FIM Superbike World Championship Magny Cours, France October 7, 2006 Superpole Results: 1. Troy CORSER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.147 2. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.355 3. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F06), 1:39.773 4. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:39.911 5. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:39.914 6. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F06), 1:39.944 7. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:39.961 8. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:40.079 9. Andrew PITT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.090 10. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.270 11. Chris WALKER (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.307 12. Sebastien GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), 1:40.613 13. Alex BARROS (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.113 14. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.412 15. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.475 16. Michael FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:41.975 More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone: Gimbert and Nakatomi in Superpole Sebastien Gimbert qualified 12th, with the best top speed, in Superpole. Shinichi Nakatomi was 14th and Norick Abe 18th. During the first timed practice session on Friday, Sebastien Gimbert was 13th in 1:41.563, Shinichi Nakatomi 14th in 1:41.644 and Norick Abe 18th in 1:41.993. The second session on Saturday morning did not allow the riders to go any faster as the track was wet and cold. In the Superpole, Sebastien Gimbert ended up 12th with a time of 1:40.613 and he will start tomorrow from the 3rd row of the starting grid. Shinichi Nakatomi was 14th with a time of 1:41.412 and he will be on the 4th row on Sunday. Norick Abe, who kept his 18th time of the qualifying practice, will start from the 5th row. Sebastien Gimbert: “The first free practice session was difficult because I could not do many laps due to a small technical problem. Later on, we worked very well on the suspension. My ideal time was 1:41.0. I can go fast with the bike, with good regularity. During my fastest lap in the timed session, I made a little mistake in the first split. Tomorrow, I shall try to shine to thank my team, my mechanics and my sponsors. This is also the occasion to prove the qualities of the endurance riders.” Shinichi Nakatomi: “Yesterday during the timed session, I could go faster and faster when I followed some riders like Chili, Nieto and Fabrizio. My best improvement was when I followed Troy Corser: I went one second quicker! Many riders here are following other riders. For me, it was a good progression. My setting for the race is good. We only have very little details to improve and we do that step by step.” Norick Abe: “yesterday I was 18th and I wanted to qualify for Superpole this morning. But the conditions were so bad that is was impossible. So I had to change my mind. We work on the bike to improve the setting. Tomorrow I must make a good race.” Martial Garcia (team manager): “Sebastien Gimbert did very well because during the timed practice he was just a little bit more than one second behind the provisional pole position. His Bol d’Or experience was obviously very useful. For his last race with our team, he will do his best to have a nice end of this season. Shinichi Nakatomi obtained a great result, remember that this is his first race at Magny-Cours. Norick Abe could not be fast in the first timed session because of a bad choice regarding the suspension. Unfortunately, he could not show his real talent in the second and last session because of the bad weather.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: CORSER AGAIN THE KING IN SUPERPOLE – DRY SUPERPOLE ALLOWS TIMES TO TUMBLE A stunning Superpole lap from Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), who had qualified fifth fastest in regulation, gave him his fourth Superpole win of the year, dropping the best SBK lap at Magny-Cours to an impressive 1’39.147. Corser has now scored 38 career Superpole victories, extending his all-time record still further. Of more significance in the shape of the 2006 championship table, perhaps, was the fact that James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) was second quickest and earned a front row start, while the man who sits only two points behind him in the championship, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia), was fifth fastest and begins Sunday’s races from the second row. The track surface at Magny-Cours had a chance to dry out before Superpole, after frequently changeable and often damp conditions had adversely affected final qualifying for all the riders this morning. LANZI AND MUGGERIDGE RESURGENT AT MAGNY-COURS 2005 Magny-Cours race winner, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) went third fastest after an aggressive and controlled Superpole lap, allowing him the luxury of a front row start, alongside another rider on the up, Karl Muggeridge (Winston ten Kate Honda) who was fourth fastest on the day. CHAMPION BAYLISS ON ROW TWO With Noriyuki Haga fifth, the newly crowned 2006 champion, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was sixth, also into the 1’39s. On the Alstare Engineering Suzuki machine, Max Neukirchner jumped from 15th in regulation to seventh, and the last rider inside the 1’39s mark in Superpole. Three-time 2006 race winner, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) starts eighth, and completes the second row for Sunday’s 23-lap races. CLOSE SUPERPOLE SQUEEZES SOME TOP NAMES OUT OF TOP SPOTS With the times in Superpole taking a tumble, thanks to the adoption of qualifying tyres on a dry track, Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) just missed a second row start, and Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), despite being the top Kawasaki rider on show, was only tenth fastest. Chris Walker, Nieto’s team-mate, went 11th fastest after a typically aggressive lap, while top-placed French combatant was Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) in 12th place, and on the third row. FOURTH ROW RIDERS INCLUDE POTENTIAL PODIUM MEN Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) demonstrated how tough SBK is in 2006 but winning in Imola last week and only qualifying on the fourth row at Magny-Cours. Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) showed what a private Yamaha could do, when he scored 14th place, ahead of multiple SBK race winner of recent seasons, Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse). The top 16 Superpole places were completed by Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) who looked much faster on track than his eventual 16th place qualification showed him to be. CHILI MISSES SUPERPOLE BY A MILLIMETRE Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda) could not improve on his Friday time because of the poor track conditions in the second qualifying session, and thus just missed out on a Superpole qualifying time in his final SBK race weekend. He was, tantalisingly, 17th, with all riders behind in the exact same positions as they had been after Friday’s first qualifying session, which was held in cold but largely dry conditions. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) has a mountain to climb to retain his championship in the Supersport class, but set up an impressive base camp by scoring yet another fastest-ever Supersport lap at Magny-Cours, 1’42.506. He is thus pole (his eighth such position this year), from his team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda). The young Turkish rider fell without injury just as the rains re-started in the middle of the session, as he himself went for a the pole. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) starts the race from the second row, but with 18 points in hand over Charpentier, he is still very much in the driving seat. Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) and David Checa (Yamaha GMT 94) complete the front row, after scoring third and fourth best times in the final session. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda) was sixth fastest, with the top Ducati once more being Gianluca Nannelli (SC Caracchi Ducati), seventh fastest. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) was fastest in practice at Magny-Cours, scoring a 1’44.739 lap in the interrupted second session. Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) was second, with Luca Scassa (EVR Corse Ormeni Racing – who was disqualified from the Imola results) third. Ilario Dionisi (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) remained fourth, while new champion Alessandro Polita (Celani Suzuki) was tenth. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: WORLD SBK: RAIN AT MAGNY COURS FOR FINAL PRACTICES Bad surprise this morning for the riders present at Magny Cours in the final practice day for the last round of 2006 Superbike World Championship. The rain raged most during Superbike qualifying session, where Roberto Rolfo, even if riding for some lap to run the bike after the engine’s substitution, has not had the possibility to improve the lap time recorded yesterday and has been not allowed to contest the Superpole session. “The rain has been actually a bad surprise this morning.” commented a disappointed Roberto Rolfo at the end of the practices. “In the final laps of yesterday afternoon session the engine started to show some fatigue’s symptom, so we changed it for tomorrow’s practices, but the rain ruined all our planes. I rode just a few laps to run the engine and see how the bike was going in wet conditions. During the free practice session in the afternoon the engine was performing very well, but the package situation hasn’t changed too much looking at yesterday.” More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: LANZI THIRD, BAYLISS SIXTH FOR DUCATI XEROX IN MAGNY-COURS SUPERPOLE Magny-Cours (France), Saturday 7th October: Ducati Xerox Team riders Lorenzo Lanzi and Troy Bayliss will line up on rows 1 and 2 of the grid respectively for tomorrow’s final round of the 2006 World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours in France. Newly-crowned champion Troy Bayliss set sixth quickest time at a track on which he has never raced before, while his team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was third quickest at a circuit where he won his second WSBK race last year. Troy Corser (Suzuki) took the final Superpole of the year. “I’m reasonably happy” commented Troy. “It’s my first time here and I’ve been fast in every session except for this morning because the conditions were terrible, so actually I’ve only had three sessions on the track and I’m not really that far off the pace on the race tyres. I’m looking forward to the warm-up tomorrow, hopefully it’s going to be dry and we can maybe try something a little different. Also it seems that nobody will let me see them on the track and I’ve had to find my own way around so I might learn something else in the race tomorrow!” “It was a great Superpole for me and I am really happy to be on the front row of the grid” declared Lorenzo. “In the last four rounds I’ve always gone well in practice and qualifying. The last two days at Magny-Cours have been really good and I hope to do two good races tomorrow, which is very important for me. Like last year, I seem to find things a bit more difficult in the first part of the circuit but then on the rest of the lap everything is okay and I like the circuit a lot.” More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: Barros in 13th position on the grid for