Pietri takes first victory and the fourth podium for Yamaha Stratos at FIM CEV in Navarra

The Venezuelan Stratos R1M rider has made two extraordinary races, winning the first race with 40 seconds ahead and being third in the second one. Robertino Pietri goes out Navarra FIM CEV second in the provisional standings. Niko Mäkinen has finished 13th and 11th respectively.

Although rain was predicted for Sunday, it said that these forecasts may appear in the final part of the race day. However it has appeared before, during the night and then in the warm up lap Superbike race. This fact has led to shew Race Direction red flag and the process from restarting. Team Stratos and Robertino Pietri decided dry tires for the first race, taking the risk that the rain had stopped, started again. When the red light was off, Pietri, who started fourth, began to lead the race, taking risks and seeking to impose their pace to pull away with his rivals. Lap after lap, relentlessly, Robertino has taken R1M Yamaha to victory with a lead of 40 seconds over the second classified, also making his first victory in the Superbike class. And finally in the second race, Robertino has been struggling to climb back to the top of the podium, but had to settle for a third place that hitch him up to the second position of the standings.

The Finn Niko Mäkinen has returned to make two great races, finishing in thirteenth position in the first and eleventh in the second. Precisely in the first, Mäkinen has opted for wet tires. In the afternoon race the Finn again shown its best side to stay at the door of the “top 10”. Makinen is being one of the riders with most progression of the season, and he is improving every race. On his second year in the European Superbike Championship has managed to lower his best times in each track of FIM CEV, taking the Stratos Yamaha R1 to the points in all races.

After this exciting weekend, Team Stratos put his sights on the Jerez circuit, which will host the next round of the FIM CEV Repsol October 30 and November 1.

You can find information on www.teamstratos.com website team or team social channels, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Periscope (teamstratos).

Robertino Pietri @robertinopietri -SBK- R1: 1º / R2: 3º

“It was a crazy race, on the starting grid, I saw nearly all riders had rain tires, but my team helped me keep calm and gave me a lot of confidence, so I knew that I had a chance to win. It was difficult, because to ride alone for so many laps, with damp tarmac and some drops of rain at some points, I needed to be completely focused to avoid any mistakes.

“I knew that I could be two or three seconds faster than my rivals, so the aim was to finish the race. I want to thank my team, my sponsors, and my family, because I’ve been through a long path to get this victory. Also to Yamaha Europe, this R1M it´s really amazing!!”

Niko Mäkinen -SBK- @ -SBK- R1: 13º / R2: 11º

“We have ridden about as fast as yesterday, but we couldn´t be faster as other riders because of the tire choise. I went out with wet tire and I could not do anything else.

I’m happy with the results, but it could have been better. At least we are always now getting points and improving in each track. This last two races i want to fight for top 10 and take good results again. Congratulations to my team mate Robertino for the great races today and the victory and thanks to all my sponsors, Team Stratos and family, friends and fans, it´s really good feel the support i have!”

Ricard Jové Team Manager

“Today was a great day, hard, because there have been four races, two of each category is long and the work that mechanics have done and the whole team has been tremendous. In addition we will celebrate in a big way because a victory and a podium in Superbike with Robertino it´s the least we could get with the great job they have done and all of the strategy we have done in the first race. We have played with the choice of riding the slick tires, it was a good decision and I think there is nothing else to celebrate.

I´d want to congratulate Robertino and the whole team for the work they have done, because there has been nerves but have managed to carry. We must thus continue to see if between now and end of year we can fight for finnish second, why not get more podiums and although it seems difficult to fight for the championship, at least confirm that second place.”

More, from a press release issued by Team WD-40:

Silverstone British Superbikes a weekend to Forget !

Silverstone BSB was a weekend to forget for GR Motosport. Everything started so well with Tarran on the Stauff Connect Academy STK 600, who from first practice until the end of qualifying was pushing at the front finishing on the front row of the grid.

The Team WD-40 Superbike’s had a completely different start with some technical problems and then a crash for Jack which unfortunately put him in hospital and out of racing for the weekend. Taylor Mackenzie had a better weekend in practice and qualifying still looking to improve and grab those first BSB points.

British Superbike races, with Jack out all eyes were on Taylor unfortunately things did not happen in race race for him with tyre problems affecting both results..

Pirelli National Superstock 600 Stauff Connect Academy rider, Tarran Mackenzie had continued his form in qualifying securing 3rd on the grid, unfortunately his did not make the best of starts and found himself just inside the top ten where he was hit by another rider and crashed out of the race.

