Difficult Sunday for Nakatomi The Miller Motorsports Park race, the first one in the United States since 2004 for the Superbike World Championship, will not be unforgettable memories for the Japanese rider. Sixteenth in the first race, he retired in the second one because of a bad choice of tyre. In front of 51,000 spectators, Spaniard Carlos Checa won superbly both races on his Ten Kate Honda. This is the first Superbike World Championship victory for the Catalan and the first this year for Honda. The championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) was very unfortunate in America as he could not score any points, crashing in race 1, and retiring in race 2 with a shifter problem. Bayliss had a 78 points lead on Checa when he arrived in Salt Lake City, but left with only 28. Good races for his Ducati teammate Michel Fabrizio who climbed two times on the podium in 3rd position. German Max Neukirchner (Suzuki) was second and fourth. Troy Corser (Yamaha) was a brilliant second in race 1, but had the bad luck to crash in race 2. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) hurt his right collarbone on Saturday morning when he crashed, and he fell down again in race 1. Courageously, he finished 6th in race 2. Team-manager Martial Garcia: “To finish 16th at 34 seconds of the winner is not very good. The motorcycle had some difficulties entering the curves. The rear tyre did not last very well, like it happened to several riders. It is too bad because Nakatomi was 13th for a while. In race 2, he was the only rider to chose an A tyre, the softest compound available. Obviously, this was not a good choice.” Race 1: 1 Checa (Honda), 2 Corser (Yamaha), 3 Fabrizio (Ducati), 4 Neukirchner (Suzuki), 5 Nieto (Suzuki)”¦16-Nakatomi (Yamaha) Race 2: 1 Checa (Honda), 2 Neukirchner (Suzuki), 3 Fabrizio Ducati), 4 Biaggi (Ducati), 5 Kagayama (Suzuki) Superbike World Championship standings: 1-Bayliss (Ducati) 194 points, 2- Checa (Honda) 166, 3- Neukirchner (Suzuki) 144, 4- Nieto (Suzuki) 126, 5-Haga (Yamaha) 122″¦ 20-Nakatomi (Yamaha) 16 7th round of the Superbike World Championship: June 15th at the Nürburgring (Germany) More, from a press release issued by PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse: Kawasaki Riders Work Hard For Points Salt Lake City, United States, 2 June 2008 Makoto Tamada and Régis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse Ninja ZX-10R) rode with conviction in the two Miller Motorsports Park races and each rider scored points at this new WSB venue. In race one, shortened to 20-laps after a startline grid position delay involving backmarkers, Laconi looked set for a strong finish until a crash on lap five stopped him from capitalising further on his seventh place qualifying position. Tamada was a distant 19th in the race, after struggling to find a suitable set-up on his raceday machine. In the second race, held over a full 21 laps, Laconi was a high as seventh until the pain from his first race crash started to affect his performance, and he had to drop back, finishing ninth. Tamada’s suspension and machine settings were improved a little and the Japanese star worked his way from 21st on lap one to 13th at the finish, scoring three points. In the overall standings, Tamada leads Laconi by one place and three points. The Kawasaki duo will get a chance to make up more ground at the Nürburgring, on June 15. Regis Laconi: “I had a big highside crash in race one, at the first corner, and I don’t understand what happened. I was pushing for sure, and the rear started spinning and never came back. I went high and I landed hard on my backside, stretching the tendon inside my thigh, and maybe hurting my sciatic nerve. My back was very sore and stiff after half race distance. It was impossible to do better after that. I did my best and it was a tough race for sure.” Makoto Tamada: “Race one was very bad for me. Lots of chattering and not a lot of grip from the front or rear. We tried a few small changes to things for today but it was not so good. These settings were not what we needed maybe but we did all we could.” After Miller the next round – including WSB, WSS and Superstock championships once more – will take place at the Nürburgring, in Germany, on 15 June. More, from a press release issued by Sterilgarda Go Eleven: Again a bad day for the team leaded by Marco Borciani which in the race of the WSBK sixth round at Miller Park wasn’t able to capitalize the good work of the qualifying. Anyway the Italian team showed to be improving, that keeps expectations high for the next rounds. Max Biaggi powered to two good race, especially in race-2 where he came close