the championship final Alex Barros (Team Klaffi Honda) could not improve his tenth place from first qualifying in the second session at Magny-Cours on Saturday noon, as the track dried up slowly from a shower during Friday evening. In Superpole-session in the afternoon Barros managed 13th position. Barros still fights for fourth in the championship as the gap to Andrew Pitt is only eight points. Alex Barros: “I must say that I am very disappointed about how Superpole went today. I also made a mistake and came wide in one corner in the last sector. Tomorrow we still have to find out the right tire for the race. But I am confident because my race-pace is not so bad. The crucial thing tomorrow will be a good start from fourth row.” Klaus Klaffenböck, Team Manager: “We had everything prepared, but somehow it did not work as well as last week in Imola. Still we are positive for the race as we all know about Alex’s capabilities.” Ramon Forcada, Crewchief: “The last race tire we tried in free practice did not work really well. I found that a little bit strange, but we will sort it out tomorrow in the warm up session. The bike works well under race conditions. We will use the warm-up to figure out some more details.” More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND AND MUGGERIDGE TAKE FRONT ROW STARTS AT MAGNY COURS James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) scored his best lap of the weekend to earn a place on the front row at the final round of the 2006 season. His 1’39.355 lap was the second best overall, as Troy Corser scored pole. Crucially, Toseland’s rival for overall second in the championship, Noriyuki Haga, was only fifth fastest, and now starts from one row behind Toseland. James is two points ahead of Haga currently, and only has to keep his nose ahead of the Japanese rider in the 23-lap races to secure second in the final points standings. Eighth away in Superpole, Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) jumped to the top of the Superpole ranking with his 1’39.911 lap, over a second faster than he was in regulation qualifying. He stayed there until Corser set his fastest lap, and Karl now starts the race from the front row, thanks to the fourth best time of the session. Ronald Ten Kate – Team Manager “With both riders on the front row I am still a happy man, and all four of our riders, including the two in Supersport, got on the front row – which I think is quite remarkable. Both Superbike riders had good laps, just a few mistakes here and there. We know we had to be very fast to win this Superpole and we nearly made it anyway. It is important here to have both riders starting from the front row, because tomorrow is all about second place in the championship. Now we have the best starting point possible.” James Toseland – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (2nd Position – Fastest Lap 1’39.355 – 25 laps) “I should stop watching other people’s Superpole laps because at Imola Bayliss went as fast as Valentino Rossi and now Troy Corser went out here and beat my time! I put a pretty good lap together, to be fair, second fastest of the weekend, and second on the grid. So I’m in a good position to put together a challenge for second place in the championship, which is the most important thing. Earlier today my rival Haga and I went out and were fighting for about 25-minutes in practice, and he ended up a row behind on the grid. The Yamaha gets off the like OK, but I just need to keep in front of him. I can’t fight for the championship win anymore, so I want this second place badly.” Karl Muggeridge – Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (4th Position – Fastest Lap 1’39.911 – 23 laps) “We’ve been fortunate this weekend because we tried a few things on my second bike, after my normal number one bike developed a gearbox problem. Testing here was a real benefit to us – it always is when you get the chance before you come to the race weekend. We had similar weather at the test but we have learned more about the track and the bike here than we did at the test. I would love to get on the podium tomorrow, that’s what I’m going for.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: TROY TAKES SUPERPOLE! Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser put in a virtually perfect lap to take Superpole at Magny-Cours today. Troy’s lap of 1:39.147 was over one and a half seconds inside the lap record and two tenths of a second ahead of his nearest rival – James Toseland (Honda). Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama suffered from wheelspin in the final part of his Superpole lap and ended eighth quickest and will start from the second row of the grid. But like Troy, he feels that he has got a good set-up for the race and is confident of challenging for the podium. Third quickest today was Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati), with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) completing the front row of the grid. TROY – 1st, 1:39.147 The Superpole lap felt more or less perfect and I’m really happy to have taken it here – in the last race of the year. We’ve been in pretty good shape all weekend really and have just been fine-tuning the bike over the past couple of days. It’s always good to win Superpole and I am particularly pleased today – for myself, for my mechanics and the entire Alstare crew. Last year, I had to start from the fourth row of the grid here, so I’m in much better shape this year! It’s going to be a long, hard day tomorrow and I’m sure that the races are going to be tough, but I want to end the season with a couple of podiums for sure – and maybe a win. YUKIO – 8th, 1:40.079 The first part of my Superpole lap was good, but the last part was not! The rear was spinning a lot and I just couldn’t get good drive and that’s why I lost time. But, I think I have a good set-up for the