Superbike World Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia March 5, 2006 Race Two Results: 1. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati 999F06, 22 laps, 34:33.803 2. James TOSELAND, Honda CBR1000RR, -5.528 seconds 3. Alex BARROS, Honda CBR1000RR, -14.312 seconds 4. Noriyuki HAGA, Yamaha YZF-R1, -16.208 seconds 5. Andrew PITT, Yamaha YZF-R1, -17.656 seconds 6. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -20.832 seconds 7. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati 999F05, -21.130 seconds 8. Ruben XAUS, Ducati 999F05, -25.224 seconds 9. Fonsi NIETO, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -25.638 seconds 10. Chris WALKER, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -26.007 seconds 11. Michel FABRIZIO, Honda CBR1000RR, -32.867 seconds 12. Norick ABE, Yamaha YZF-R1, -33.171 seconds 13. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Ducati 999RS, -33.211 seconds 14. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Honda CBR1000RR, -34.314 seconds 15. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, -34.467 seconds 16. Regis LACONI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -35.549 seconds 17. Ivan CLEMENTI, Ducati 999RS, -35.976 seconds 18. Fabien FORET, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -49.037 seconds 19. Shinichi NAKATOMI, Yamaha YZF-R1, -49.120 seconds 20. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yamaha YZF-R1, -49.214 seconds 21. Craig JONES, Foggy Petronas FP1, -80.378 seconds 22. Franco BATTAINI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -82.805 seconds 23. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Honda CBR1000RR, -13 laps, DNF, crash 24. Lorenzo LANZI, Ducati 999F06, -13 laps, DNF, crash 25. Marco BORCIANI, Ducati 999F05, -13 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 27. Lucio PEDERCINI, Ducati 999RS, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Troy CORSER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -19 laps, DNF, crash Superbike World Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 26 races): 1. Bayliss, 75 points 2. Toseland, 74 points 3. Corser, 63 points 4. Barros, 55 points 5. Pitt, 45 points 6. Haga, 42 points 7. Rolfo, 32 points 8. Fabrizio, 25 points 9. Xaus, 24 points 10. Nieto, 19 points More, from a press release issued by Team Klaffi Honda: Alex did it again! “I enjoyed it! It is fine to have two races one after another. It is tough but I’m in a good shape and it is great fun!” In the second heat Alex Barros finished third. So the Brazilian rider of Team Klaffi Honda was twice on the podium today. Only the start was not so perfect. Alex dropped back to 7th position and immediately started to fight. He passed Muggeridge and was riding on position 6. Everything seemed to be okay but then it was Troy Corser who had a tremendous crash. The two Yamaha riders Haga and Pitt could draw aside. Alex had no chance. He touched Corser with one of his foot-rests and ripped Troy’s leather. Alex just avoided to crash himself. This action took a lot of time but then the Brazilian was on his way again. He took Pitt and then he pushed Haga to the limits. Alex passed the Yamaha rider in a breath taking way. Now he was on 3rd position. Alex finished 3rd. Winner was Bayliss in front of Toseland. Alex Barros: “Things become better and better. Only when Troy Corser crashed I lost a little bit of concentration. I was afraid that I injured him. But I in this moment I could not avoid to touch him. I’m happy that Troy had good luck and that he is okay. – I had some good fights, especially with Haga. I really enjoyed it! And it was a pleasure to work with the Klaffi Team. Thanks to the fantastic crew!” Team Manager Klaus Klaffenböck: “Alex did a great job today and I’m sure you’ll see a lot more of him this year!” More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: TOSELAND SCORES TWO PODIUMS AFTER RED HOT AUSTRALIAN RACES James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) followed up his great start to the season in Qatar with a hard fought double podium finish, scoring third in race one and second in race two, to end raceday only one point from the championship lead. For his team-mate Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) it was a less happy day, being forced to pull out of race one due to concerns over tyre wear and machine handling, then being taken out by another riders’ crashing machine in the second outing. Muggeridge now finds himself 15th in the title chase, with an unchanged 11 points. In the first race Toseland secured a fine third place finish, after early leader Troy Bayliss had used up his tyres in he desperate escape from a chasing pack, sliding down the order to finish sixth. Toseland held his nerve throughout, finishing seven seconds from the winner Troy Corser (Suzuki) and close second place man Alex Barros (Honda). In the second race Toseland stuck to the lead for the majority of the race but eventual race winner