to the podium, passing the chequered flag in 4th position. An excellent start allowed the Italian champion to take immediately the third place. He kept the position for the two-thirds of the race when he started a thrilling battle against Corser (fell down then) and Fabrizio who came just one second before him at the finish line. In race-1 Biaggi ended off due to a crash with Haga, happened during the first seconds of the race. He took back to the track in 17th position and then he was able to recover up to the 9th place. Also Ruben Xaus would have had the opportunity to run two great race, on the contrary he was dogged by misfortune as his team-mate. In race-1 he ended off due to the slid of Regis Laconi just ahead him. Back to the track in 20th position, he was able to recover up to the 14th final place. In race-2, Xaus made a good start and got immediately the forth position, just behind Biaggi, but a crash at the seventh lap made his race over. RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | 14th classified e retired: “I’m really sorry. Race-1 was damaged since the start and I just recovered to the 14th place. In race-2 I was doing well and I wanted to keep the position in order to attack in the second part of the race. On the contrary I lost the control of the rear and I fell down. I was lucky and I didn’t suffer any serious injury, just an heavy left foot malleolus bruise”. MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 9th e 4th classified: “In race-1, as ever, Haga did an hazardous movement, and he touched my bike with his front wheel so I almost fell down. I went back to the track and I did a series of fast laps which brought me to the 9th place. In race-2 I changed the set-up a little bit and I felt better on the bike. Unfortunately we paid for the lack of acceleration, nevertheless in race-2 we were able to capitalize the situation and getting a good result. I would like to congratulate my team for the excellent job they’ve done”. MARCO BORCIANI | Team Manager: “I’m sorry about the race. Once again Haga influenced the race of one of our riders, once again with an hazardous actions. Anyhow, Max was great to get the 9th place in the first race without demoralizing. In race-2 I hope for the podium, but I want to congratulate Biaggi for the result, He did his best. This result must bring us a good mood. Also Ruben must be in good spirits for the German round. He has just really unlucky. In race-1 he ended off in order to avoiding Laconi, and in race-2 he paid for the heat to take his revenge on the first race”. More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Ayrton Badovini took the 12th final position at in race-2 at Miller Park. The young rider repeated the good performance of Monza; he started well and then, thanks to a good series of fast laps, he recovered positions passing Sofoglu, Tamada and Lavilla, so finishing another time into the points. He also had the opportunity to get the same result in race-1 but, when he was 14th, a loss of pressure forced him to slow down and to get a drip from the mobile clinic in order to avoid the same problem in race-2. Good race for Vittorio Iannuzzo too, he took the 22nd and 19th position. Although his performance are still influenced by the injury at his hand, the rider is making progress. According to the view of the mobile clinic, he must need 30-40 days more to get back his good form. AYRTON BADOVINI | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 17th and 12th classified: “I have always finished into the points in the last three race. Round by round I’m getting the right experience to power to good performance in Superbike. Here at Miller Park I was able to run the Superpole, it means that we are doing good job during the qualifying too. Unfortunately I miss the skill to record my best time immediately, as it should be in the Superpole, but I’m working on it. Today I ran two good race, in the first one I didn’t make a good start and I was 23rd at the end of the first lap. I was able to recover, but I was forced to slow down two laps before the chequered flag due to a loss of pressure. In the second race I enjoyed a lot, I’m really glad to have given to my team another good result”. VITTORIO IANNUZZO | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 22nd e 19th classified: “Unfortunately the hand hurts a lot. During the qualifying I can record good times, but when the effort takes more time I get problems. The matter is going ahead and I’ve improved markedly respect to Assen. Now I hope that the break will allow me to face the German round in better condition. Really would like to move another step forward”.