race – after the good work we did this afternoon – and podiums are definitely possible. Troy-san was very strong today and I am sure that he will be very strong tomorrow, but there will be many other challengers for sure. The second part of my season has been much better then the first part and I would like to finish with two very good results. More, from a press release issued by Beowulf Racing: BEOWULF’S McDOUGALL PULLS LAST-LAP RABBIT FROM HIS HAT Right up until the dying moments of today’s second qualifying session, it appeared Beowulf Racing’s Pat McDougall (Suzuki) would be lining up in last place for Sunday’s final race in the 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. However the gritty Guildford racer never quits and on his final lap of the 2.8-mile Magny-Cours circuit in France, McDougall shaved half a second from his Friday times to haul himself one place up the grid into 35th position. Although the track appeared largely dry to the naked eye for this morning’s free practice session, it was still very greasy from the torrential rain which had fallen overnight. As a result, a third of the Superstock 1000 field decided to skip the half-hour session. Determined as ever, Pat took to the track only to lap 16 seconds slower than he had managed yesterday. But the session had been by no means a waste of time for the young hotshot: it confirmed that the ignition problem which had afflicted the Beowulf Suzuki on Friday was now fixed and it allowed him to capture the scalp of another regular front-runner. Italian Luca Scassa (MV Augusta), who would finish third in the afternoon session, was a further three places behind Pat’s eventual finishing position of 22nd. With the track dry for the second timed qualifying period in the afternoon it appeared that McDougall would be destined to start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid. No matter how hard he tried, the Beowulf ace simply couldn’t improve upon his Friday times. When the session had to be red-flagged eight minutes from the end to clear up the oil from Scassa’s blown MV, Pat knew he had one last chance to pull a rabbit from his hat. Throwing caution to the wind when the session restarted, McDougall finally went half a second quicker than yesterday with a time of 1:50.837 on his final lap to nudge ahead of Irishman and travelling companion Mark Pollock (Suzuki). Pole position was set by Italian Claudio Corti (Yamaha), whose lap of 1:44.739 was only four-hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed countryman Ayrton Badovini (MV Augusta). Normally never lost for words, McDougall appeared downbeat afterwards. “The bike was fine” he sighed, “I was just trying harder and harder but I couldn’t seem to go any quicker than before. At least that last lap showed some kind of improvement, I suppose.” The Somerset-based Beowulf Racing team is a tightly knit unit and no doubt every member of the squad will be trying to bolster the 20-year-old’s spirits this evening. The final race of the year always proves to be an explosive and emotional affair for any series and there will be no time for looking back when the lights go to green to signal the start of tomorrow’s 14-lap outing. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Weather conspires to thwart FPR qualifying challenge A damp French morning denied Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones the chance to challenge for the final Superpole of the season at Magny-Cours, France. With the track drying slowly from overnight rain only a handful of riders ventured onto the slippery surface and times were substantially slower than the first Friday afternoon qualifying session. So Steve and Craig will start on tomorrow’s grid from 21st and 25th respectively, with Troy Corser claiming pole position just as he did on the PETRONAS FP1 two seasons ago. Both FPR riders used the warm and dry afternoon free practice session to good effect, with Craig slashing 1.5 seconds off his best time from yesterday Steve’s best lap also improved by half a second to 1:41.786, a time which would have been marginally outside yesterday’s Superpole qualifying time. Craig said: “I missed this morning’s track time, which would have helped me learn the circuit better. There were a couple of ups and a couple of downs in the afternoon but my race times were fairly consistent and I did my fastest time on the hardest tyre. The bike was as good as we can get it and I need two good starts to challenge for some points in the team’s final races.” Steve said: “I was pretty happy with the afternoon session as I did the fastest time I have done round here on race tyres it was certainly a big improvement on yesterday. My time might have been just outside the qualifying mark but we had a full tank of fuel and I wasn’t busting a gut for lap time in free practice. Last year I struggled to find consistent times on race tyres but this year the consistency feels good. I just hope the weather is dry, because this place is diabolical to ride in the wet. And I hope both Craig and I can have two good races each to end the project on a positive note.