Jack Kennedy: “I was really looking forward to the Silverstone GP round as it’s a fast and flowing track that I reckoned would suit me and my WD40 Kawasaki. Unfortunately I missed FP1 with a technical problem so that kind of put us on the back foot at bit. Then in FP2 whilst in the top 10 on my ‘in’ lap I had a huge high side at club which resulted in me being knocked out on impact and fracturing my left foot and right ankle. Bit of a disaster to say the least and it certainly wasn’t part of the plan. I’m very grateful to the BSB marshals, medics and my team for looking after me after the crash. Right now I’m resting up and although it may be a big ‘ask’ I’ll be doing everything I can to be out on track for Brands for the last round of the championship.

Taylor Mackenzie: “I was happy with mine and the teams efforts this weekend. The races didn’t really reflect our performance, as I felt quite strong in race 1. I’m looking forward to brands, hopefully I can grab those elusive points I’ve been chasing all year!”

Tarran Mackenzie: “Silverstone was another quite strong weekend for me. Qualifying on the front row I was confident that I could make a good race! I didn’t get off to the best of starts which made it difficult to get back in touch with the leaders. I felt like I had the pace to fight for the win but as I tipped in to turn 3 another rider hit me and I crashed out of the race. Luckily Im okay, still smiling and motivated to end the year at Brands with a strong result!!”

Brent Gladwin ” How hard can things be? Jack is doing a great job, he really is pushing the performance envelope at the moment, which unfortunately does lead to crashes as we learn to understand how to consistently race at the limits. He has picked up a couple of unlucky injuries including the one at Silverstone which rules him out. Taylor is still trying hard to find that little piece of magic that will push him towards his first points. Tarran continues his brilliant performance but he is also young with lessons to learn and unfortunately got knocked off in the race. Next stop is the last round of the 2015 MCE British Superbike championship at Brands Hatch in 2 weeks. This is another triple header so let’s see what we can all do to finish the season on a high.

We continue our off track promotional activities this week where The Team WD-40 Superbike and the Stauff Connect Academy ZX6 will stand alongside ‘The Blood Hound SSC show car ‘ at MSC Industrial supplies, Wednesbury.

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

BMW racers have reasons to celebrate: Top results for the BMW S 1000 RR in the prestigious BSB and CEV championships.

BMW rider Ayrton Badovini is among the fastest privateers in the FIM Superbike World Championship in Magny-Cours, while Markus Reiterberger makes further progress on the WSBK stage – Peter Hickman and Michael Laverty race to the podium on their BMW S 1000 RRs in the British Superbike Championship, while Hudson Kennaugh wins in the Superstock class – Four BMW racers are successful in the FIM CEV Superbike European Championship.

Munich (DE), 7th October 2015. The BMW racers were successful in action in several important championships last weekend. At the penultimate round of the 2015 FIM Superbike World Championship (WBSK) in Magny-Cours (FR), Ayrton Badovini (IT), was among the fastest privateers on his BMW S 1000 RR, while Markus Reiterberger (DE) was progressing well on the world stage at his second wildcard appearance of the season. Silverstone (GB) hosted the penultimate round of the 2015 British Superbike Championship (BSB), with RR riders Peter Hickman (GB), Michael Laverty (GB), Hudson Kennaugh (ZA) and Luke Quigley (GB) celebrating on the podium. In the FIM CEV Superbike European Championship (CEV) races in Navarra (ES), young Chilean Maximilian Scheib, Adrián Bonastre (ES), Miguel Ángel Poyatos (ES) and Eeki Kuparinen (FI) stepped onto the rostrum.

FIM Superbike World Championship in Magny-Cours, France.

The “Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours” in Magny-Cours (FR) hosted the penultimate round of the 2015 FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) last weekend. The BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team rider Ayrton Badovini (IT) found his rhythm again on his BMW S 1000 RR and was among the fastest riders from the privateer teams in practice and qualifying. Markus Reiterberger (DE) made his second WSBK appearance of the season as a wildcard rider. He and his Van Zon-Remeha-BMW team used the weekend to gain further experience in the World Championship. Reiterberger was able to improve from session to session and to continuously reduce his gap to the front runners. With their fast lap times in the practice sessions, both Badovini and Reiterberger qualified for the deciding Superpole 2. Badovini secured eighth on the grid, Reiterberger finished the Superpole in tenth. With this session, the weather had changed in Magny-Cours. It had started to rain, causing tricky and slippery conditions.