Troy Bayliss passed him on the 16th lap, leaving Toseland a clear second place finisher, five seconds adrift, but nine seconds up on Barros. Ronald Ten Kate Team Manager “We had some problems in the first race in preserving tyres, so we changed the settings a little but for the second race. It helped quite a lot. We could run a little longer on the pace, which is what James wanted. It was good to see him in front of Bayliss for so long, as Troy had been the fastest rider all weekend long here. Towards the end Bayliss managed to put a couple of quick laps in, and James could not follow. But in any case we are very happy to take two podiums away from here, and be just one point behind the lead. That’s a good way to come home again. For Karl I feel really sorry, because the problem James had in the first leg was even worse with Karl, so we also had to make adjustments to Karl’s bike. It was running a lot, lot better in race two, until he got T-Boned. It was a difficult weekend for him because the first day was such a nightmare we had to play catch-up. We just ran out of time but I am quite sure that he has got the potential in him to get the best out of the bike.” James Toseland SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Race 1: 3rd position Race 2: 2nd position Championship Position: 2nd with 75 points) “In race two I kept getting a plus zero on my pit board, because Troy was right behind. I didn’t make a mistake but Troy just out braked me into the hairpin and then he pulled away at the end there. It was a great race though, and I made sure I rode well in the places where it would be difficult for him to get past me. In the first race Troy was unlucky not to win. In race two I waited to see if he would have similar problems as race one but when it was obvious he was fast and I had to settle for second. But I’m happy; we had a good, consistent weekend again. We’re pushing them hard and we’re only one point from the lead right now.” Karl Muggeridge SBK Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (Race 1: DNF Race 2: DNF Championship Position: 15th with 11 points) “A terrible weekend in the office, but at least in the second race we had the bike a lot better. We made a bit of a mess on Friday so we had to catch up all weekend. Even though it was a crash from someone else that took me out of race two, I can walk away confident. The bike is a lot better now so we can do it for sure.” More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone Some points at Phillip Island The Phiilip Island weekend was difficult for Norick Abe, Shinichi Nakatomi and Sebastien Gimbert, the three riders of the Team Yamaha Motor France – Ipone. Only Norick manages to save the honour of the team with the points of 12th position in the second race. In the first race, Shinichi Nakatomi crashed and was happily unhurt, while Sebastien Gimbert came back to the pits and retired. Only Abe finished with a modest 17th position. In race 2, things went better with Norick finishing 12th, Nakatomi 19th and Gimbert 20th. Norick Abe: “After race 1, we changed the set up because I could only finish 17th because of chattering. The second race was better and I had a great fight with a group of good riders. It was hard for me to overtake because I was losing time in the main straight. It took me very long to pass each rider. I had some chattering problems, but the biggest trouble was the lack of power which made it hard to overtake the other riders.” Shinichi Nakatomi: “In the first race, I crashed when I lost the front while braking trying to pass another rider. In race 2, my rear tyre was sliding a lot. Not enough grip made it slippery.” Sebastien Gimbert: “I had some trouble shifting down in race 1. I could not use any more the 1st gear. I had some chattering, which was not the case during practice. In race 2, I did not have enough grip when I wanted to accelerate. The front was moving a lot. The lack of engine power did not help for acceleration and top speed. We have two months to work. I hope to prove I am a good rider at the next 24 Hours of Le Mans where I go to win.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “Our January tests were very promising so this is a deception for me. We never could find this weekend the same level of grip. Our times were quicker, but not enough compared to the opposition. Abe saves our weekend with a few points, thanks to his great starts and his courage, because the chassis set up of our bikes is far from being perfect, therefore our top speed problems. We had some chattering problems that we could never solve during the practices and the races. So I cannot be satisfied, despite the exemplary courage of our three riders. We must work harder, including during the next tests in Valencia and Misano.