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Fifth and ninth for Haga and Pitt Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt will start tomorrow’s final round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship from fifth and ninth places respectively. Both men made small mistakes on their superpole lap to slip down the order from their positions in regular qualifying and, despite not qualifying as well as hoped, the Yamaha Motor Italia riders are primed for action in tomorrow’s 22-lap showdown. A damp circuit, caused by overnight rain, meant that superpole positions were decided by Friday’s times. Only a few riders ventured out onto the circuit during the session, with the best time some six seconds from the ultimate dry weather performance. After ending yesterday fourth on the timesheets, Pitt was the fourth to last rider to take to his superpole lap. Despite clocking his best lap time of the weekend, a 1:40.090, the Australian rider was unable to make as big an improvement as many of his rivals on the soft qualifying rubber. His time saw him take the ninth slot on the grid for tomorrow’s races, on the outside of the third row. Haga was last to depart for his superpole lap after holding the provisional pole position but made a small mistake on the opening part of the lap. An improved performance in the latter part of the lap saw Haga post a lap time of 1:39.914, to end the superpole session directly in front of Pitt, in fifth. Rain has meant that set-up time has been at a premium at Magny Cours this weekend, although Haga and Toseland gave fans a sneek preview of tomorrow’s action in the afternoon practice session, when they spent 10 laps trading positions and never separated by a few bike lengths. The speedy R1 has proved rapid around the French circuit, with Yamaha riders recording the top three speeds in the superpole session. At 285.7kph through the speed trap, Sebastien Gimbert was the fastest on his Yamaha Motor France machine, followed by Haga (284.2kph) and Pitt (283.5kph). The Yamaha Motor France squad saw two of its riders qualify for the top 16 superpole shootout. Home rider Gimbert was the fastest of the squad’s trio, earning a third row start with 12th position. Shinichi Nakatomi starts from the fourth row maintaining his pre-superpole 14th, although fellow Japanese Norick Abe was one of the men to lose out in the weather conditions. The Japanese rider was hoping to improve his 18th position from Friday but had no chance due to the wet conditions this morning. Abe was able to find some improvements in the afternoon free practice session, ending 16th on the timesheets. Pole position for tomorrow’s races goes to outgoing world champion Troy Corser (Suzuki), with James Toseland (Honda), Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) and Karl Muggeridge (Honda) completing the front row. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “Second row is ok, in fact in many ways fifth (on the grid) is better than third or fourth because I am on the outside going into the first corner. Race set-up is good but we’re going to make a few changes to the gearbox settings to make it a little better still. The conditions made it pointless to ride in the morning session but this afternoon went well and I had fun riding in the group with Toseland.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I made a mistake on the first sector of my superpole lap and for sure I’m disappointed to be starting ninth. But actually our race set-up is ok and we should be in good shape for the race. I did a good simulation in the practice and our race pace seems to be up there with everyone else.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “The first free practice session was difficult because I could not do many laps due to a small technical problem. Later on, we worked very well on the suspension and I was able to get into the 1:40 bracket. I can go fast with the bike and am able to make consistent laps. Tomorrow, I shall try to shine to thank my team, my mechanics and my sponsors. This is also the occasion to prove the qualities of the endurance riders.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “Yesterday during the timed session, I could go faster and faster when I followed some riders like Chili, Nieto and Fabrizio. My best improvement was when I followed Troy Corser – I went one second quicker! Many riders here are following other riders. For me, it was a good progression. I am very happy to have made superpole but my settings for the race are also good. We only have very little details to improve and we do that step by step.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “Yesterday I was 18th and I wanted to qualify for superpole this morning. But the conditions were so bad that is was impossible. So I had to change my mind. We work on the bike to improve the setting. Tomorrow I must make a good race.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “I think that we’re in a good situation for the race. Despite missing the morning session we know what tyres to use in the races and both riders have made good simulations. I think Andrew expected a little more on his superpole lap. He made a few mistakes and that cost him a few places on the grid, although his race pace is good and he should be up there tomorrow. Nori ran with Toseland in the afternoon and found a good rhythm. We’ll make a few changes to the gearbox on his bike tonight but otherwise we are ready for what should be some good races tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser put in a virtually perfect lap to take Superpole at Magny-Cours today. His time of 1:39.147 was over one and a half seconds inside the lap record and two-10ths-of-a-second ahead of his nearest rival James Toseland (Honda). Corser’s team mate Yukio Kagayama suffered from wheelspin in the final part of his Superpole lap and ended eighth quickest and will start from the second row of the grid behind Alstare Engineering’s Max Neukirchner. But, like Corser, he feels that he has got a good set-up for the race and is confident of challenging for the podium. Third quickest today was Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati), with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) completing the front row of the grid. Troy Corser – 1st, 1:39.147: “The Superpole lap felt more or less perfect and I’m really happy to have taken it here – in the last race of the year. We’ve been in pretty good shape all weekend really and have just been fine-tuning the bike over the past couple of days. It’s always good to win Superpole and I am particularly pleased today for myself, for