Race one on Sunday morning turned out to be a difficult task for the riders. The rain had stopped, but the track was still very damp. Due to this, everyone opted for wet tyres. Badovini struggled with his wet set-up and decided not to take too many risks in these conditions. He crossed the line in 14th. For Reiterberger, it was an unfamiliar situation, as he had never raced with his WBSK bike in the wet before. He was struggling and entered the pits to change from wet to intermediate tyres. He took the chequered flag in 21st.

For race two, the track was dry again. Badovini was riding in eighth and set his sights on improving his position when his race came to an early end. The Italian picked up some dirt when braking, lost control of his bike and fell. Reiterberger felt confident on his RR again, battled with the established riders and finished the race in 13th, collecting more World Championship points.Gábor Rizmayer (HU) of BMW Team Tóth ended the two races in 17th and 20th. His team-mate Imre Tóth (HU) finished 20th and 21st.

British Superbike Championship in Silverstone, Great Britain.

Final spurt in the 2015 British Superbike Championship (BSB): the penultimate round of the season was held in Silverstone (GB) last weekend – with more success for the BMW racers. In the Superbike class (BSB SBK), an RR rider stepped onto the podium in both races. In race one, Peter Hickman (GB) finished third on his BMW S 1000 RR from team RAF Reserves BMW. On the last two laps he overtook two rivals to secure this podium position. Michael Laverty (GB / Tyco BMW) finished the race in sixth place, his team-mate Tommy Bridewell (GB) was ninth. Lee Jackson, Richard Cooper (both GB / Buildbase BMW Motorrad) and Billy McConnell (AU / Smiths Racing BMW) also picked up points for finishing in 11th, 12th and 13th.

Race two also saw an exciting final phase with a BMW rider racing towards the podium with spectacular passes. This time it was Laverty who stepped onto the podium. Finishing second on his Tyco BMW S 1000 RR, he claimed his best result of the season so far. In this race, no fewer than five BMW riders finished in the top nine spots. Cooper was sixth, closely followed by Bridewell in seventh. Hickman and Jackson were right behind in eighth and ninth. In the overall rankings of the “Title Showdown”, Laverty is fourth with 553 points. Bridewell currently lies in sixth with 531 points.

In the race for the Superstock class (BSB STK), victory went to a BMW rider for the seventh time this season. Hudson Kennaugh (ZA / Trik-Moto BMW) secured victory after a dramatic final lap. It was his third win of the season. Luke Quigley (GB / Formwise Washrooms / Bathams) rounded off the podium: he finished third on his BMW S 1000 RR. Adam Jenkinson (GB / Northern Escalator Installations) finished fourth on his RR. Tyco BMW rider Alastair Seeley (GB), who had won four of the 11 races held so far this season, had bad luck. He set the fastest lap time, worked his way to the very front from tenth position and started the final lap in the lead. But he was then pushed wide in the battle for the win and dropped back to sixth. In the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, Seeley established his seventh position, while Kennaugh improved to 11th place.

FIM CEV Superbike European Championship in Navarra, Spain.

The BMW racers in the FIM CEV Superbike European Championship (CEV) continued their streak of successes last weekend in Navarra (ES). The modern “Circuito de Navarra” hosted the fifth of a total of seven rounds in the 2015 season. In race one, Chilean Maximilian Scheib impressed with his performance: despite the fact that it was his first race weekend with the BMW S 1000 RR from the boxmotos.com Easyrace SBK Team, he finished second on the podium and took the win in the privateer class (CEV AM). In mixed conditions, Scheib was one of only a very few riders who had opted for slicks instead of rain tyres. It proved to be the right decision.

Race two was held in dry conditions. This time, Adrián Bonastre (ES) stepped onto the podium, finishing second with the other RR in action for the boxmotos.com Easyrace SBK Team. The win in the privateer class went to Miguel Ángel Poyatos (ES), who crossed the line fourth overall on his Targobank Motorsport BMW S 1000 RR. Eeki Kuparinen (FI / Motomarket Racing) also stepped onto the privateer podium in race two, finishing third in the class and seventh overall. In race one, Kuparinen came home sixth of the privateers (eighth overall). In the championship rankings of the privateer class, BMW rider Kuparinen took the overall lead with an advantage of four points over his closest rival. In the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings Kuparinen climbed into the top 15 and is now 12th.

FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in Magny-Cours, France.

