland came Bayliss and on lap 18 Troy took the lead and eventually won, from Toseland and Max. Almost everybody was racing with the softest solution, and its consistency of performance allowed them to improve the previous year’s race time. Bayliss got round in 34’11.276, 22 seconds better than 2006. This means an improvement of more than one minute in two years, and this is a good demonstration of the level of development, clearly showing the performance offered by the new generation of Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres. Race Standings Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Bayliss Ducati 999 F07 Ducati Xerox Team 34’11.276 2 Toseland Honda CBR1000RR Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +1.483 3 Biaggi Suzuki GSX-R 1000K7 Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra +13.906 4 Haga Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia +14.819 5 Corser Suzuki GSXR Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra Race2: AIR HUMIDITY 44% AIR TEMPERATURE 26°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 47° Track temperatures were on the increase for race two, suggesting a more conservative race pace. Riders went fast but more attention was paid to the lap times in the early laps. Toseland was leading but not trying to escape. Bayliss was following but not attacking – and the two top Yamahas followed on. Race pace was in the 1’33s, until Toseland changed things. With five laps to go, instead of slowing down, he started pushing and only Bayliss could follow him. On the last laps they took some a measurable advantage over the others, so that both riders set their best laps on the last one. In this race, the rear tyres were particularly stressed, especially the left side, because of all the fast corners taken under acceleration. But Pirelli and the DIABLO SUPERBIKE showed they really offered the best of performance. Toseland won another two-rider race with a last lap of 1’32.651. The best proof of the outstanding level of performance offered by the slick 16,5″ tyres, produced by Pirelli and developed during last season, and in the winter test programme. Behind JT and TB, three riders slugged it out; Haga, third from Biaggi and Corser, making four different bikes on the top four places. Race Standings Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Toseland Honda CBR1000RR Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 34’16.990 2 Bayliss Ducati 999 F07 Ducati Xerox +0.274 3 Haga Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia +6.916 4 Biaggi Suzuki GSX-R 1000K7 Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra +7.013 5 Corser Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia +7.052 Championship Standings Rider Bike Team Points 1 Toseland Honda CBR1000RR Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 90 2 Biaggi Suzuki GSX-R 1000K7 Alstare Suzuki 74 3 Bayliss Ducati 999 F07 Ducati Xerox 64 4 Haga Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia WSB 50 5 Corser Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia 45 6 Lanzi Ducati 999F 07 Ducati Xerox 44 7 Xaus Ducati 999F06 Team Sterilgarda 32 8 Neukirchner Suzuki GSX-R 1000K7 Suzuki Germany 31 9 Kagayama Suzuki GSXR Alstare Suzuki 23 10 Nieto Kawasaki ZX10 R PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 20 AIR HUMIDITY 54% AIR TEMPERATURE 21°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 41° A fantastic Supersport race wowed the record crowds at PI. Foret proved to be fast during the whole weekend but there were others ready to win ready: Curtain, Parkes, Sofuoglu, Charpentier… maybe more. The tarmac temperature was higher than SBK race one and the final laps were key to the result. At 18th lap long-time leader Parkes was passed by Foret, then also by Sofuoglu. And a new manufacturer won this year, Kawasaki. The race pace was so hot that it was 12 seconds faster than last year”¦ Once more the Pirelli DIABLO SUPERCORSA set a record. It was first time on this track for this generation of tyre, because they started at Misano last year in June and since then they have beaten all the records, just as they did here. Race Standings Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Foret Kawasaki ZX-6R Team Gil Motor Sport 33’46.218 2 Sofuoglu Honda CBR 600 RR Winston Ten Kate +0.704 3 Parkes Yamaha YZF R6 Yamaha Motor Germany +2.243 4 Charpentier Honda CBR 600 RR Winston Ten Kate +6.415 5 Fujiwara Honda CBR 600 RR Althea Honda Team +15.085 Championship Standings Rider Bike Team Points 1 Sofuoglu Honda CBR 600 RR Winston Ten Kate 45 2 Foret Kawasaki ZX-6R Team Gil Motor Sport 38 3 Fujiwara Honda CBR 600 RR Althea Honda Team 27 4 Curtain Yamaha YZF R6 Yamaha Motor Germany 2025 5 Riba Kawasaki ZX-6R Team Gil Motor Sport 1121 6 Harms Honda CBR600 RR Stiggy Motorsport Honda 19 7 Parkes Yamaha YZF R6 Yamaha Motor Germany 16 8 Veneman Suzuki GSX-R600 Team Hoegee Suzuki 15 9 Charpentier Honda CBR 600 RR Winston Ten Kate 13 10 