Fifth and sixth rounds for the Italian Superbike and Superstock 1000 Championship at Mugello this weekend. Two races in two days, Saturday and Sunday, for the CIV at the Mugello International circuit. In Superbike, Team Pedercini lined up with only one rider, Fulvio Faccietti. In this morning’s second qualifying session the Italian rider scored the seventeenth fastest lap (1’55″396). He’ll start both today and tomorrow’s 14-lap races from the fifth row of the grid. In today’s race Fulvio did not make a bad start but in the first corner he lost some positions, finding himself down in twentieth place. With a fast race pace Faccietti was able to make up a lot of positions, to close the race in thirteenth place and securing three points towards his tally in the championship standing.

Superbike qualifying : 1) Sandi (Ducati) 2) Baiocco (Ducati) 3) Polita (Ducati) 4) Conforti (Ducati) 5) Mauri (Aprilia) “¦”¦”¦ 17) Faccietti (Kawasaki)

Superbike Saturday race : 1) Polita (Ducati) 2) Baiocco (Ducati) 3) Sandi (Ducati) 4) Mandatori (Aprilia) 5) Saltarelli (Ducati”¦”¦”¦”¦13) Faccietti (Kawasaki)

Fulvio Faccietti : “I’m satisfied with today’s result also because I was able to reach the points zone. My start was not so bad but in the first corner I was forced to brake and I lost a lot of positions. I pushed very hard and was able to find a fast pace. My thirteenth position is a good result considering the issues I had throughout the last two days. We must improve on our results during the qualifying sessions to reach a better starting position for the races. I want to thank my crew for their great job.”

Mercado and Team Pedercini took a great result at Mugello in the Superstock 1000 class. In the second qualifying session, Marco Bussolotti reached an excellent fourth position (1’53″903) obtaining the first row of the grid, while Tati Mercado was tenth (1’54″314), equating to the third row for the Argentinian rider in the two 12-lap races. Thanks to a fantastic start, Mercado climbed to fifth position while Bussolotti followed in seventh. During the fifth lap Bussolotti was able to reach the sixth position and few laps later both Pedercini riders were fighting for the podium in a group of three riders. They battled it out all the way to the line and Mercado crossed it in third place, taking the first podium of his career. Fifth place for Bussolotti. Bussolotti holds third position (52 points) in the championship standings while Mercado is currently seventh (42 points).

Superstock 1000 – qualifying : 1) Petrucci (Ducati) 2) Perotti (BMW) 3) Alfonsi (BMW) 4) Bussolotti (Kawasaki) 5) Antonelli (Honda) “¦”¦”¦..10) Mercado (Kawasaki)

Superstock 1000 race : 1) Petrucci (Ducati) 2) Clementi (BMW) 3) Mercado (Kawasaki) 4) Perotti (BMW) 5) Bussolotti (Kawasaki) 6) Antonelli (Honda) 7) Muzio (BMW)

Marco Bussolotti : “My start was quick but in the first corner a rider pushed me out from the first group and I lost a lot of positions. I pushed very hard and found a good rhythm that allowed me to overtake some riders. Only during the last laps did I have to reduce my rhythm because the tyres had no more grip. I’m pretty happy with my results because I obtained some points for the championship standings and I’m very confident for tomorrow’s race.”

Leandro “Tati” Mercado: “I am very happy with the result, which is the culmination of the great job that we have been doing until now. My start from the third row was very fast and I was able to remain in the second group of riders. In the last few laps I battled it out with Perotti and with my teammate Bussolotti and I snatched third place by just a few tenths. It’s a great bonus after such a difficult season. A huge thanks to all the crew, to Kawasaki, my family and all my sponsors.”

More, from another press release issued by Team Pedercini:

A wet Mugello circuit for the Superbike warm up this morning, but a dry track surface for the subsequent race, despite some dark clouds lingering overhead. Fulvio Faccietti lined up on the fifth row of the grid in seventeenth position. His start was not so fast and at the end of the first lap he was in twentieth position. As the race progressed, Faccietti improved his race pace, making up a lot of positions and reaching a solid eleventh final position, taking some points for the championship standings.