In the support programme of the WSBK round in Magny-Cours (FR), the season finale of the 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (STK1000) was held. Also in this class, the riders had to cope with rain, which caused tricky conditions in qualifying on Saturday. Sunday’s race was held in dry conditions, with BMW racer Roberto Tamburini (IT) exciting the fans with an impressive comeback. Starting from 17th, he made up 12 positions and finished the race in fifth with his Motoxracing BMW S 1000 RR. Federico D’Annunzio (IT / FDA Racing Team) came home tenth on his RR in Magny-Cours, while Eric Vionnet (CH / Motos Vionnet) also finished in the points in 15th place.

In the eight races contested this season, Tamburini won three times and claimed a further three podium finishes. He only failed to score points once: in Assen (NL), where he crashed through no fault of his own. The Italian ended the season in second overall. With his fifth place in Magny-Cours, Tamburini improved to sixth in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings.

2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

In 2015 the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy comprises a total of 19 international and national championships. Participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy can compete in multiple championships. The points scored in the different championships are calculated separately for each individual race series. The current standings only include points from the race series in which the participant has scored the most Race Trophy points. You can find all the information on the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy online at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport website:

www.bmw-motorrad-motorsport.com

Status: 7th October 2015

16. Lee Johnston (GB/BMW RRC/181.33), 17. Martin Choy (BG/AARR SBK/178.91), 18. Emeric Jonchière (FR/FSBK STK/177.64), 19. Iván Silva (ES/CEV PR/171.20), 20. Marco Nekvasil (AT/EWC STK/167.00), 21. Janez Prosenik (SI/AARR SBK/158.55), 22. Adrián Bonastre (ES/CEV PR/153.60), 23. Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NL/IDM STK/153.14), 24. Peter Hickman (GB/BMW RRC/152.89), 25. Michael Laverty (GB/BSB SBK/152.38), 26. Madjid Idres (FR/FR EU/148.92), 27. Florian Drouin (FR/FR EU/147.69), 28. Lance Isaacs (ZA/RSA SBK GP/145.64), 29. Krasen Kanchev (BG/AARR STK/142.89), 30. Uwe Gürck/Manfred Wechselberger (DE/AT/SWC/140.27), 31. Tommy Bridewell (GB/BSB SBK/137.90), 32. Dominik Vincon (DE/IDM STK/133.71), 33. Mike Roscher/Anna Burkard (DE/SWC/132.93), 34. Matej Smrz (CZ/IDM SBK/125.62), 35. Marek Szkopek (PL/AARR STK/120.56), 36. Nasarudin Mat Yusop (MY/MSC STK/114.96), 37. Fabrizio Perotti (IT/CIV/108.80), 38. Alessio Corradi (IT/CIV/107.20), 39. William Dunlop (GB/BMW RRC/106.67), 40. Bartlomiej Wiczynski (PL/AARR STK/105.33), 41. Michael Leon (CA/CSBK PR/100.00), 41. Bastien Mackels (BE/EWC SBK/100.00), 43. Miloš Cihak (CZ/AARR SBK/96.00), 44. Nicholas Kershaw (ZA/RSA SBK GP/90.97), 45. David Johnson (AU/BMW RRC/88.89), 46. Lucy Glöckner (DE/IDM STK/85.71), 47. Pedro Vallcaneras (ES/EWC SBK/84.00), 48. Michal Fojtik (CZ/AARR STK/81.22), 49. Léon Benichou (FR/FR EU/78.77), 50. Ireneusz Sikora (PL/AARR SBK/77.09), 51. Billy McConnell (AU/BSB SBK/75.43), 52. Hayato Takada (JP/EWC STK/74.00), 53. Dominic Usher (GB/BSB STK/71.27), 54. Lee Jackson (GB/BSB SBK/64.00), 54. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/64.00), 56. Nicolas Pouhair (FR/FSBK SBK/62.67), 57. Gareth Jones (AU/EWC SBK/60.00), 58. Michael Rutter (GB/BMW RRC/56.89), 59. Wojciech Wrobel (PL/AARR STK/56.00), 60. Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP/BSB SBK/54.10), 61. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM STK/53.71), 62. Guy Martin (GB/BMW RRC/53.33), 63. Sebastián Porto (AR/MT1GP STK GP/51.56), 64. Barry Burrell (GB/EWC STK/51.00), 64. Gary Mason (GB/EWC STK/51.00), 66. Stephen Mercer (GB/EWC STK/48.00), 67. Wolfgang Gammer (AT/AARR SBK/43.64), 68. Laurent Aymonin (FR/FR EU/39.38), 69. Luca Oppedisano (IT/CIV/38.40), 70. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/38.00), 71. Marco Muzio (IT/CIV/35.20), 72. Camille Hedelin (FR/EWC SBK/33.00), 73. Marco Marcheluzzo (IT/CIV/32.00), 74. Marcel Irnie (CA/AMA STK/31.42), 75. Johannes Hoffmann (DE/IDM STK/30.86), 76. Martin Jessopp (GB/BSB SBK/28.95), 77. Federico D’Annunzio (IT/STK1000/28.00), 78. Jeremy Cook (US/AMA STK/27.33), 79. Stefan Cappella (GB/EWC STK/24.00), 80. Emilien Jaillet (FR/FSBK STK/22.15), 81. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/22.00), 82. Mike Wohner (AT/AARR SBK/18.91), 83. Richard Balcar (CZ/AARR SBK/16.00), 83. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM STK/16.00), 83. Mark Albrecht (DE/IDM STK/16.00), 83. Pawel Gorka (PL/AARR SBK/16.00), 87. Koji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/14.00), 88. Luca Conforti (IT/CIV/12.80), 89. Yuuta Kodama (JP/MFJ/12.00), 90. Johannes Kanzler (DE/IDM STK/11.43), 91. Sabine Holbrook (DE/AARR SBK/10.18), 92. Jean Foray (FR/FR EU/9.85), 93. Chris Schmid (DE/IDM STK/9.14), 94. Bartlomiej Lewandowski (PL/AARR SBK/8.73), 95. Mika Höglund (FI/CEV AM/8.00), 95. Eric Vionnet (CH/STK1000/8.00), 97. Stefan Dolipski (DE/AMA STK/6.00), 97. Fabio Marchionni (IT/STK1000/6.00), 99. Michael Truchot (FR/FR EU/3.69), 100. Maria Costello (GB/BMW RRC/3.56), 101. Noriyuki Tsujimoto (JP/MFJ/2.00), 102. Tatsuya Noda (JP/EWC SBK/0.00), 102. Mohamad Syahnas Shahidan (MY/MSC SBK/0.00), 102. Sandra Stammova (SI/RSA SBK GP/0.00)

