Day continues to shine in European Superstock USA rider Joshua Day achieved his best result of the season in the European Superstock 600 class at this weekends Brno World Superbike round. Day had been fastest in first qualifying on the Revolution Racedays Kawasaki, and was set for pole in the final minutes of final qualifying before a slower rider blocked him in the last turn. At the race start Day was unable to capitalise on his second position on the grid and was only fifth into turn one, allowing pole setter Dino Lombardi to pull away from the pack and establish a 2 second gap. Determined to catch him, Day used his skill on the brakes to fight his way to second position and then set out to chase the Martini Corse rider down – towing Belgian Gauthier Duwelz and local hero Thomas Krajci with him. What had seemed an unassailable lead for Lombardi at the halfway point then evaporated as Day put in faster and faster times until by the final lap he had moved up to the rear wheel of the Italians’ Yamaha. Sadly there was to be no Hollywood ending for Day as despite posting the fastest lap of the race in the final minutes, he was just not close enough to attempt a pass – crossing the line in second place and 0.2 sec behind the Italian rider. Behind them Krajci put a hard pass in to beat Duwelz to the final podium place, much to the delight of his supporters in the crowd. With both championship leaders failing to finish the race an increasingly competitive Day now lies equal fourth with Ten Kate Junior rider Van der Mark, and only 30 points from the lead. Brno also saw BSB 125 and European Junior Cup contender Matt Davies take part in his first 600cc race for the Racedays team. The young Australian had a strong showing as he got to grips with the bigger, much more powerful machine; finishing in 19th position and just behind 2010 AMA Supersport champion Austin DeHaven. More, from a press release issued by Supersonic Racing Team: High and low moments for the Supersonic Team at Brno A busy day for the team from Danilo Soncini and rider Maxime Berger, who will start thanks to the excellent qualifying and Superpole yesterday, from the third row, the twelfth time. The start from Maxime was not as the best, so the Frenchman fight back up to thirteenth place, but could not catch up against the riders ahead of him and ended the race in thirteenth position. For race two, the team decided to change the type of tire and mounted on the Ducati 1198 a softer type. Unfortunately, Maxime could not find the right feeling with this new tire and approximately half way the race, ended on the fifteenth place. Unfortunately a few laps before the end, a minor electrical problem forced him to the unexpected withdrawal. The 2 races did not end as expected after the good tests and Superpole. Next race is scheduled for the last weekend of July at Silverstone. Danilo Soncini – Team Manager: “The first race was not too bad and our rider was able to win again some points for the ranking. For the second race, we used a softer tire, but unfortunately the choice has not worked well because Maxime Berger did not found a good feeling and that prevented him from racing as he wanted. And then, we had the breaking of an electrical component from only a few Euros that forced the end of our second race. It is a shame after all the good work from the weekend, but it will not demoralize us and we start to think about the next race at Silverstone where we will end with better results.” Maxime Berger: “I’m not satisfied with these two races. In the first race, here in Brno, I did not start good and managed to retrieve only a few places, but I could not find the good rhythm. For the second race, the choice to mount a softer tire was unfortunately wrong and I could not really ride my Ducati as I wanted. In the end, the bike was off, due to an electrical problem. Today I was not in the best physical condition and at the end of the first race, the pain resulting from my fall on Friday started again as a sharp pain in my right leg. Of course after what we did yesterday and the tests from today, it did not satisfy us, but this only increases our desire to do well, at next race at Silverstone.” More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsports: World Superbike Championship – Round 8 – Brno, Czech Republic – Sunday 10th July 2011 Lascorz Impresses At Brno, Farmer To Ride At Silverstone For Paul Bird Motorsport The Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team of Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes experienced very different race day fortunes when round eight of the World Superbike Championship took place at Brno in the Czech Republic at the weekend. Aboard the Paul Bird Motorsport Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Spanish rider Lascorz recorded a pair of top ten placings but for Yorkshireman Sykes, he was unable to transform his qualifying pace into results and had to settle for a best result of tenth in race one. Lascorz had to overcome set-up issues in qualifying and was only 19th on the grid, one place ahead of Aussie former World Champion Chris Vermeulen, while Sykes had qualified on the second row. Joan proved remarkably adept at passing other riders in each race and he scored ninth in race one and eighth in race two, results he felt were good in the circumstances of starting each hot and physical race from the fifth row of the