Superbike Sunday race : 1) Polita (Ducati) 2) Baiocco (Ducati) 3) Sandi (Ducati) 4) Mandatori (Aprilia) 5) Saltarelli (Ducati”¦”¦”¦”¦11) Faccietti (Kawasaki)

Fulvio Faccietti : “My start today was better than yesterday but I found four BMW riders in front of me and I lost a lot of time getting past them. From mid-race on I started to push hard to overtake some more riders but I had some problems with my rear tyre and I was not able to increase my pace. I’m pretty satisfied with eleventh place, but I’m disappointed because I cannot obtain a good starting position during the qualifying sessions and it’s always difficult to begin a race from the back rows.”

A wet track this morning for the Superstock 1000 warm-up but dry track conditions for the 10-lap race later in the morning (the number of laps was reduced because of the still damp track conditions). Mercado was eager to consolidate yesterday’s excellent result while Bussolotti tried to improve on his performances. A front row start for the Italian rider while the Argentinian started from the third. Unfortunately neither Pedericini rider managed to make a good start to the race. In the first few laps Bussolotti was eleventh while Mercado followed in twelfth position. Towards the middle of the race, Bussolotti improved his race pace to reach seventh. Mercado was also able to make up some positions to reach ninth position. During the last lap Bussolotti was able to pass two riders to close in an amazing final fifth place while Mercado ended the race in eighth position.

Superstock 1000 Sunday race : 1) Antonelli (Honda) Alfonsi (BMW) 3) Perotti (BMW) – 4) Clementi (BMW) 5) Bussolotti (Kawasaki) “¦”¦.. 8) Mercado (Kawasaki)

Marco Bussolotti: “It was an amazing race. I decide to use the slick tyres and during the first laps I reduced my race pace to avoid a crash. In the last few laps when the track was completely dry, I pushed very hard and I was able to pass some riders and reach fifth position. It was a good weekend with two fifth positions and a lot of points for the championship standings. I want to thank my technicians for their great job over this entire weekend.”

Leandro “Tati” Mercado: “I started the race with the soft tyres and so my start was not so fast and in the first laps I was in twelfth position. Fortunately the track dried out, allowing me to improve my rhythm and my position. I’m satisfied with my eighth place as at the beginning of the race I preferred not to risk, and eighth is the best possible result in these track conditions. It was a great weekend that I’ll remember due to the podium I scored yesterday.”

More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:

United States Grand Prix debrief with Hirohide Hamashima Round 10:

United States GP Post-race debrief Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Tuesday 26 July 2011 

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear (asymmetric): Soft, Medium 

For the 2011 edition of the United States Grand Prix, Bridgestone selected softer rear slick tyre compounds as part of a continued bid to respond to rider feedback and provide improved warm-up performance in cold conditions. Based very close to the Californian coastline, the conditions at Laguna Circuit are hot and dry in the afternoon, but in the morning the region is shrouded in a marine layer or dense mist that means the temperature is much lower until the sun burns it off around midday. The difference between track conditions from morning to afternoon can be over 20 degrees Celsius, making it a challenge for tyres to perform consistently across such a wide temperature gap. Casey Stoner fought from an early third position to pass Dani Pedrosa at the midpoint of the race and then Jorge Lorenzo on lap 27 to take victory, lapping remarkably consistently throughout. His fastest time on lap 3 and his effort on lap 29 were different by less than 0.2seconds. 

Hirohide Hamashima Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division Bridgestone selected softer rears this weekend how did this work out? 

“I am very happy with our revised rear tyre compounds at Laguna this year as we could see that warm-up performance of the softer rear in the cold morning sessions was markedly improved, yet still it was a viable option for the race with 12 riders deciding to use it. Rider feedback was positive too. Valentino said: ‘I’m pleased that Bridgestone brought some soft tyres, which worked well in the cool temperatures [in the] morning’ and Colin also commented: ‘I want to say a big thanks also to Bridgestone. They agreed to bring some softer tyres for this weekend and it was definitely the right choice’. Our aim was and is to listen to the riders’ comments and feedback and provide them with tyre options that they feel more comfortable with in cool conditions and I am satisfied that we achieved that this weekend. 