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) RETURNS TO WINNING WAYS AT PHILLIP ISLAND AFTER A FOUR-YEAR BREAK Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 5 March: Troy Bayliss put a first race disappointment behind him to take the Ducati Xerox Team’s first win of the season and the Australian’s 23rd World Superbike career victory at Phillip Island. It was the former world champion’s first win since Laguna Seca in 2002 and helps to maintain a slim one-point lead in this year’s championship. Bayliss set a storming pace in the first race, but excessive tyre wear in the final stages dropped him down to sixth behind eventual winner Troy Corser (Suzuki). Troy made amends in the second race when he fitted a harder rear tyre compound on his Ducati 999 and rode a more defensive race. He out-braked Toseland (Honda) into Honda corner on lap 16 to take the chequered flag in front of an ecstatic home crowd. Earlier winner Corser crashed out on lap 4. “It’s been a really good weekend, obviously I was on a bit of a downer after race 1, but that’s racing”, declared Troy. “It all went well because we’ve got a smart team and they know what to do. We obviously did a race distance on the tyre before but something strange happened. Anyway we put that behind us and we decided to use the hardest tyre Pirelli brought along. Then I made my move on Toseland at two-thirds race distance and although I was nearly in the same situation with the tyres with three laps to go, I still managed to pull a good enough gap to win. We’re leading the championship again, so that’s a bonus. Now we move on to Valencia and Monza which are places we like so I hope to keep the momentum going”. Lanzi, who had to start from the pit-lane after encountering a clutch problem during the warm-up lap, powered up the field to eleventh place, but was unable to make further progress as he struggled to maintain the pace. In the second race he was attempting to move up amongst the mid-field runners when he high-sided on lap 11. “It has been a pretty tough weekend, we didn’t find the right direction immediately with the team and I made a few errors” commented Lorenzo. “This morning in the warm-up finally we found a good set-up to race maybe for the podium, but then we had bad luck with the clutch in race 1 and I had to start last. In race 2 I was recuperating places but I made a mistake and crashed. Muggeridge was ahead of me, and I brought him down when I high-sided. Now we’ve got a month and a half before the next race, so I can get back to 100% fitness, because here I was still in a bit of pain with my ankle and knee from the crash in Qatar”. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: TOSELAND AND BARROS ON EACH PHILLIP ISLAND PODIUM Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) and James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) shared second and third place finishes at the Australian World Superbike round, and thus shared the honour of top Honda rider on display at the classic Phillip Island track. For other supported Honda riders, fortune was less kind, with Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda CBR1000RR) next best with an 11th in race one, Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda CBR1000RR) only in the points once and Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) not scoring at all in his home event. In the first 22-lap race of the day, Toseland, who had qualified an impressive third in Superpole in only his second meeting on his new machine, secured third after long term leader Troy Bayliss faded to sixth. Troy Corser held off Barros for the win, with the Brazilian scoring his best ride of the season so far. He was to go third in race two, after a fight with Noriyuki Haga. Fabrizio fended off his team-mate to take the last point on offer in race one, improving from his 20th place in qualifying. In race two he was to improve to 11th, for overall eighth, on 25 points. Chili scored 14th in race two, despite fatigue and the effects of his recent Qatar crash. Muggeridge, who qualified sixth, had to retire from race one with set-up and tyre issues on the hot tarmac, and was then unceremoniously knocked out of the second race, when Lorenzo Lanzi’s Ducati skittled him at Honda hairpin. Toseland, who has now scored one win and two further podiums in the four 2006 season races so far, was satisfied with his race rhythm, on a day when warm track conditions made for some unpredictable results. He is now second in the championship race, with 74 points to leader Bayliss’ 75. “In race two I kept getting a plus zero on my pitboard, because Troy was right behind,” said Toseland. “I didn’t make a mistake but Troy just outbraked me into the hairpin and then he pulled away at the end there. It was a great race though, and I made sure I rode well in the places where it would be difficult for him to get past me. In the first race Troy was unlucky not to win. In race two I waited to see if he would have similar problems as race one but when it was obvious he was fast and I had to settle for second. But I’m happy; we had a good, consistent weekend again. We’re pushing them hard and we’re only one point from the