Alfonsi Honda CBR 600 RR Althea Honda Team 10 More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2007 Round 2, Phillip Island Australia Spectator Attendance: Claimed by track, not FGSport, 63,250. Weather: Ambient Temp 21°C – Track Temp 41°C Australian Race Report 2 4 March 2007 World Supersport Round 2 of 13 SOFUOGLU EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD IN AUSTRALIA Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) finished second after 21-laps of the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit and in doing so extended his championship lead to seven points, from today’s race winner, Fabien Foret. Sofuoglu also gave Honda the same seven-point advantage in the manufacturers’ standings, after two rounds of 13. He had qualified fourth, one place behind his team-mate Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team), after pole was taken by 2002 champion Foret. Charpentier, 2005 and 2006 champion, was fourth today, and is now ninth in the championship fight. He had the consolation of another lap record on the CBR600RR, taking a 1’34.976, on the second lap. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) followed on from a podium in round one at Losail with fifth place in Australia, after another impressive display, while Lorenzo Alfonsi (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) went ninth on a 2006-spec machine. Both Althea Honda riders made great strides after qualifying, with Fujiwara eighth on the grid and Alfonsi only 16th. ‘Kats’ is now an impressive third overall in the championship, with Alfonsi tenth. Sofuoglu was impressive throughout the race, running in the leading bunch even though he did not lead a single lap over the start-finish line. His qualifying experience was not untroubled, but he recovered well in a real race situation. “That was a very hard race and I can say that last weekend was easier in Qatar,” said Sofuoglu. “We tested here in January and we had a very good set-up, very fast, but when we came here for the race everything was different so we had to find everything again. The tyres were different; grip was different. I had to make a new set-up, so to be on the podium today I am very happy. I think my mistake was that I waited too long behind Kevin Curtain and Sebastien, and after I passed Broc Parkes, I needed some more laps to catch Foret.” Charpentier was disappointed to finish off the podium in a race he felt he could win. “I scored some points for the team today but this afternoon has not been easy for me,” said Charpentier. “I was determined to finish on the podium and I started off really well, getting up to the front by lap three. Unfortunately I had a big problem with the rear tyre of the bike and I lost a lot time. We’ve worked really hard on the development of the new bike with Honda and the team so there is no reason why I shouldn’t be back at the top for Donington. I’m ready for the next race this is a long Championship and it is still early days.” Fujiwara was running at a strong pace in the middle section of the race and even make ground to finish fifth, despite the hot track temperatures having an eventual effect on rear traction. “The beginning was a little bit difficult,” said Fujiwara. “I was passed by everybody then after ten laps my rear tyre seemed finished so I had to keep my tyre in the best condition. But I can be happy with that finish and more points.” Alfonsi finished top Italian rider, in ninth place, and achieved his personal goal of a top ten finish, in a race meeting with 38 Supersport entrants. “This was the top ten finish I was looking for,” said Alfonsi, “so to achieve your aim in a race is always good. My team and I worked through many solutions for the tyre and this was a good solution, so thanks to all of them and Honda.” The Supersport championship, along with World Superbike, returns to Europe for round three, with the next race scheduled for Donington Park on April 1. World Superbike Round 2 of 13 TOSELAND WINS AGAIN AND EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD POINTS AND QUALIFYING James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a second and first place at Phillip Island to put clear water between himself and the opposition in the championship table, after two dramatic and exciting 22-lap Superbike races. Toseland, who had qualified second on the grid, now leads Max Biaggi by 16 points, 90 to 74, with race one winner in Australia, Troy Bayliss, third on 64 points. Toseland looked like a potential winner in race one until a late spurt of pace from 2006 champion Bayliss made his break with five laps to go, leaving Toseland a determined second, by a margin of two seconds. He had led for 17 of the 22 laps. Third was Biaggi. Steve Martin (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was next best Honda finisher, in tenth. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) held off Joshua Brookes, (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) for 11th place. In race two Toseland and four other riders disputed the lead for the most part, but in the final stages only Toseland and Bayliss were in it, with Toseland’s late injection of speed and aggression pushing him to a margin of victory of 0.274 seconds. It was his second win in four 2007 season races, and his now only ten points from perfection, finishing second in the other two races. Next best Honda rider in race two was first race retiree Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) who was classified eighth after a photo finish, with Rolfo tenth and Brookes 12th. Martin retired early from race two. Toseland scored an incredible race two win and was delighted to have been competitive in every single race of the year so far. “In race two, I tried to preserve the tyre and I managed to keep Bayliss behind me,” said Toseland. “I knew it would be hard but I just kept going and I got the win. It’s an honour to be riding with such great competition and to hear Bayliss complimenting me is very flattering. It’s a great feeling to be going to Donington as the Championship leader. I feel like I am getting better and better and I can’t wait to race at home. I controlled race one for the most part and I was waiting for the gap to go up as Troy developed traction problems, but it didn’t happen. I just kept getting plus zero on my board. I pushed 100 to try and get away but we it was frustrating for me.” Rolfo’s rode solidly once more, but wants more as the season progresses. “The feeling today has been quite strange,” said Roby. “I had a difficult first race. The biggest problem was that I was too far out on the second corner and it gave other riders the chance to overtake me. It was then difficult for me to get back up to the position I lost. I had a bit of problem with the front of the bike and it felt quite heavy to ride. We made some changes for race two and immediately the bike was much better. I maintained my position and overtook three riders. I had five good laps, but then I had a sliding problem in the rear and it was very difficult to control. I picked up a few points and I am joint tenth in the standings now, so I just hope for better luck in Donington in a few weeks time.” Martin, who had qualified 11th in Superpole, went tenth in race one, but was forced out of race two after one lap, with clutch problems. “The first race went well for me until I had a contact with Nieto and lost some time,” said Martin, “The set-up and pace was quite good and we know we will be able to do even better when we get to the European races.” Fabrizio did not get the chance to finish race one either, and was in a close battle for a good top ten result in race two, finishing eighth. “Both tyres lost grip in the first race and I decided I had to come in,” said Fabrizio. “In race two, we went back to Friday’s settings and the bike was good, competitive in the top ten and the racing was good.” Brookes had two results of the same value in points terms, but he was disappointed with his race two. “Race one was OK and I am reasonably happy because we got two solid results, no crashes, and we go back to Europe now full of ideas on how to improve the bike,” said Josh. “It wasn’t a good idea to listen to the influence of other people and we should have stuck with our own thoughts about tyre choice. We went with a harder tyre and it didn’t pay off. We will get there, I know we will.” Karl Muggeridge crashed out of practice on Saturday, falling on oil from another rider’s machine, and injuring his left ankle, ruling him out of his home race. He has dislocated a tendon and suffered a mild concussion. “It was a shame to miss my home race,” said Muggeridge. “My ankle tendon was dislocated for a time and I was knocked out but I feel not bad now and the swelling on my tendon is already down. They say four or five days and I should be OK.” The next event on the 13 round calendar is Donington Park, between 30 March and 1 April, for what will be the first WSB race meeting at the English circuit since 2001. Results SUPERSPORT: RACE : (Laps 21 = 93,345 Km) Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team / Time /Gap 1 / F. FORET / FRA / Team Gil Motor Sport / 33’46.218 / 2 / K. SOFUOGLU / TUR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 33’46.922 / 0.704 3 / B. PARKES / AUS / Yamaha World SSP Racing / 33’48.461 / 2.243 4 / S. CHARPENTIER / FRA / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 33’52.633 / 6.415 5 / K. FUJIWARA / JPN / Althea Honda Team / 34’01.303 / 15.085 6 / P. RIBA / ESP / Team Gil Motor Sport / 34’01.410 / 15.192 7 / R.HARMS / DEN / Stiggy Motorsport Honda / 34’09.064 / 22.846 8 / B. VENEMAN / NED / Pioneer Hoegee Suzuki / 34’10.727 / 24.509 9 / L. ALFONSI / ITA / Althea Honda Team / 34’12.364 / 26.146 10 / Y. TIBERIO / FRA / Stiggy Motorsport Honda / 34’15.631 / 29.413 11 / K. CURTAIN / AUS / Yamaha World SSP Racing / 34’15.924 / 29.706 12 / G.LEBLANC / FRA / Vazy Racing Team / 34’15.977 / 29.759 13 / S. GIMBERT / FRA / Yamaha – GMT 94 / 34’21.536 / 35.318 14 / C. JONES / GBR / Revè Ekerold Honda Racing / 34’29.371 / 43.153 15 / D.SALOM / ESP / Yamaha Spain / 34’29.628 / 43.41 Fastest Lap 2° Sébastien Charpentier 1’34.976 168,485 Km/h Lap record: 2003 K.Fujiwara 1’36.642 165,580 Km/h Best Lap: 2007 F.Foret 1’35.166 168,150 Km/h Riders Championship Standings: 1 SOFUOGLU 45, 2 FORET 38, 3 FUJIWARA 27, 4 CURTAIN 25, 5 RIBA 21, 6 HARMS 19, 7 PARKES 16, 8 VENEMAN 15, 9 CHARPENTIER 13, 10 ALFONSI 10, 11 ROCCOLI 9, 12 NANNELLI 8, 13 TIBERIO 6, 14 KALLIO 6, 15 JONES 6. SUPERBIKE Race 1 : (Laps 22 = 97,790 Km) Pos / Rider / Nat. / Team / Time / Gap 1 / T. BAYLISS / AUS / Ducati Xerox Team / 34’11.276 / 2 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 34’13.372 / 2.096 3 / M.BIAGGI / ITA / Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 34’21.419 / 10.143 4 / N.HAGA / JPN / Yamaha Motor Italia / 34’30.199 / 18.923 5 / T. CORSER / AUS / Yamaha Motor Italia / 34’31.018 / 19.742 6 / L. LANZI / ITA / Ducati Xerox Team / 34’36.041 / 24.765 7 / R. XAUS / ESP / Team Sterilgarda / 34’38.680 / 27.404 8 / M.NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Suzuki Germany / 34’45.890 / 34.614 9 / F. NIETO / ESP / Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse / 34’46.615 / 35.339 10 / S. MARTIN / AUS / D.F.X. Corse / 34’47.514 / 36.238 11 / R. ROLFO / ITA / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 34’49.343 / 38.067 12 / J. BROOKES / AUS / Alto Evolution Honda / 34’58.354 / 47.078 13 / S. NAKATOMI / JPN / Yamaha YZF / 35’09.847 / 58.571 14 / J. SMRZ / CZE / Team Caracchi Ducati SC / 35’19.276 / 1’08.000 15 / A. POLITA / ITA / Celani Team Suzuki Italia / 35’33.860 / 1’22.584 Fastest Lap 3° Troy Corser 1’31.826 174,264 Km/h Race 2: (Laps 18 = 96,840 Km) 1 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 34’16.990 / 2 / T. BAYLISS / AUS / Ducati Xerox Team / 34’17.264 / 0.274 3 / N.HAGA / JPN / Yamaha Motor Italia / 34’23.906 / 6.916 4 / M.BIAGGI / ITA / Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 34’24.003 / 7.013 5 / T. CORSER / AUS / Yamaha Motor Italia / 34’24.042 / 7.052 6 / R. XAUS / ESP / Team Sterilgarda / 34’40.166 / 23.176 7 / L. LANZI / ITA / Ducati Xerox Team / 34’43.461 / 26.471 8 / M.FABRIZIO / ITA / D.F.X. Corse / 34’43.476 / 26.486 9 / M.NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Suzuki Germany / 34’43.476 / 26.486 10 / R. ROLFO / ITA / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 34’54.926 / 37.936 11 / J. SMRZ / CZE / Team Caracchi Ducati SC / 34’58.298 / 41.308 12 / J. BROOKES / AUS / Alto Evolution Honda / 35’05.662 / 48.672 13 / S. NAKATOMI / JPN / Yamaha YZF / 35’05.707 / 48.717 14 / F. NIETO / ESP / Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse / 35’30.085 / 1’13.095 15 / A. POLITA / ITA / Celani Team Suzuki Italia / 35’30.872 / 1’13.882 Fastest Lap 4° Noriyuki Haga 1’32.621 172,769 Km/h Record Lap: 2007 T.Corser 1’31.826 174,260 Km/h Best Lap: 2007 T.Corser 1’31.826 174,260 Km/h Riders Championship Standings: 1 TOSELAND 65, 2 BIAGGI 61, 3 BAYLISS 44, 4 LANZI 35, 5 CORSER 34, 6 HAGA 34, 7 NEUKIRCHNER 24, 8 KAGAYAMA 23, 9 XAUS 22, 10 NIETO 18, 11 ROLFO 14, 12 MARTIN 11, 13 BROOKES 7, 14 NAKATOMI 7, 15 LACONI 5. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Corser and Haga star in Phillip Island thriller Noriyuki Haga scored his first podium finish of the season as the Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team served up some terrific entertainment at Phillip Island today. Having secured front row starts on their still-developing YZF-R1s, Haga and team-mate Troy Corser were able to run with the leading group in both races. Corser was straight into the thick of things in the day’s opener and the Australian lowered the lap record as he bridged a small gap to leading pair James Toseland (Honda) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati). With lap times under qualifying pace, Corser ran with the leading group for the first half of the race but was unable to maintain the pace of the leading duo. With his lap times dropping by two seconds on worn tyres, Troy was passed on lap 20 by Max Biaggi (Suzuki) with Haga relegating him to fifth on the final lap. In the day’s second race the Yamaha riders were able to take advantage of the slightly slower pace in the opening laps to preserve tyre life. That allowed both men to stay part of the five rider battle for the lead until the closing stages, when Toseland upped his pace to take the win from Bayliss. Haga rode brilliantly to take the final position on the podium, holding an off a determined late charge from his rivals, while Corser was unlucky to miss out on fourth after being slipstreamed by Biaggi across the line. Team YZF Yamaha’s Shinichi Nakatomi scored points in both races today, taking 13th place each time. The Japanese rider improved his performances as the weekend progressed to score six championship points. Today’s results see Toseland extend his championship lead to 16 points over Biaggi. Haga lies fourth in the standings, on 50 points, with Corser a further five points adrift in fifth place. The series takes close to a one-month race before moving to Donington Park for the championship’s 20th anniversary meeting on 1 April. The English circuit played host to the very first world superbike race on 3 April 1988 and returns to the calendar for the first time since 2001. Before then the teams will have a test at the Valencia circuit in Spain, when the Yamaha teams hope to try out a range of new settings and parts on their YZF-R1s. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “I have had a cold this weekend and I did not feel very good throughout practice. The second race was tough because of the higher temperature but it was also good fun. After the start I was fighting with four other riders but I tried to save the rear tyre as much as possible for the last few laps. The grip was definitely better than in the first and I was thinking that I could push in the last five laps. But when the front guys went I realized that I could not push hard enough and decided to try and go for the third. I’m happy with a third place. The team has done a very good job this weekend and I hope that we will have some new parts to make us more competitive in the next race.” Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “I’m disappointed because when I come to Phillip Island I expect a minimum of two podiums, and I thought I rode well enough to achieve that. But that’s racing. We changed the bike for the second race and it was definitely better for the tyre, although I also rode a little differently because I knew what to expect from the tyre. At the end of the day we weren’t fast enough. The rest of the bike was really good but we just needed some more legs down the straight. We’ll go to Valencia and try and improve the bike before going to Donington Park. That’s another track I really like so we’ll just need to see what happens there.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) “I am quite happy with my performance today. In the first race I was riding in a group for a few laps but made a mistake and lost some time. I was able to improve my lap times for the rest of the race and I was pleased that my overall race time was 10 seconds faster in the second race. I was able to have a good fight with Josh Brookes and tried a last lap attack, although I was not able to get past. I now have a better feeling with the bike and the team is working hard to give me more performance for the next race.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “We made a big improvement between the races. We made some suspension changes and the hotter temperatures also made a big difference. In past years we have not had such great results here so for me getting a podium is a good result. We still have a small gap to make up but if we continue like this then I am sure we will be able to close it.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: A PAIR OF FIVES FOR FRUSTRATED TROY. Troy really wanted his ‘home’ race to be a good one but in the end he left one of his favourite circuits with just a pair of fifth places. Before the day started, a couple of podiums were a realistic possibility for Troy and both races started well. But a combination of tyre wear and less power then his main rivals today meant that he could not get the podiums he craved so much. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and James Toseland (Honda) took a win apiece, with both of them also taking a second place. Third in the first race was Max Biaggi (Suzuki), with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) third in the second. TROY Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 5th Well that was a bit frustrating today, because I really believed I’d be on the podium in both races. I think I maybe used up the rear tyre too quickly in the first race, but I had to run a fast pace or else the leaders would’ve pulled out a big gap. I was second for seven laps at the start of the race and then third for almost all the rest of the race, but just couldn’t keep up the pace at the end and that lost me the podium. We altered the rear shock for race two and the bike felt a bit better. I made a good start and all was going pretty good. But the engine didn’t feel very strong and I was unable to draft anybody on the straights. Instead, I had to try and make up for it on the brakes and that worked the tyres pretty hard. I ran wide coming onto the start-finish straight and that lost me a bit of time. It’ll be good to get back to Europe and be not far from our workshops, so that we can make good use of fresh engines every time we need them. I wanted to put on a bit of a show for my fans, but racing doesn’t always go the way you’d like. Here’s to Donington and a couple of podiums! See ya, Troy