“The results show that the harder options as used by Casey, Jorge and Dani were faster in the race, but I am very happy that so many riders decided they could use the soft compound rear tyre on Sunday afternoon. Based on tyre performance and feedback this weekend, I am confident we are on the right track in our proposal to select softer rear tyres for five of the remaining eight races this season to improve warm-up performance and rider feeling in cold morning conditions.” 

What did it mean for riders’ race tyre choices? 

“Even though we brought the soft and medium rear tyre compounds this year instead of the medium and hard as we did in 2010, there was a good mix of riders using both specs in the race. The front-runners used the harder option for its extra durability and consistency, but the majority of the field actually chose the soft rear tyre, confident that it would last race-distance satisfactorily. Ben was the highest-finishing rider to use the softer rear, claiming fourth position. He set the sixth fastest lap of the race, behind the five riders who opted for the harder rear, but ultimately his consistency was good and he passed Andrea, who was using a harder rear, at the end of the race. 

“Warm-up performance was not an issue for the race because of the high track temperature, and most of the riders recorded their best times within their first five laps, including Casey who set the fastest laptime on lap 3. What all of this shows is how certain bike and rider packages work better using our softer compounds, and the importance and effect of bike setup and riding style on tyre wear.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Muench:

E-bikes race as fast as Moto GP bikes in Laguna Seca

German Team MUENCH without any luck sixth place

On this past weekend more than 150.000 fans traveled to Laguna Seca to watch the Formula 1 of the two wheeled racing sport, the MotoGP. Additionally people got to witness the first conjoint e bike championship of the FIM and TTXGP racing series. Not only did they get to watch star driver Steve Rapp racing almost as fast as the MotoGP bikes but they could experience at close range what happens if American and European technology and driving ability encounter.

On Sunday at 7.25 pm German time the third of four FIM e Power International Championship races started in line with the MotoGP on Laguna Seca’s Mazda Raceway. The open practice and qualification runs already made clear that this race was going to be a very competitive and thrilling race. Eleven drivers qualified for the final race on Sunday. Daytona 200 Formula Extreme champion and 2007 championship runner up Steve Rapp raced for the Mission Motors team. Steve Atlas on the other hand who won the first US-TTXGP race on the Infineon Raceway (North Carolina) this season competed for Brammo. Laguna’s last year Champion Michael Czsyz participated for Moto Czsyz and last year’s runner up Michael Barnes raced for team Lightning. Being the only teams from Europe the German team MUENCH, their main opponent CRP Racing and the Spanish LGN Racing qualified trying to earn their next points for the FIM and TTXGP championship title.

E bikes achieve MotoGP standard only nine seconds are between Steve Rapp and Rossi and Lorenzo.

Mission Motors’ new developed bike the Mission R surprised everyone. During the qualification run Steve Rapp did the unthinkable. He raced an unbelievable record time of 1’31.376. With his 6 second lead before second place Michael Barns it was clear then and there that Steve Rapp was going to be very hard to beat. Compared to Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo on their MotoGP bikes Steve Rapp was only nine second slower!

FIM’s current leader Matthias Himmelmann placed fourth and MUENCH’s main opponent CRP Racing and their driver Alessandro Brannetti placed sixth.

“Our goal was to get away from Brannetti and Brammo and somehow try to place third. Unfortunately the FIM reduced to the total lap count from nine to eight laps (28,88km). This created a slight advantage for all the American teams. They need a lot of energy to operate their powerful engines and bikes. With the distance reduction however a low battery was not a problem they would have to be concerned about anymore,” says MUENCH manager Thomas Petsch.