lead right now.” Barros had two highly impressive rides on a machine which is still undergoing development; with the Brazilian’s experience of racecraft a valuable asset around Phillip Island’s high speed twists and turns. “Things are obviously getting better and better,” said Barros after his second podium of the day. “I lost a little bit of concentration when Troy Corser crashed right in front of me, and I could not avoid him. I was afraid that I injured him, but I was told he was OK. But in this moment I could not avoid hitting him. I had some good fights today, especially with Haga. I really enjoyed today’s races, and to get two podiums was great for our team at this stage.” Fabrizio ran off the track in race one, and finished the second lap dead last, which explained the discrepancy in his race one and two results. “My rear tyre was finished five laps before the end of race one,” said Michel. “I had the same problem in race two, but without the earlier problem, I kept my position better, and managed the lack of grip. I am 80% happy but for sure I must have more feeling with the bike in a short space of time.” Chili was philosophical about his Phillip Island experiences, as he scored a 16th and a 14th in difficult circumstances. “It was very taxing in race one because the bike had a lot of chatter,” said Chili. “It felt very hard and operating the clutch was very difficult for so many laps in a row, considering my broken finger on my left hand. That meant that I was completely finished before the end of race two.” Muggeridge was blunt in summation of his latest race weekend, but knows that all the indications are for better performances quite soon. “A terrible weekend in the office, but at least in the second race we had the bike a lot better,” said Muggeridge. “We made a bit of a mess on Friday so we had to catch up all weekend. Even though it was a crash from someone else that took me out of race two, I can walk away confident for the next few. The bike is a lot better now so we can do it for sure.” The first European round of the year will be at Valencia, on 23 April. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra experienced practically every sort of emotion in the second round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island today with Troy Corser causing most of the ups and downs. He won the first race after a tremendous battle with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Alex Barros (Honda), then crashed out of the second race while challenging for the lead. In the opening race, Corser took the lead when Bayliss slowed because of trashed tyres. Barros was right with him and proved to be more than a handful in the closing stages, but Corser used his experience and took the chequered flag by almost half a second. Team mate Yukio Kagayama suffered clutch problems and was forced to overshoot Honda hairpin and rejoined the track in 21st place. He charged his way back up the field and managed 12th place before running out of laps. Fabien Foret was 13th after the first lap, but was forced to retire with a throttle problem after 10 laps. The second race was another one of drama for the team, starting with Corser’s crash after three laps when he highsided just after Lukey Heights. In the fall, he was hit by Barros’ Honda and was lucky to escape serious injury. The footpeg of the bike hit him just behind his head and the rest of the bike struck his shoulder, elbow and hip. He was taken to the Clinica Mobile but the X-Rays revealed no broken bones. To make sure, Corser went to Melbourne hospital for a precautionary check. Kagayama was 12th at the end of lap one before getting stuck in a group of riders. He had a difficult time getting through the pack but he fought hard and grabbed sixth position at the flag. Foret made a good start but had to run wide at the second turn to avoid another rider which dropped him well down the order. He ended 18th after being caught up for the second part of the race with the Yamahas of Shinichi Nakatomi and Sebastien Gimbert. Troy Corser – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: DNF: “Well that was a day and a half for sure. A fantastic win in the first race and then a crash in the second! I knew Bayliss would not be able to keep up that pace in the first race and that his tyres would not last. I got caught in a group at the beginning and knew that I couldn’t hang around with them too long, so when James Toseland made a little mistake and ran wide, I sneaked through. When I caught Bayliss, I could see he was having problems, so it was no surprise when I passed him – in fact he let me through. I then had a pretty good fight with Barros, but held him off at the end. In race two, on the approach to the turn after Lukey Heights, I lost the rear end suddenly and highsided. I felt a thud on my back and knew I had been hit by a bike. I went to a hospital in Melbourne for a check-up. I really don’t know why I crashed because the telemetry shows that I wasn’t doing anything different to the previous laps. But that’s racing!” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 12th, Race 2: 6th: “Not such a good day I think. I had problems with the clutch in the first race – similar to Qatar – and it was very difficult to ride the bike. The feeling was not consistent and sometimes it worked ok and sometimes it did not! I did my best to stay out and finished 12th. In race two, my start was not perfect and that meant I had a lot to do in the race. It is always hard to make a good result from the third row of the grid, but if I had made a better start then I think I could’ve challenged for a podium.” Fabien Foret – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 18th: “It was a bit of a disappointment for me today but it’s all part of my learning process in Superbikes, I guess. I really thought that I would be able to score some points today, but the DNF in race one didn’t help. My throttle was not consistent at all – sometimes it would stay open after I had shut it – so I had to pull in. I made a good start in the second race, but had to run wide to avoid a rider who had made a mistake and that cost me many places. Then I got caught up in a battle with two Yamaha riders and that was that. I am looking forward to some tests before the next race because I need to understand this bike more than I do at the moment.” More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Steve in the points for FPR at Phillip Island Steve Martin secured two finishes for Foggy PETRONAS Racing in a roller-coaster of a second round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island, Australia. Having qualified on the front row of the grid, the Australian had to battle for the minor places when the starts to both races left him in the middle of the field. His 14th and 15th places were scant reward for the team’s efforts during the weekend. Steve finished the first race less than 30 seconds behind winner Troy Corser. A similar gap in last year’s race would have seen him finish in eight place. He was eventually involved in a battle for 11th with Lorenzo Lanzi, Yukio Kagayama and Regis Laconi, again highlighting the new strength in depth of the championship. Team-mate Craig Jones completed his first race in World Superbikes in 21st place in the afternoon after being unhurt in a high-side crash coming out of Honda Corner on the 11th lap of the opening race while running in 22nd place. Corser emerged victorious from a long tussle with Alex Barros after early runaway leader, Troy Bayliss, dropped back through the field in the closing laps of the opening race. Bayliss made amends in the second race, while Corser was taken to hospital after being hit by Barros following a spectacular high-side. Steve said: “I have three more points than I had at the same point last season. Even though the standard is tougher we are also closer to the leaders than we have been before. I feel as though I am riding well, we just need to work on acceleration and we have a few things to try with the handling at the two tests before the next round. I got a better start in the second race and I managed to stay up there until they came past one by one on the straight. The tyre started to wear and the others could then use their acceleration even more. I was just doing the best I could to hang on where I was. In the first race I got the best start I could but it is a longish run to the first corner and that doesn’t help us. I was racing in a quality group and was less than 30 seconds behind the winner. My bike was handling well compared to the bikes of the guys I was dicing with, but had less acceleration. So I was heaps quicker coming onto the straight but couldn’t do anything with it.” Craig said: “I had forgotten where parc ferme was! It was a long boring race but I am just glad to finish one. My times were really slow and I was struggling like anything but I was determined to finish no matter what. I definitely feel better for getting one under my belt and now I can build on that, starting with the two tests when I am going to be working on handling in general and getting a good base set-up. I have already been fast on the bike, I just need to get consistent and build on what we have got. In the first race I didn’t have any grip, which was causing the back to pump. I was in a rhythm and going steady and I can’t believe the bike sprung me off.” Team manager Jack Valentine said: “The team has done everything they possibly could with our current package. The bike was handling superbly and Steve rode as hard as he could. We are just losing a lot of speed on the straights and acceleration out of the turns. I’m pleased that Craig had his first finish in World Superbikes. He rode consistently and hopefully he can build on that to regain the confidence he had during winter testing.