grid. Unfortunately Tom saw good starts and strong pace in the early stages drop off to put him tenth in race one and 14th in race two. For Vermeulen, race one was a battle to finish after he re-injured his left elbow in a practice fall on Friday and after consultation with the Penrith-based team, it was decided he should pull out of the second race. Joan Lascorz: “To go from 19th into the top ten twice is very good in the circumstances. They were hard races and I had to pass a lot of other riders. We made an improvement in race one by changing the traction control a little and in the second race I only changed the suspension a small amount, based on my experiences of race one. The tyres were the same and I felt very good through the second race.” Tom Sykes: “I knew it would not be the easiest of weekends but when it came to qualifying I could make it count. We got on the second row which is what we are aiming for each time but in the races, I did not think they would be quite that hard. I’m far from happy with these results as I am sure most of the team isn’t but we are all in it together. I’m not going to let it knock my confidence and I will give it my all at the next race.” Chris Vermeulen: “I have been struggling all weekend since the crash on Friday morning. My elbow had really swollen up and my back was sore after race one so together with the team we took the decision not to take any more risks and not ride in race two.” Paul Bird: “It’s been an eventful weekend and I’m pleased for Joan who rode brilliantly to score a pair of top ten results from row five of the grid. We tried a few things with Tom’s bike this weekend and it didn’t really work so we now know to go back to the settings we had at Aragon where he was strong. We are now looking forward to the race at Silverstone in two weeks time and hope to be challenging for podiums at our home round.” Meanwhile, Ulsterman Keith Farmer will make his international debut at the Silverstone round of the World Superbike Championship when he rides a Paul Bird Motorsport-prepared Kawasaki ZX-10R in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. The former Supermoto champion from Clogher is managed by PBM and has impressed on his debut season in road racing whereby he currently leads the Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship with four victories in the six races held to date. It is hoped that Silverstone will be the first of a number of wild card appearances for Farmer who will race at selected other rounds later this season, in between his British Championship duties. Results – Race One 1, M Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) 2, M Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 3, C Checa (Althea Racing) 4, M Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare) 5, E Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) 6, A Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) 7, L Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 8, L Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 9, J Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) 10, T Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 18, C Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team) Results – Race Two 1, M Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 2, M Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) 3, C Checa (Althea Racing) 4, M Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare) 5, E Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) 6, A Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) 7, L Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 8, J Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) 9, S Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) 10, N Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia) 14, T Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) DNS C Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team) Championship Standings (after Round 8) 1, C Checa 293pts 2, M Biaggi 263 3, M Melandri 240 4, E Laverty 168 5, L Haslam 137 6, L Camier 134 7, M Fabrizio 134 8, A Badovini 106 9, N Haga 99 10, J Rea 94 12, J Lascorz 88 14, T Sykes 84 20, C Vermeulen 14 More, from a press release issued by Philip Wain on behalf of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship: Birchall does the double but Reeves extends Championship lead Snetterton, Norfolk played host to round 4 of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship at the weekend and it was Ben and Tom Birchall who dominated proceedings. Returning to the series for the first time since the opening round in April, the Nottinghamshire brothers took the opening two races and were looking to make it a hat trick until they retired from Sunday’s third and final race. That allowed reigning champions Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze to grab the win and extend their Championship lead further. Competing on the new 2.97-mile Snetterton 300 circuit for the first time, it was Reeves and Cluze who claimed pole position by almost a second thus earmarking them as favourites for Saturday’s 7-lap race but the Birchalls had other ideas and, after grabbing the holeshot, they were never to be headed. Reeves occupied second throughout but he had no answer to the flying Birchalls whose fastest lap was a staggering 1.2s quicker than Reeves. Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson were equally safe in third but the battle for fourth kept the crowd on their toes with Ben Holland/Lee Watson, Barry James/Jamie Winn, Scott Lawrie/James Neave, Ben Bygrave/Calum Lawson and Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence all fighting it out. Positions changed hands on every lap but at the chequered flag, when it mattered most, it was Lovelock who took fourth just 0.4s clear of Holland. Lawrie and Bygrave slipped back slightly in the closing stages and had to settle for sixth and seventh whilst problems on the last lap meant James dropped from 5th to 9th, John Clarke/Stuart Graham taking eighth. Sunday’s opening race, this time held over the slightly longer distance of 9 laps, followed a similar pattern with the Birchalls again hitting the front on the opening lap, a lead they were never to relinquish. The duo were in imperious form and took their second victory of the weekend by over 11 seconds. Behind, Reeves made a sluggish start and was back in fourth at the end of the opening lap but he gradually moved his way past Peach and Lawrie to take second although he then had to do it all over again as problems on lap 3 dropped him back to sixth. He finally secured second for good on lap 6 but was powerless to do anything about the Birchalls as Lawrie held off Lovelock for the final podium spot. Holland was again in fifth with Bygrave, Phil Bell/Ashley Hawes and Clarke rounding out the top 8, Peach and James both early retirements. The final race of the weekend, for once, saw the Birchalls fail to hit the front on the first lap and, instead, it was Lawrie who led the field round with Reeves heading the chasing pack from Lovelock and Holland, the Birchalls back down in fifth. By lap 3 the first three were still running nose to tail with Birchall now up to fourth but that was as good as it got and they were forced out a lap later. Back at the front and Reeves took over the lead on lap 4 from Lawrie, Lovelock and James and it was the latter who took the challenge to the current Championship leader, having heroically fought his way through from last on the grid. Up to 2nd on lap 5, there was little to choose between the top 2 but Reeves held on to take the victory by just 0.575s. The battle for third went the way of Lovelock with Holland coming through to take fourth ahead of Lawrie, with just 1.2s covering the group fighting it out for 5th to 8th with Bygrave, Clarke and Peach crossing the line right in Lawrie’s wheeltracks. At the half way stage of the Championship, Reeves continues to lead the way on 230 points and that gives him a 93-point lead over Lawrie who’s still in second on 137. They’re followed by Lovelock (119), Bell (105), Peach (104) and James (97). There’s now a month’s break before the next round with Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire hosting round 5 on the weekend of August 13/14. More, from a press release issued by Birchall Brothers Racing: WINNING DOUBLE FOR BIRCHALL RACING Ben and Tom Birchall powered their Mitchells of Mansfield supported LCR Yamaha to a winning double at Snetterton in round four of the Eastern Airways F1 Sidecar British championship at the recently refurbished Norfolk circuit over the weekend. However they were forced to retire from the final race of the weekend because of a gear change problem. Qualifying was reduced to one session as final qualifying was abandoned due to heavy rain. But Ben and Tom completed the dry first session in second place and thus began the opening race from a front row grid position on Saturday. The Mansfield based brothers scored a lights to flag victory in the first of three races, crossing the finish line with a seven second advantage over Reeves/Cluze to pick up the maximum 25 points and set a new lap record for the Snetterton 300 course of 1m 56.164s 92.008mph. On Sunday the Birchall brothers began race two from pole position and once again dominated proceedings. They got the hole shot into turn one and never looked back, gradually extending their advantage to 14.6 seconds over the second placed outfit. Easing off on the final lap the Birchalls cruised home for their second win of the weekend crossing the finish line some 11 seconds ahead of Reeves/Cluze. The final race of the day was a non event for Ben and Tom. Once again they began the race from pole position but this time they were slow to get away and rounded turn one in fourth place. They dropped to fifth at the end of the first lap although they fought back to regain their fourth place one lap later. Just as they were sizing up Lovelock/Lawrence for third they dropped back and entered the pits at the end of lap four, their race over. “We took two convincing wins and were really enjoying our weekend,” said Ben. “But as we went out on the warm-up lap for the final race I felt there was a problem with the gearing. So we just eased our way into the race to see if it would clear. But by lap four the gear change packed up altogether and we were stuck in top gear unable to continue. But despite the non finish we did enjoy the weekend and would like to convey a massive thank you to our sponsors, Mitchells of Mansfield, John Lawson, Janez Remse and Louis Christian for getting us up and running so quickly after our accident in Germany. The bike is perfect and both Tom and I are on form and looking forward to the next round of the world championship at Sachsenring next weekend.” As Ben commented, the