2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Netherlands April 29, 2007 Race Two Results: 1. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F07), 22 laps, 36:54.133 2. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), -0.009 second 3. Max BIAGGI (Suz GSX-R1000K7), -7.439 seconds 4. Troy CORSER (Yam YZF-R1), -12.379 seconds 5. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), -23.052 seconds 6. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), -23.158 seconds 7. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000K6), -23.311 seconds 8. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), -24.147 seconds 9. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 999F05), -29.660 seconds 10. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), -32.301 seconds 11. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000K7), -32.389 seconds 12. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), -39.091 seconds 13. Josh BROOKES (Hon CBR1000RR), -39.128 seconds 14. Luca MORELLI (Duc 999RS), -1 lap, jumped start/ride-through penalty 15. Marek SVOBODA (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap 16. Dean ELLISON (Duc 999RS), -3 laps, pitted 17. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F07), -4 laps, DNF, crash 18. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), -6 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), -12 laps, DNF, mechanical 20. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F06), -19 laps, DNF, crashed twice FIM Superbike World Championship Point Standings (After 10 of 26 races): 1. Tosleand, 196 points 2. Biaggi, 164 points 3. Haga, 144 points 4. Bayliss, 128 points 5. Corser, 114 points 6. Xaus, 99 points 7. Lanzi, 98 points 8. Neukirchner, 71 points 9. Rolfo, 64 points 10. TIE, Nieto/Fabrizio, 46 points 12. Laconi, 43 points 13. Kagayama, 41 points 14. Smrz, 37 points 15. Brookes, 35 points 16. Nakatomi, 19 points 17. TIE, Muggeridge/Steve Martin, 14 points 19. Giovanni Bussei, 11 points 20. Alessandro Polita, 6 points More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Best results so far this year Finishing thirteenth and twelfth, Shinichi Nakatomi had in Assen his best racing week end so far this season. The confidence is back and the new modifications that will be used for the next event at Monza should help this progress to continue. In the first race, Shinichi Nakatomi was in 17th position at the end of the fist lap. He was 15th at half distance and then fought for 12th position with Michel Fabrizio. The Italian rider finally finished in front of “Tomi” who was 13th. The race was won by James Toseland on a Honda tuned by the Dutch team Ten Kate. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) finished second in front of the three Ducatis of Ruben Xaus, Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi. In the second race, Nakatomi was 16th after lap 1. At half distance he was 15th and later ended up 12th. The victory went to Troy Bayliss with an incredible finish in front of James Toseland for 9 thousands of a second! Shinichi Nakatomi: “In race 1, my start was not so bad and I passed 2 to 3 riders. But on the back of the track I had a big high side and then there was a big gap with the riders in front of me. I had after that a nice fight with Michel Fabrizio who passed me just before the end. In race 2, I chose a front tyre with a different compound and it was better. I had a quicker race time. For the next race, we shall have modifications that will give me a better feeling.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “I am pleased with both races. In the first one, the evolutions that we used made things better. We had the second top speed. The race was disturbed by a wrong choice of tyre. The motorcycle worked well and the rider had his confidence back. Race 2 was a confirmation for the small modifications that we used. We are going in the right direction. The rider has more confidence in the chassis and he has a better feeling with the engine.” Race 1: 1-Toseland (Honda), 2-Haga (Yamaha), 3-Xaus (Ducati), 4-Bayliss (Ducati), 5-Lanzi (Ducati) –¦13-Nakatomi (Yamaha) Race 2: 1-Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Toseland (Honda), 3-Biaggi (Suzuki), 4-Corser (Yamaha), 5-Rolfo (Honda) –¦12-Nakatomi (Yamaha) World Championship standings: 1-Toseland (Honda) 196 points, 2-Biaggi (Suzuki) 164, 3-Haga (Yamaha) 144, 4-Bayliss (Ducati) 128, 5-Corser (Yamaha) 114 –¦16-Nakatomi (Yamaha) 19 6th round of the Superbike World Championship: May 13th at Monza (Italy) More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: TOSELAND AND BAYLISS SHARE WINS AFTER DAZZLING ASSEN RACES BRILLIANT WEATHER MIRRORED IN THE ON TRACK ACTION James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) scored one win apiece in the SBK races at Assen, held in fantastically sunny conditions for the Netherlands in April. Each race was a classic of its kind, with Toseland winning the first from Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) after a multi-rider battle for the lead on occasion, while Toseland looked to have all the bases covered after passing Bayliss on the last lap of race two, but went into the final chicane too deep and Bayliss landed the win by a tiny 0.009 seconds. RACE ONE Toseland led for most of the 22-laps of the first Assen Superbike race, despite a poor showing in morning warm-up, and his determination and speed through the entire first race finally told in the end. Haga was second by 0.663 seconds, with Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) once more on top form in third, ahead of both factory Ducatis. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) fell two laps from home, while Max Biaggi (Alstare Corona Suzuki Extra) was sixth. RACE TWO Race two was marginally warmer than race one but the final contest between Toseland and Bayliss was white hot, after leading rider Haga (who set a new record lap with a 1’39.770 on lap two) had to pull out with machine problems on lap 11. Biaggi was eventually third, working his way forward after being swamped by more aggressive riders on lap one. Corser, who had been severely beaten by his race one crash, was a fighting fourth, while Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) had his best race of the year in fifth, leading a bunch of warring riders which was sometimes seven strong. Xaus crashed out of contention twice to score no points and go sixth overall in the series. TOSELAND EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD DESPITE MISSING DOUBLE Toseland now has a 32-point lead in the championship fight (196 to 164) with Biaggi still his closest challenger. In overall third is Haga, despite his no score in race two, but with Bayliss jumping up to fourth, on 128 points, the championship chase has just got even more interesting. Corser is fifth after his race one crash, while a second race tumble for Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) puts him seventh, on 98 points. NEUKIRCHNER OVERALL EIGHTH Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) recorded a tenth and seventh place in the Assen races, and his points place him in the top eight of the standings after five rounds. Rolfo’s excellent fifth, after a ninth in race one, puts him ninth overall. A tough day of work for Fonsi Nieto saw him score two eighth places, and stay inside the top ten, equal on 46 points with Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda), who had a 12th in race one improve to a 6th in race two. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) was seventh in the opener, while Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) could not get the drive and response from his machine to allow him to finish any higher than 16th in race one. A real charge on a slightly different set-up in race two saw him tenth in the second 22-lapper. Race 1: 1.Toseland (Honda); 2. Haga (Yamaha) 0,663; 3. Xaus (Ducati) 3,698; 4. Bayliss (Ducati) 7,134; 5. Lanzi (Ducati) 9,312; 6. Biaggi ( 9,534) 7. Kahayama (Suzuki) 18,286 8. Nieto (Kawasaki) 9. Rolfo (Honda) 19.873 10. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 22.914 Race 2: 1.Bayliss (Ducati); 2. Toseland (Honda) 0,009 3. Biaggi (Suzuki) 7,439 ; 4. Corser (Yamaha) 12,379 ; 5. Rolfo (Honda) 23,052 ; 6. Fabrizio (Honda) 23, 158; 7. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 23,311; 8. Nieto (Kawasaki) 24,147 ; 9. Smrz (Ducati) 29,660 ; 10. Laconi (Kawasaki) 32,301. Standing: 1.Toseland (Honda) 196; 2. Biaggi (Suzuki) 164; 3. Haga (Yamaha) 144; 4. Bayliss (Ducati) 128; 5. Corser (Yamaha) 114; 6. Xaus (Ducati) 99; 7. Lanzi (Ducati) 98; 8. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 71; 9. Rolfo (Honda) 64; 10. Nieto (Kawasaki) 46 WORLD SUPERSPORT – KENAN THE UNSTOPPABLE Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) once more showed his credentials to be gold plated at a hot and sunny Assen, taking a win that he eventually made look easy, after some tough early exchanges with a mass of warring riders. He now leads by a massive 53 points over third place Assen rider, Fabien Foret (GIL Motorsport Kawasaki) who miscounted the number laps to go and dropped from second to third. Sofuoglu’s win was his fourth in five races, with his temporary team-mate. Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was second in the race and is now fourth overall in the standings. Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was in the podium places, but had to settle for sixth as his lack of race conditioning after injury took a final toll. Barry Veneman (Pioneer Hoegee Suzuki) was a popular fourth, after the unfortunate Broc Parkes (Yamaha World SSP Racing) crashed out with two laps to go. In the championship, Sofuoglu has 120 points; Foret has 67 and Katsuaki Fujiwara (once more knocked off by another crashing rider after suffering the same fate in the previous Valencia race) still third on 43. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – PIRRO THE RACE WINNER AFTER CORTI PENALISED Claudio Corti (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) crossed the line first in the big capacity Superstock class, but having earlier passed eventual third place rider Didier Van Keymeulen (TTSL-MGM Racing Yamaha) under a yellow flag he was penalised 0.3 seconds. Michele Pirro (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) was therefore promoted from second to first, taking his first win since joining the class this year. In sixth place at Assen, Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox) still leads the championship, with 51 points, over joint second placed riders, Corti and Pirro. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – ANTONELLI THE FIRST Andrea Antonelli (Team Italia Megabike AX) won the ten-lap Assen race, his first race win of the season. In doing so he now leads the championship table, and shares 52 points with Maxime Berger (Team Yamaha Trasimeno) who was third in today’s race. Second in the race, Sylvain Barrier (Coutelle Junior team) is fifth overall, on 33 points. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) BACK WITH A VENGEANCE TO TAKE BRILLIANT RACE 2 WIN AT ASSEN Assen (Netherlands), Sunday 29 April: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) came back with a vengeance to take a brilliant race 2 win in glorious weather conditions at Assen. The 70,000 strong crowd were treated to some fantastic racing on the day and Troy bounced back from a disappointing result in the first race, when his front tyre went off with six laps remaining, to take his second win of the year from James Toseland. The margin of Troy’s victory, his first since Phillip Island in March, was just 0.009 seconds and it was earned with an incredible dive inside his Honda rival at the final chicane just metres from the line. “It was an incredible race and there was lots of action. I take my hat off to James, he’s riding stronger and is getting more and more confident all the time” declared Troy. “I’m happy to take a win but I’m also very frustrated because in the first race I thought I could possibly have taken a win and we really struggled in the last six laps with the front tyre. We just made a mistake and didn’t use the hard tyre but then we did use the hard tyre in the second race and the last three laps I was really struggling again so we have to put our heads together and work a bit on the setting because you just can’t ride like that all the time. We were both over the limit in those last few laps, I was trying to cover my lines, slowing down in some corners and speeding up, and James was doing the same. At the last chicane the win could have been anybody’s!” Lorenzo Lanzi ran well with the leaders in both races but suffered similar problems to his team-mate in the first encounter, in which he finished fifth and then crashed out of fourth place four laps before the chequered flag. “The crash in race 2 was my fault because I made a mistake while I was pushing really hard to try and catch Max” declared Lorenzo. “I didn’t want to miss out on the podium because I had an excellent feeling with the bike and was going well. Then I had a slight problem with the rear tyre, I was losing in the first sector and then gaining on Max in the second and third split, there were just four laps to go and I just tried to catch him. Pity, but the important thing is I wasn’t hurt. In race 2 I used the same tyre as Troy and I was going much better than in the first race. Pity because I was running at a good pace and could have scored a good result. I didn’t realise that Ruben had crashed alongside me, I just heard the noise when he tried to pass me on the inside. However I’m pleased because I found a good feeling with the 999 once again and I’m looking forward to the next round at Monza.” Race 1: 1. Toseland (Honda); 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Xaus (Ducati); 4. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 5. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox); 6. Biaggi (Suzuki); 7. Kagayama (Suzuki); 8. Nieto (Kawasaki); 9. Rolfo (Honda); 10. Neukirchner (Suzuki). Race 2: 1. Bayliss; 2. Toseland; 3. Biaggi; 4. Corser (Yamaha); 5. Rolfo; 6. Fabrizio (Honda); 7. Neukirchner; 8. Nieto; 9. Smrz (Ducati); 10. Laconi (Kawasaki). More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Toseland extends lead at HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s home race HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Toseland was just 0.009 seconds away from securing his first ever double win today after a nail-biting fifth round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at Assen. In race one, Toseland maintained his lead from pole position and only let go of the top spot for a brief five-lap spell behind Noriyuki Haga and Ruben Xaus. By lap ten the British rider had re-claimed the lead and made it stick for the remainder of the 22-lap race, despite a convincing attack from Troy Bayliss. The victory was Toseland’s fifth in as many rounds this season and he secured 25-points to further extend his championship lead. The second race of the day was a thrilling contest between Toseland and defending World Superbike Champion Bayliss. After shaking off Haga, the duo put on an incredible display of competitive riding that had the Assen crowd out of their seats. Toseland stayed within half a second of Bayliss’ tail, passing