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: AT PHILLIS ISLAND EXCELLENT ROBY ROLFO IN SUPERBIKE (Phillip Island 2006, March 5) Two splendid performances light up the day of Roberto Rolfo in Superbike today at Phillip Island. Forced to start from the fourth row after yesterday’s Superpole result Roby made two fighting races, recovering positions and positions and ending fifth in race-1 and seventh in race-2. For both races Roby made a couple of very good start, but then I found before him some slower rider, difficult to pass, and lost time on the leaders in the early laps. “I’m satisfied of today’s races, they have been amusing and extremely exciting.” relate Roberto Rolfo, with all his celebrating team around. “Unfortunately I’ve been penalized by my starting position because, also with a good start it’s always possible to find some rider that stops your action, so you see the leaders that are going away and you are no able to do anything. Today I’m confident I could stay together with the Yamahas, at the end of race-1 I could also catch Haga, that I believe was in tyre crisis, but he had too much advantage. Actually they have been a couple of excellent results, but most of alla I’m satisfied for the job we made during all the week end. After yesterday’s free practice and Superpole session, that bring us a little bit out, from the morning’s warm up I felt competitive. In this moment the teamm too has been important for me: they have done an high level work and helped me very much. We are already at a good competitive level, despite a few test time during the winter, now we have a couple of month to work with calme, with an important test in Spain that we have to use in the best way. The fight with Kagayama during race-2 has been very exciting, I passed him in corner 10, but he overtook me at the end of the finish line; then he’s been very skilful to keep all the door closed, but in a correct way, and I’m not been able to pass him once more, but it has been a nige fight too.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga battled traction problems to grab a brace of fourth places at round two of the Superbike World Championship at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. The popular Japanese rider rode hard in the day’s two 22-lap races to score 26 valuable points over the two races. Haga had run at the front of the day’s opening race but faded when his rear traction reduced at around half-distance. Despite running a somewhat lonely fifth for most of the race, the 31-year-old continued to ride hard to pass a fading Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and fend off a late charge from Roberto Rolfo (Ducati). Race two saw Haga make some further suspension changes to lead a thrilling battle at the front with Bayliss, James Toseland (Honda), Alex Barros (Honda), Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt. A nasty crash for Corser saw the Yamaha riders take avoiding action and let Bayliss and Toseland build a gap. The Yamaha pair was able to stay in touch with Barros in the battle for third but the lack of traction saw them settle for fourth and fifth place at the flag. Pitt was made to pay for an incorrect tyre choice in race one. The Australian chose a harder compound Pirelli tyre, which stopped him running at the same pace as the leaders in the opening laps. Stuck in a thrilling mid-pack battle for most of the race, he ended the race a subdued ninth. For race two he chose the same softer compound tyre as his rivals and was able to run with the leaders, eventually finishing fifth, just behind Haga. The Yamaha Motor France squad had a difficult weekend in Australia. Still running their 2005-specification engines, the team’s only points came from former MotoGP rider Norick Abe, who took 12th in race two. Fellow Japanese rider Shinichi Nakatomi crashed out of race one, before continuing his world superbike education with 19th in race two. The team’s third rider, Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert, retired from the opener with set-up problems before following home Nakatomi in 20th place in race two. Race one was won by Corser after a race long fight with Barros. Toseland finished third. Bayliss had led the opener by six seconds after obliterating the lap record on lap two. However, the Australian dropped back to eventually finish six, behind Haga and Rolfo. He gained revenge in race two, winning comfortably from Toseland, with Barros taking another podium in third. Bayliss now leads the championship on 75 points, one ahead of Toseland. Pitt leads the Yamaha riders, in fifth place with 45 points, with Haga sixth on 42 points. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I tried to push hard in both races but unfortunately at the end the tyre is gone and this means I cannot open the throttle and turn the bike properly in both races. The performance of the bike is very good at the beginning of the race but unfortunately after seven or eight laps the performance drops off quite a lot.