Due to the TTE- 2’s missing strength in the lower engine speed range Matthias Himmelmann was last to get to the first curve after the start. With his outstanding driving abilities and a maximum performance however he was able to fight his way back on to the fourth place leaving Steve Atlas (Brammo) and Alessandro Brannetti (CRP Racing) closely behind. The finish curve would be the factor to decide how the race would turn out eventually. Unfortunately Steve Atlas and Alessandro Brannetti used their advantage and accelerated out of the turn. Crossing the finish line Brammo was 0.62 seconds and CRP was 0,26 seconds ahead of the German. Sixth Place for Himmelmann. The podium however was clear. With a distinct lead Mission Motors placed first ahead of Moto Czysz and Team Lightning.

Despite their defeat Thomas Petsch was still optimistic after the race: “Matthias is still leading the FIM Championship and team Mission Motors cannot gain on us. For the next season however we really need to come up with an idea.”

Taking last weekend’s experiences into consideration it is now even more important to reconsider the concept for the future TTE 3.0 engine. Mission Motor’s Mission R is a speed torque monster and 35km/h faster during high speed. “For the first time we’re not using Lithium ion manganese cells anymore. Instead we’re driving with polymeric cells, which are harder to steer but offer a slight weight advantage on the other hand. We’re counting 20 parameters and to be able to interfere directly Matthias has the most important ones in his cockpit,” says Thomas Petsch.

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:

Belgium: Overwhelming victory in superbike championship. Ten victories in ten races were enough for BMW Team Herpigny and rider Grégory Fastré to successfully defend their title in the Belgian Superbike Championship with races to spare. Munich, 26th July 2011. BMW Motorrad would like to congratulate Belgian Team Herpigny Motors BMW Motorrad and rider Grégory Fastré (BEL) on an impressive defence of their title in the 2011 Belgian Superbike Championship. Fastré has been the dominant rider in this series, and was able to book his place on the top step of the podium at every one of the ten races so far. Another double success last weekend in Chimay (BEL) was enough to secure his second successive Belgian championship on the BMW S 1000 RR. In the overall standings, Fastré has the maximum 250 points and a lead of no less than 94 points over the rider in second place. With just two races remaining, the Belgian’s lead is now unassailable. Team Herpigny Motors BMW Motorrad now plans to send Fastré and his BMW S 1000 RR into action at the final round of the European Superbike Championship in Albacete (ESP) in early October. The next important race for Team Herpigny Motors BMW Motorrad team is the 6 hours endurance race at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on 13th August. This is a crucial round of the Belgian Moto Endurance Championship 2011, as double points are up for grabs. The team, with riders Fastré and Vick de Cooremeter (BEL), has also been unbeatable in this series. After five victories in the first five races of the season, Fastré and de Cooremeter now hold a 32-point lead in the overall standings with their BMW S 1000 RR. They are now aiming to make a big step towards the title at the important race in Spa-Francorchamps. “A result like this is simply fantastic. We congratulate the Herpigny team and ‘Fast Grég’ on their title win and this extraordinary run of success,” said Berthold Hauser, head of the specialist “BMW Motorrad HP Race Support” department. “This type of title win requires perfect teamwork in every aspect and a bike that is working very well. It would appear that Gaetan Herpigny’s team have managed to implement this perfectly. We were able to support the team very effectively with various tips and assistance at the start of the season. For that reason, we are all the more delighted with how the guys have converted everything into this success. We wish the team luck for the remaining races in the championship, as well as the 6 hours race in Spa-Francorchamps!” De Cooremeter made a successful debut at international level last weekend in Chimay. He not only took part in the two Belgian Superbike Championship races, but also the two races in the International Road Racing Championship IRRC for the first time. In a strong field of 38 riders, Cooremeter finished second to claim a place on the podium in the first race and fourth in race two.

More, from a press release issued by www.leonracing.com:

Royal Distributing / MBP Team riders Michael Leon and Tony Stufko left Round 3 of the RACE Superseries, held at Shannonville’s Pro Track this past July 23-24 weekend, with 8 podium finishes split between them!