More, from a press release issued by Redline Motorcycles:

Scott Deroue – British Motostar Champion

Redline KTM – Silverstone

www.ktm4u.co.uk

It was a fantastic weekend for the Redline KTM team and their young rider Scott Deroue at the penultimate round of the HEL Performance Motostar Championship at Silverstone. The young Dutchman did not only take a brilliant double race win but he also secured the 2015 British Motostar Championship.

The 19-year-old from Holland made his debut appearance in the series this year and he has fought throughout the Championship with Taz Taylor. Scott showed his knowledge and former GP experience and rode throughout the year with a sensible head on his shoulders. He has taken 10 wins so far and has only been off the podium twice throughout the entire season.

The team new the Championship could be finalised this weekend at Silverstone and it was down to Scott to perform throughout the weekend and he lived up to the challenge. He was quickest in first practice and sat comfortably in second place on the grid for the opening race on Saturday.

He got a great start and once again was locked in a battle with Taz Taylor for the win; the pair continued to swap places throughout the eight lap race but eventually Scott managed to get the drag to the line, winning by 0.04.

For race two on Sunday, if Taz Taylor was to win, Scott needed to finish fourth to win the Championship but Scott, in his true racer mentality wanted to win in style. He started from second again for the 10-lap race, got a good start and was locked in another battle with Taylor, Ed Rendell and Dani Saez. Saez crashed out on lap eight but the trio of Scott, Taz and Ed battled on to the end with Scott taking another superb win 0.03 in front of Taz. The three podium riders were a massive 27 seconds in front of fourth place.

Scott will now travel to the final round at Brands Hatch as the new Champion and has no pressure on him but will no doubt want to end the season on a high note for the Redline KTM team.

Scott Deroue – “Firstly I would like to thank Tim Walker from Redline KTM for giving me this fantastic opportunity for this season to race with their team. We have had a really good relationship and we all had the same goal right from the start.

Thank you to Tim, Nick, Josh, George and Matt for being part of the team and helping me so much this season and giving me the perfect bike all year. Amy for being a great brolly girl, Paula and Carolyn for keeping me fed all year.

I’ve had some great battles with Taz Taylor this season, we had totally different riding styles yet we have managed to do pretty much the same lap times at every race.