him several times but the Australian rider kept fighting back. In the dying seconds of the final lap and with Toseland in the lead, Bayliss slipped passed the CBR1000RR on inside of the last chicane stealing the podium top spot from the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider. However, Toseland remains at the top of the standings with 196 points – 32 points clear of second-place rider Max Biaggi. Two strong performances from team-mate Roberto Rolfo saw him achieve his aim of two top ten finishes, as well as claiming his highest result of the series so far. The Italian moved from 11th on the grid to ninth place in the first race and fifth in the second. He picked up 18 points in total to maintain ninth position in the standings. Ronald ten Kate: “We have seen some incredible racing today. James had a fantastic win in the first race. He didn’t win the second race but I don’t think we can talk about anyone losing – both guys showed that they are great riders and great champions. I am more than happy with the result. I am also happy that Roberto’s progress in now showing in the results. Fifth is a really good result for him and hopefully next time he can get further up the grid so he can join the leading pack. I’m sure he can deliver us more points in the coming rounds.” James Toseland: “I have mixed feelings today – I am gutted that I couldn’t get the double win for the team at their home race. I was pushing so hard out there but Troy Bayliss is a tough man to beat and he just wasn’t going to let that go. I made a mistake on that last chicane and went to deep on the brakes and he just got past me. Fair play to the man – that was an incredible race. Anway, I have two more podiums under my belt, plus another race win and I am still leading the standings so I can’t really complain. I will keep trying though – I want that double before the end of the year!” Roberto Rolfo: “The racing was not too bad today. I am happy because in race one I had a good feeling on the bike and I found a good rhythm after four or five laps. I was quite confident that I could get a good position but I had a problem with the front tyre so I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to. Race two was much better, but it is difficult to find a way to the front to be with the top riders. Towards the end I pushed harder and I got a good result, so I’m pleased.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 5, Assen, NL Sunday 29th April Crowd: 70,500 (3-day). Conditions: Dry, sunny 17-21 C. PODIUM FOR MAX IN RACE TWO. The fifth round of the Superbike World Championship at Assen was one of mixed fortunes for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama. Max took a hard fought for sixth in the first race and then followed it up with a superb third place in the second, but Yukio struggled with problems in both races, finishing seventh in race one and eleventh in race two. The first race was won by James Toseland (Honda), with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) second and Ruben Xaus (Ducati) third. The second race witnessed one of the greatest battles in WSBK history, with Toseland and Bayliss (Ducati) wheel to wheel for almost the entire race. In the end, it came down to the final turn, when Bayliss got through an impossible gap and took the win by just nine thousandths of a second! MAX – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 3rd We’ve been struggling a bit all weekend getting the right set-up for the bike and although we improved it from the first practice, it still wasn’t right at the end. We played around with the engine braking and the bike’s balance and we made improvements for sure, but we had some problems during the races, so I’m very happy that we managed a podium after the difficulties we went through. In the first race I had some problems with traction, handling and engine braking, so we made some adjustments for race two and I was much happier with the bike. I stayed with the leaders in race two early on, but when they pulled away I just couldn’t keep the same pace. I rode as hard as I could and I’m happy, but not happy – if you know what I mean. YUKIO – Race 1: 7th, Race 2: 11th Well it has been an unhappy, disappointing and frustrating weekend for me and I did not get the points I was expecting. In race one, I was catching the lead group OK and then, after about 15 laps, my front tyre went off and I could not push and harder. The first seven laps or so of the second race were OK and my lap times were better then the first race. But then, as I was going into turn one, it felt like my rear wheel had locked up and I nearly crashed. It was a very strange sensation and felt like an engine seizure, but it was not, so I carried on. But in the process of not crashing, I lost quite a few places and I had to try and recover them again. Then the engine feeling was not so good either and all I could do was to ride and finish as high up as possible. We are going to have to sit down, look at the data and see what to do next. There are a few areas that need attention, so we know there’s a lot to do. More, from a press