The highlight the race weekend for Michael was his 2nd place finish in the feature Pro Superbike class. The event was won by Honda rider Jodi Chistie with Franklyn Dominguez rounding out the 3rd spot. It was a breakthrough weekend for the team as Michael was able to keep pace with Jodi for much of the race and even reel him in a little at the midway point. Michael set a personal best lap time during the race. “As the laps wore down I was getting the sense that Jodi still had a little left in reserve. I was pushing as hard as I could without taking too many risks. I felt that I could still push a little harder but I would have been really exceeding my comfort zone. With two laps to go, I decided that it was better for the team to leave the track with a clean bike and build on the success for the next round. I’m so excited that we made so much progress this weekend.” Michael said.

In other action, Michael also won three other races: Saturday’s Heavyweight Sportsman race (a make up race for the one cancelled on May 15); Sunday’s Liquid Thunder race and Sunday’s Heavyweight Thunder race. During the Liquid Thunder, race Michael set a new class lap record.

Four factors to the successful weekend were:

1) Royal Distributing: The team would not be able to compete without the major support provided by Royal Distributing.

2) Tuner Guy Martin and crew Carlos Carrascosa: Guy took advantage of the break between Rd2 and 3 to install a fresh race engine in the team’s Ducati 1198S. Trackside, both Guy and Carlos worked extremely hard throughout the weekend, constantly improving the bike set up. Not an easy task considering the oppressive heat of Friday and Saturday.

3) Elka Suspension: The team made a major step forward with the setup of the Ducati by installing a new Elka rear shock to replace the reworked stock Ohlins unit. “I figure that the new shock is worth at least a second per lap in increased feel on corner exits” commented Michael.

4) Sandy Noce and Dunlop: Sandy from Pro6Cycle is more that just a tire vendor to the team. As usual, he provided continual guidance on compound selection and pressure settings to help get the most out of the tires. Also, this weekend Sandy filled in for vacationing John Sharrard of Accelerated Technologies and helped with suspension and setup advice. The Dunlop tires are awesome. Michael set the new lap record in Heavyweight Sportsman using a soft compound front tire with 60 laps on it!

Tony Stufko also had an outstanding weekend of racing, his best to date. He finished the Amateur Superbike race in 2nd place, his first trip to the Superbike podium. The race was described by the track announcer as the most exciting of the weekend. During the first half Tony ran in third place, right on the tails of National Amateur Sport Bike race winners Aubrey Bailey and Kristopher Garvie. At the halfway point Tony was still following, but a few seconds back. On the last lap, during a hectic passing attempt, the leaders collided and ran off the track while exiting the high speed corner at the end of the back straight. Fortunately, neither rider crashed. Tony was within striking distance and was able to steal second place as the riders re-entered the track. The finishing order was Bailey in first place, Stufko in second and Garvie in third. After the race, Tony said “I am happy with the Amateur Superbike result. I ran a smart race to get on the box and be there in the end to collect the pieces! This result bumps me to third overall in Superbike. Big thanks to Tuner Guy Martin for his hard work in the pits on Saturday that made this all possible”

Tony finished 2nd in Saturday’s Heavyweight Sportsman race (a make up race for the one cancelled on May 15); 2nd in Sunday’s Liquid Thunder race and 3rd in Sunday’s Heavyweight Thunder race.

The team patiently awaits Round 4, which will occur on August 12, 13 &14 with riders competing on the long track configuration at Shannonville.

The Royal Distributing / MBP Superbike Team is supported by Royal Distributing, Martin Brickwood Performance, Dunlop, Pro 6 Cycle, Elka Suspension, Accelerated Technologies, Double Dog Moto, Nexo Sports, Rev-Amp Electrical Equipment, EBC Brakes, Woodcraft, Armour Bodies, Eurocorsa, MRA Windscreeens, Speedymoto, J Precision, AV&V, LG Restorations, CVR Motors, Ottawa Dodge, KS on the Keys, Acceptable Storage, A Acceptable, T_SBK Club, George Seeger, Dave Cody and Quebec Coating.

Tony Stufko also is supported by Windmill Motorsports, Valley Sales and Equipment, Monette Sports / Montreal Ducati and Ottawa Yamaha.