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “In the first race I used a different type of rear tyre to most of the other riders and it did not work all that well in the early stages of the race. We used a different compound rear tyre for the second race and this meant that I was at least able to get away at the start, although the consistency is still not there over the race distance.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “From race one to race two we got on a little bit better, because we changed a lot of settings. We had no grip at the end of race one, sliding all the time, and lots of chatter as well. My lap times were into the 1:36s; slower than I expect. In the second race it was better but our engine was not fast this weekend so I could only follow other riders and had to catch up in the corner entries. Finally I got a 12th in race two, so we scored some points.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) “We did not have the grip from the rear we wanted and that held my lap times back. It was a very difficult weekend. I pushed hard in the first race and lost the front end trying to pass another rider. We finished race two, but to score no points is disappointing.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “It has not been an easy weekend for us but in the end we have scored some good points for the championship. There is less grip here than in Qatar and both our riders have struggled for traction all weekend. We did not test at Phillip Island over the winter and although we found a little bit more today, it wasn’t quite enough to allow us to run at the very front. There are a few other low grip circuits like this and we must work hard to improve our performances at these kind of tracks.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor Italia) “A very bad day. We had many chassis set-up problems, and we did not find the same grip we had in January, when we were very happy with the settings. I think we did not make a good job, because we did not find a good solution. Phillip Island is a special circuit and a lot depends on weather. We have some tests before the next race and we will use our new engine, which is more powerful. Abe is mentally very strong and I know that he can come through this difficult period strongly. The others we must help to build their confidence.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: JOY AND DESPAIR FOR TROY It was a day of mixed emotions for Troy in the second round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island. He won the first race after a titanic battle with fellow countryman Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Brazilian Alex Barros (Honda) which had the fans jumping and down throughout the 22-lapper. In the second race he was tucked in behind leader Toseland (Honda) after two laps, but then highsided on lap four and was hit by the Honda of Barros as he slid along the track. It was a frightening looking crash because the bike’s footpeg narrowly missed Troy’s head and struck the back of his leathers. Troy was taken to the Clinica Mobile for X-rays, but no broken bones were revealed. However, just to make sure, Troy went to a hospital in Melbourne for a precautionary check-up. TROY – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: DNF All races at Phillip Island are hard but the first race was one of the toughest I’ve ever done for sure. I had a feeling that Bayliss would not be able to keep up that pace for the whole race and that his tyres would not last, and that’s how it worked out. When I got caught in a group behind Bayliss at the beginning, I knew that I couldn’t hang around with them too long, so when James (Toseland) made a little mistake and ran wide, at Honda, I was able to nip through. Then there was a clear track ahead of me, so I put my head and chased Bayliss. When I caught him, I could see he was having problems, so it was no surprise when I passed him. I then had a pretty good fight with Barros, but held him off at the end. Winning in Phillip Island is always sweet! I was well-placed in race two, but on the approach to the turn after Lukey Heights, the rear end suddenly went and I was highsided. I felt a thud on my back and realised I had been hit by a bike, but I thought I had got away with it. But, to make sure, I went to a hospital in Melbourne for a check-up. I really don’t know why I crashed, because the telemetry shows that I wasn’t doing anything different to the previous laps. But I guess that’s racing!. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: CORSER THEN BAYLISS AS PHILLIP ISLAND PROVES UNPREDICTABLE HOT FAVOURITE BAYLISS SCORES A SINGLE AFTER UNWANTED SIX Having dominated qualifying and Superpole, and having set another new track best of 1’31.908 in morning warm-up, Troy Bayliss was the hottest favourite imaginable for a double win on his home circuit. His lead in race one dropped off to an eventual sixth place, as Troy Corser (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) took a determined and committed win, from Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) and a more distant James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda). Corser crashed out of contention in race two, as Bayliss finally got the much-desired first win of his prodigal SBK season, ahead of Toseland and Barros. The ups and downs for some of the top riders changed the complexion of the championship table, with Bayliss now in a single point lead over Toseland (75 to 74), with Corser third on 63, and Barros fourth on 55. RACE ONE Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) looked to have the first race trophy locked up safe and sound until a mid race loss of forward drive dropped him down the order at a rapidly accelerating pace. Troy Corser held off the attentions of Alex Barros in the first race of the day, with James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) scoring third place after the long time leader fell from eventual grace. With the return of the sunshine, after dull early morning conditions, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) looked to have the first race in the bag long before the finish, such was his early pace and huge lead at half race distance. He set a new lap record of 1’32.402 on the second lap but with his times increasing dramatically in the final third, he was to finish only sixth. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) went fourth, with new SBK rider Robby Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) a strong fifth, after a ride through the field from ninth on lap one. An incredible midfield battle saw nine riders fighting for the points for much of the race, in what was another all-time classic event. RACE TWO The second 22-lap event of the day took place in similarly warm ambient conditions as the opener, but with a much warmer track temperature showing up, some riders opted for harder compound tyre choices. One such was eventual winner Troy Bayliss, fired up by his problems in race one. He eventually passed long time leader Toseland with seven laps left, to take a hugely popular win. In third place, Alex Barros had the best of a three rider fight for much of the race, having survived a scary moment when Troy Corser crashed out of a podium place in front of him, exiting MG corner on lap four, and Barros could not avoid hitting the luckless Aussie. Corser escaped without injury, despite suffering a heavy impact on his crash helmet and neck area, plus his torso. For his own peace of mind, Corser has nonetheless opted to go for further checks in Melbourne, given his history of internal injuries. In race two Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) took his second fourth place finish of the day, beating his team-mate Andrew Pitt, who had finished race one in a slowly fading ninth. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) slotted his Suzuki into sixth place in race two, after an unhappy race one 12th. ROLFO SHOWS HIS POWER WITH TWO STRONG FINISHES Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) had an outstanding fifth place in the first race, mastering an incredible multiple rider fight for the top ten positions. At one stage of race two, there were 13 riders in one group, battling for supremacy behind the leading ranks, with a bewildering number of overtakes being put in throughout the duration of each 22-lap race. On a good day for the 2005-spec Ducati 999 riders, Ruben Xaus, once more overcame the need to use crutches when walking, to boom his Sterilgarda Berik Ducati to seventh in race one and eighth in race two. His Spanish countryman Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki) was one place behind each time, with Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) twice finishing in tenth. Third PSG-1 rider Regis Laconi struggled hard through the day to finish 13th and 16th. MIDFIELD MAYHEM FOR THE FINAL POINTS Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda) narrowly missed out on a point in race one, but scored two in the second race, despite feeling the after effects of two hard races. His team-mate Michel Fabrizio had a better start to race two than the first, and duly finished 11th, making up for a disappointing 15th in the opener. Lorenzo Lanzi was to have another eventful day in Australia, as he had to start race one from pitlane, after returning to the pits for machine changes during the sighting lap. He battled to 11th, but in race two, he suffered a crash, which left race one retiree Karl Muggeridge (Winston Honda Ten Kate) out the points entirely after Lanzi’s crashing machine took out the Aussie star. Only one Yamaha Motor France rider scored points at PI, Norick Abe fighting to 12th in race two, one place up on Max Neukirchner’s Pedercini Ducati. PETRONAS BOYS MAKE FINISHES A front row start for local boy Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) led to a 14th place in race one, then a 15th in race two. His team-mate Craig Jones crashed out of race one, but took a 21st place finish, his first of the year.