release issued by Honda: TOSELAND EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH FIFTH WIN James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) maintained his record of winning a race in every round of the SBK championship so far and only missed out on his first ever double win by 0.009 seconds, after a hard-fought battle with eventual winner Troy Bayliss in race two. He had set pole position for the first time this year, with a new record of 1’38.603 seconds in Superpole. The points he earned for second place nonetheless put him further in front in the championship fight, with Toseland on 196 points and Biaggi on 164 – a difference of 32. The same points separate Honda from Ducati at the top of the Manufacturers’ Championship In the first race, Toseland looked to be able to make one of his now trademarked escapes at the front, but the pace of the riders behind was such that he came back into the leading group for a time, before finally hitting the lead on the 10th lap and staying there until the flag, maintaining a pace no others could match over 22-laps. In the second 22-lap contest, another race with many potential winners came down to a classic Assen man-to-man fight, with Toseland and Bayliss locked together, swapping the lead on the final lap but with Toseland in control into the final chicane. He went into the first part deep, to cover a possible attack by Bayliss, and Bayliss got better drive on the exit, beating James into second by only nine-thousandths of a second. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR), 11th in Superpole, improved his set-up after posting ninth in race one, to take a best ever result of fifth in race two, mastering a group of riders which numbered up to seven in some periods of the race. Rolfo is now ninth overall, on 64 points, making him second highest placed Honda rider. A similar improvement from race one to race two saw Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) 12th in race one, but only just behind Rolfo in race two, taking sixth place. For a rider on row four after finishing last in Superpole, he was justifiably boosted by his raceday recovery, especially after troubles in race one. He sits 11th, equal on points with Rolfo. A disappointing day at Assen saw Joshua Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR), who was 14th on the grid, finish only one race, and his team-mate Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) was stopped by technical issues, in each race, having qualified 9th. Toseland has been on superb form all year, and despite his front running, a win, and strong points scores in each race, he wanted to secure his first ever double win. “I have mixed feelings today,” said Toseland. “I am gutted that I couldn’t get the double win for the team at their home race. I was pushing so hard out there but Troy Bayliss is a tough man to beat and he just wasn’t going to let that go. I made a mistake on that last chicane and went too deep on the brakes, and he just got past me. Fair play to the man – that was an incredible race. Anyway, I have two more podiums under my belt, plus another race win and I am still leading the standings so I can’t really complain. I’m going to keep trying though – I want to get that double before the end of the year!” Rolfo’s weekend ended on a positive note after some tough times in pre-Superpole qualifying because in race two he found a breakthrough with machine set-up. “I changed a few things after race one because I had a good pace until he middle of the race and then it destroyed the front tyre,” said Rolfo. “But I was happy and I knew would do better in the second race. I could push hard from lap seven, as it was too hard to ride fast with a full tank of fuel before that. After those laps I could ride consistently fast and I am happy. This was the first time I really found a good feeling with the bike and we will start from here to improve. And it was a good fight in the second race.” Fabrizio encountered some problems in race one on raceday but was pleased to be fighting for a top five finish in race two. “In race one I clashed with another rider and the impact almost ripped my boot off,” said the young Roman rider. “I had to run the entire race with my boot almost coming off and with some worries about the clutch. In race two things were much better and I had a great set-up and a good choice of tyres, so I could really race. I am maybe unhappy not to be fifth because I thought I could beat Rolfo right at the end, but this is as much as we could do with the bike this weekend. We rode at our top level.” Brookes was understandably disappointed to no-score in race one, but he recovered to take points in the follow-up and he is now 15th overall. “In the first race I was fading because of the set-up and I started falling back almost straight away, then the clutch started to slip,” said Brookes. “For race two things were better but I could not hold a good pace. But that was the best I could do given the situation.” Muggeridge left Assen with the same 14 point total he had after Valencia, and is now 17th overall. “It was disappointing to not finish the two races because of technical problems but in race one the bike just stopped running and in race two the chain came loose and I had to stop,” said the former World Supersport champion. “I thought I could really get a good result in race two, and I was hanging in with my group, well inside the top ten, just waiting for the end to make a move.” Round six of WSS and SBK will be held at Monza, Italy, on 11-13 May. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Mixed fortunes for Yamaha in World Superbike at Assen Both Haga and Corser suffered a day of ups and downs in today’s round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen. Haga took second place in race one but suffered a technical failure in race two and was forced to retire. Corser suffered a mechanical fault in race one causing him to crash at high speed but rode through pain in race two to take fourth slot. Race one started so well for Haga, who had qualified in 15th following a mistake during his Superpole lap yesterday cost him valuable seconds. By the end of the first lap he had already pushed through the field to take seventh and he then carried on through to first place but settled back in fourth with team mate Corser just behind in fifth. On lap 15 Haga made another charge for the front of the pack and overtook Bayliss for second place with only two laps to go. He also contended for first place but had to settle for second. Corser put in a strong performance and was in a comfortable fifth place for much of the race, moving up to third on the penultimate lap when he overtook Bayliss and Xaus. Both riders were on track for podium finishes but Corser suffered a broken radiator hose clip causing fluid to spray over his rear tyre and making him high-side at a fast part of the circuit. Both riders got a good start in race two with Corser moving up to fourth and Haga taking fifth slot on lap one. Haga went through to challenge Lanzi and then Bayliss using his usual wild sliding riding style. Haga then focused on closing the gap between him and front man Toseland and he took the lead on lap nine. The two riders were battling for first place when Haga had to pull off the track on lap 11 with an electrical-based engine problem. Corser spent the main part of the race in a battle for fifth place with Lanzi but took fourth when Lanzi crashed out. The Australian fought the pain of his injuries received in race one to bring his bike home in fourth. The weekend finished on a good note for Team Yamaha YZF rider Shinichi Nakatomi with him finishing in the points in both races. Settings alterations made throughout the weekend gave the team one of their best results so far this season with the Japanese rider taking seven points away from Assen. The weekend’s results means that Haga goes to Monza third in the championship, 20 points behind Biaggi who is in second. Corser lies in fifth in the championship. Noriyuki Haga (2nd and DNF – Yamaha Motor Italia) “In race one I got a good result considering where I started. From the fourth row to the podium isn’t bad for one race! The bike was feeling good and the suspension modifications we made worked well. In race two I made a good start but then a problem forced me to retire which is unlucky as I was on target to get a good result again. This has been a bit of a mixed day but I am sure Monza will be better.” Troy Corser (DNF and 4th – Yamaha Motor Italia) “The incident in race one was so unlucky. I can’t believe that such a small part can do that – it shouldn’t have happened. That just put me out of serious contention for race two. I have a very sore left hip which has been X-rayed and they say nothing is broken. I am going to get further checks tomorrow as I can’t believe how sore it is. Everything else feels okay at the moment, we will see.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia) “Race one was going very well until a really minor problem on Troy’s bike cost him a podium position and caused him some injuries. In the same race Haga got a really good start from fifteenth to finish second. It was a very mixed result for the team. In race two Haga was making similar progress as he had done in the first race but a different problem to Troy’s forced him to retire and lose valuable points. Corser did a good job under the circumstances in race two. After his race one crash he had to have painkillers and was still in pain during the second race. He has definitely shown his determination today.” Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 12th – Team Yamaha YZF) “In race one I got a good start, gaining a couple of positions until I nearly had a high-side on the back part of the circuit. For race two we changed the front tyre compound and it was better. I am confident the next race will be better as we are working on some modifications which are sure will help.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager, Tam Yamaha YZF) “Race one was satisfying, we are starting to bear the fruits of our hard work. We had the second top speed of the race even though we made a wrong choice for the front tyre. The bike is working well and Nakatomi’s confidence is much improved. For race two we made some small modifications which helped further. Shinichi has better confidence with the frame and the engine now.