my mechanics and the entire Alstare crew. Last year I had to start from the fourth row of the grid here so I’m in much better shape this year! It’s going to be a long, hard day tomorrow and I’m sure that the races are going to be tough, but I want to end the season with a couple of podiums for sure – and maybe a win.” Yukio Kagayama – 8th, 1:40.079: “The first part of my Superpole lap was good but the last part was not! The rear was spinning a lot and I just couldn’t get good drive and that’s why I lost time. But I think I have a good set-up for the race – after the good work we did this afternoon – and podiums are definitely possible. Troy-san was very strong today and I am sure that he will be very strong tomorrow, but there will be many other challengers for sure. The second part of my season has been much better than the first part and I would like to finish with two very good results.” Max Neukirchner – 7th, 1:39.961: “Today was a good one for us and I was very happy with my Superpole lap – and regular qualifying and practice was not so bad either. Each time I get on the bike I learn something more and I think we are improving bit by bit for sure. The set-up of the bike felt quite good today and now I hope I can take advantage of my good grid position and get a couple of good results. I certainly want to finish both races tomorrow after last weekend’s disaster.” Final WSB Qualifying: 1 Troy Corser(Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:39.147, 2 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:39.355, 3 Lanzi ((I-Ducati) 1:39.773, 4 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1:39.911, 5 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:39.914, 6 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:39.944, 7 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) 1:39.961, 8 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:40.079, 9 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 1:40.090, 10 Nieto (E-Kawasaki) 1:40.270. SUPERSTOCK 600: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s newly-crowned FIM Superstock 600 Champion Xavier Simeon ended the season in style with a superb win at Magny Cours. He pressurised Davide Giugliano (Kawasaki) so strongly that the Italian out braked himself on the approach to the final chicane and crashed right in front of him. Simeon kept a careful eye on the sliding bike and managed to avoid it and then was unchallenged on his way to the chequered flag and his fifth victory of the year. Xavier Simeon – 1st: “I made a little mistake three laps from the end and Giugliano passed me but I was not too worried because I felt I could overtake him again before the end. I followed him and kept up the pressure and he fell when he braked too hard and too late for the final chicane. I was on the brakes and I saw that he had left it too late and down he went. He and his bike slid along the track and I watched it to make sure it didn’t take me out as well. I went round it and then carried on for what became an easy victory. It’s been a fantastic year for me and I want to thank my mechanics and everybody at Alstare for all the help and hard work they’ve done.” Superstock 600 Result: 1 Xavier Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Antonelli (I-Honda), 3 Colucci (I-Ducati). Championship Points: 1 Xavier Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 221, 2 Canepa 151, 3 Giugliano 145, 4 Colucci 91, 5 Antonelli 88, 6 Jezek 61. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra: SUPERMAX! Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner rode a superb Superpole today and ended with the seventh fastest time – well ahead of many of the factory riders. Max’s lap followed good progress in qualifying and his increasing understanding of the Alstare GSX-R1000 K6. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser took Superpole with a time of 1:39.147, over one and a half seconds under the current lap record. Second was James Toseland (Honda), with Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) third. MAX – 7th, 1:39.961 Today was a good one for us and I was very happy with my Superpole lap – and regular qualifying and practice was not so bad either. Each time I get on the bike I learn something more and I think we are improving bit by bit for sure. The set-up of the bike felt quite good today and now I hope I can take advantage of my good grid position and get a couple of good results. I certainly want to finish both races tomorrow after last weekend’s disaster. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki: SIMEON ON POLE! Series leader Xavier Simeon once again stamped his authority on proceedings by taking pole position for the final round of the 2006 Suzuki GSX-R European Cup at Magny-Cours. And Simeon managed to do this despite missing over twelve minutes of the qualifying session due to the fact that he was still on the podium after winning the Superstock 600 race just beforehand! Second fastest today is Phillip Hafeneger, with wild card Kenny Foray third and Simeon’s nearest rival Rene Mahr fourth. XAVIER SIMEON – 1st 1:46.860 When the Suzuki Cup qualifying started, I was still on the podium after having won the 600 Superstock race! By the time all the ceremonies had finished I had missed about twelve minutes of the qualifying. I took things steadily for a while as I had to get used to a completely different bike, but after a while I began to find a good rhythm and went faster. I took pole without too much of a problem and if there had been another ten minutes I feel sure I could’ve taken another second off my time. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow and really want to take the title. If that happens, it will be my second title this season and that’s something I could only dreamed. I will not do anything silly, but if I can win the race that would be the icing on the cake.