team now travel directly to Germany to take part in round three of the FIM World Sidecar championship to be held as a part of the support package to MotoGP at Sachsenring on Sunday. More, from a press release issued by Team Garnier Alpha Racing: FIM Cup Superstock 1000 Round 5 Brno (Czech Republic) July 10, 2011 Reiterberger 4th, only 1 second behind the winner For the first time this year, Markus Reiterberger has been fighting for the lead. On the Automotodrom of Brno, the young German rider did a fantastic race, staying all the time with the leaders until the checkered flag. Beau Beaton finished 14th, which is his best result of the season, and Randy Pagaud finished 18th. On this very beautiful Czech track, the Ducatis of Danilo Petrucci and Davide Giugliano were quite frightening in the beginning of the event for the BMWs of Sylvain Barrier, Lorenzo Zanetti and Markus Reiterberger. Petrucci tried to pull away but he crashed and had to retire. Sylvain Barrier (rider for the Team Garnier last year) took the lead with three laps to go. He tried very hard to stay in front of his opponents to win this Superstock race, which is his first victory in this category. Congratulations! Markus Reiterberger confirmed the talent that everybody recognizes, staying during the whole race with the leaders. He didn’t take useless chances and finished brilliantly fourth, only 1.2 behind Barrier. In the championship standings, he is now ninth, only 4 points behind the rider in sixth position. Beau Beaton started the race very well and did his best to get the best possible result, even with a tyre pressure that was far from being perfect. He finished 14th, which is his best result so far. Randy Pagaud, stuck in traffic during the early laps, finished 18th. Michel Garnier (team owner): “This was an excellent race. Markus’ result is not a surprise. He started from the first row and stayed with the 3 leaders. He did a great race and scored some good points. When he will be challenging the top guys, I think they will have to worry. He is only 17 and he will someday be a great champion. We are delighted with him. Beau finishes 14th and this is his best result since the beginning of the season. He is very happy, he progresses well. Randy is 18th and unfortunately he doesn’t score points. He is learning his job and gets more and more experience. He needs time. He has got some potential and he has to start to use it. He will go faster, he can do it.” Markus Reiterberger: “The race was very good. The start was OK and in the first five laps I was relatively slow because of the tyres. In Aragon, during the last laps the tyres were destroyed, it’s why in Brno I was slow in the first laps. In the end, I was in fourth position just behind Zanetti. I tried to pass him during the last three laps, but it was not easy because he was doing very fast lap times. I could go as fast and in the last lap I tried hard but I had so many slides from the rear that I decided to settle for fourth position. For me this is OK, with many points. I am very happy; this is my best position this year. I hope I can do it again! We will try something on the shock for the next race and I hope I can go faster.” Beau Beaton: “The race was good. We got a really good start in the top ten. I was battling in 11th and then 12th. After six laps, we had some tyre problems, because we tried a different tyre pressure for the race and it didn’t really work out. We learned a little bit, we got in the points.” Randy Pagaud: “The start was good but I was blocked in the first few corners. It’s my weakest point and I have to work on it. I lost 4 laps behind a rider who was slower than me, so I couldn’t stay with the point scoring group. I finish 18th, a little bit disappointed, but the lap times were good. I finish closer to the winner than in Aragon, but in a position that is not as good.” Race result: 1- Sylvain Barrier BMW Motorrad Italia BMW S1000RR 2- Davide Giugliano Althea Racing Ducati 1098R + 0.070 3- Lorenzo Zanetti BMW Motorrad Italia BMW S1000RR + 0.722 4- Markus Reiterberger Garnier Alpha Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 1.257 5- Niccolò Canepa Lazio MotorSport Ducati 1098R + 13.181 6- Fabio Massei Team Piellemoto BMW S1000RR + 13.413 7- Lorenzo Baroni Althea Racing Ducati 1098R + 17.913 8- Sheridan Morais Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-10R + 19.058 9- Andrea Antonelli Team Lorini Honda CBR 1000RR + 19.461 10- Lorenzo Savadori Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-10R + 21.265 11- Tomas Svitok SK Energy Team Ducati 1098R + 22.790 12- Ferruccio Lamborghini Ten Kate Junior Team Honda CBR 1000RR + 25.314 13- Marco Bussolotti Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 27.444 14- Beau Beaton Garnier Alpha Racing Team BMW S1000 RR + 27.512 15- Luca Verdini GoEleven Kawasaki ZX-10R + 31.448 16- Jeremy Guarnoni MRS Yamaha Racing France Yamaha YZF R1 + 31.632 17- Leandro Mercado Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 31.706 18- Randy Pagaud Garnier Alpha Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 33.487 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup provisional standings: 1. Giugliano 115; 2. Zanetti 84; 3. Petrucci 69; 4. Barrier 65; 5. Canepa 48; 6. Massei 36; 7. Antonelli 35; 8. Baroni 33; 9. Reiterberger 32 6th round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup: Silverstone (UK) on July 31