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: AT ASSEN BLACK AND WHITE DAY FOR TEAM SC CARACCHI Sunshine day also today at Assen, but with a strong wind, for the race day of fifth round of World Superbike and Supersport. Has not been a happy day for Team SC Caracchi riders, as well Jakub Smrz in Superbike got a couple of god scores earning points for the championship that sweetened the day’s bitterness. After a fantastic result in the morning’s warm up session, third fastest overall, Jakub Smrz was confident for the race, but the increasing of track temperature both in race-1 and, more, in race-2 did condition, with a couple of not perfect start, the final result that, however, is very good with 12 points scored in the day. “Yes, that’s true, after the very good warm up session I was expecting a better result.” confessed Jakub Smrz at the end of the day. “It look to be true that Ducatis suffers for the warm. In race-1 I had a bad start, I believe for the clutch that was too brusque and the bike jumped up at the start. So I rode back and I lost several laps to pass Brookes, Fabrizio and Laconi. When I had free way we were at half race and the group which was leading me was had a big advantage, so I finished eleventh. In race-2 I got once more a slow start, but this time I’ve been quick to recover positions and I early grabbed the group of Rolfo, Neukirchner, Fabrizio etc. Unfortunately in the final laps the front tyre failed and I’ve been not more able to try anything. Looking at the classification I could fight for the fifth position, it would be fantastic.” Dark black day for Gianluca Nannelli in Supersport. In the morning’s warm up thare has been some improvement, but the bike went on with front troubles. The team made a new set up, quite extreme, but after a good start Nannelli crashed during the third lap in the a flip-flop. “It has been a very difficult week end.” sai a disappointed Gianluca Nannelli rejoining the pit. “We have been to find a good set up in the warm up, as well the bike performed a litlle bit better as yesterday. At that point, together with the squad, we made a new set up in an extreme way, as well it could be less safe. I got a very good start and at the end of the first lap I was in eleventh position just behind Kallio, then unlucky during the third lap I lost the front in a chicane and I crashed. Any damage for the bike as well for me, but that’s been the end of my race and, looking what happened at the end to the group which I was riding together, I could maybe get a positive final position. It’s a pity, also for the grat work of the team, as well wit no luck.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: PAIN FOR TROY! Troy suffered a very hard crash in the first race at Assen, but bounced back to take a superb fourth place despite being in severe pain. A water hose clamp breakage was the cause of the first race crash which saw Troy flying through the air before hitting the ground heavily and then tumbling for what seemed like an eternity. Troy was taken to the Clinica Mobile for X-rays, but fortunately no bones were broken. But the impact had hurt his left hip and left him battered and bruised all over, so it was a miracle he even managed to get on the bike for race two! But for his injuries Troy would’ve pushed harder and maybe would have caught and passed Biaggi. Instead he was forced to settle for a a gritty and determined fourth. James Toseland (Honda) won the first race, with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) second and Ruben Xaus (Ducati) third. The second race witnessed one of the greatest battles in WSBK history, with Toseland and Bayliss (Ducati) wheel to wheel for almost the entire race. In the end, it came down to the final turn, when Bayliss got through an impossible gap and took the win by just nine thousandths of a second! TROY I cannot tell you how sore I feel now and I know it’s going to be so much worse tomorrow! The first race started pretty well for me and all was going OK. I tried to save the tyres at the beginning and then, at the halfway mark, I began to push harder and managed to get in contact with the leaders bit by bit. Then, just two laps from the end, the bike suddenly went sideways without warning. Then it flipped the other way and I went flying though the air before hitting the deck with a big thump. I banged my head quite hard and rolled for what seemed like forever. I went to the Clinica Mobile for X-rays and was lucky that I hadn’t broken anything. Mind you I was sore all over and my left hip was very, very painful. I had a painkiller by a drip before the start of race two and then just went out to see what I could do. The biggest problems was getting the bike to change direction. I was in pain and physically just couldn’t move the bike from left to right properly, but I just hung in there and was pretty happy to take fourth because I knew I was not close enough to catch Biaggi.