I have really enjoyed being a part of the British Superbike series this year, it is a great Championship to be a part of and very well organised.

Last but not least I want to thank my parents for the support they have given me since I started racing and my personal sponsors, without them I wouldn’t have been able to be here this season. I’m so pleased to now be the British Champion and it has been a great experience.”

Tim Walker – Team Owner Redline KTM – “It has been a great season for me. Working with Scott, he is the most focused rider I have ever worked with. In the beginning he was a little difficult but it’s much easier to calm a rider down than to make them faster and we now have a very strong relationship.

Like Scott said we both had the same goal, we both wanted to win the Championship and we both understood what it took to do that. Throughout the year we all remained focused, he won the races he could and finished the races he couldn’t, his consistency throughout the year has seen him crowned Champion.

I would like to thank everyone involved including Stuart Hicken from Hawk Racing for all his help and support. Kevin at Pro Bolt for giving me a light bike and most of all Nick Carpenter for all his hard work over the season. Plus our sponsors Maxxis International, PFC Brakes, DID Chain, Motorex Oil, Plastic Surgery, Pro Bolt, KTM (UK) and of course Redline Motorcycles and all the guys that kept the shop running whilst I was away!

We can now go to the final round at Brands Hatch a little more relaxed but we will still be going out to win both races.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

HAGA & KAGAYAMA SUZUKI ASIA MOVE-UP TO 6TH IN ARRC

Team KAGAYAMA SUZUKI Asia’s Noriyuki Haga climbed to sixth in the 2015 Asia Road Race Championship following a positive weekend aboard his GSX-R600 at the fifth and penultimate round of the series in Qatar at the weekend.

Haga on the #41 GSX-R followed-up his eighth position in the previous evening’s opening race, held under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit in Doha, to score another eighth position from 14th place on the grid; as team-mate Rafid Topan Sucipto, on the #25 machine, remounted after a fall to finish 13th.

Both riders positioned themselves in the top-10 at the start of race two. Haga climbed as high as seventh as the race progressed, while Topan kept his position in the top-10. Haga held his position until the final lap, when was overtaken and finished eighth. Topan was unlucky to fall on the final corner of the last lap while pushing to make a pass, but he managed to remount and bring the damaged machine home in 13th position.

The results and 16 points scored moved Haga up to sixth in the series, while Topan adding nine points, moving him up to 17th with one round remaining at Buriram, Thailand on December 3-6th.

Rafid Topan Sucipto #25:

“I had no problems with my SUZUKI GSX-R600 and made a good start, so I was able to make a solid race, but I fell when I made a move to pass a rider on the last lap, so that was set me back a little. Next race in Thailand is our last race of the season and I aim to get my first podium of the season there.”

Noriyuki Haga #41:

“We had some trouble in warm-up, so I couldn’t confirm if the major change in my set-up would work. There were things that improved, but there were also things that worsened, but I was able to understand more by finishing both races. The next race is the last of the season so I plan to give it everything I can.”

Yukio Kagayama – General Manager:

“We couldn’t solve the chattering problem Haga had, so it must have been frustrating for him. But even in those circumstances, he finished in the top-10 in both races and I can only thank him for that. Topan had a shifter problem during Race 2, but he managed to get points for us, despite his crash on the final lap. The next race in Thailand is our final one of this year and I will do my best to provide the two riders with a machine that they can finish with their best results of the season.” 

More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia:

Aussies claim Oceania Road Racing victory

Daniel Falzon (JD Racing) has guided Team Australia to a win in the inaugural FIM Oceania – 2015 Road Race Championship held at Phillip Island Circuit on Sunday.

Falzon was taking on Team New Zealand rider Ryan Hampton (Next Gen Motorsports) in a head-to-head battle, with the best combined results from the two Superbike races counting towards the Championship.

The Oceania event was held in conjunction with round five of the 2015 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli.

In the opening race of the day, Falzon and Hampton were within touching distance of each other for the first half of the race.

With Falzon in fourth position and Hampton in fifth, the Aussie rider began to put some distance between his Yamaha and Hampton’s BMW as the race wore on.

It was exactly how they finished – Falzon ending the race 61.52 seconds ahead – meaning whichever rider finished ahead in race two would clinch the title.

On the second lap of the race drama unfolded as Hampton went down at turn four – ending his race and effectively handing Falzon the title.

Falzon rode on to claim fourth place yet again and ensure that the trophy for the FIM Oceania – 2015 Road Race Championship remained in the country.

President of the FIM Oceania, Jim Tuckerman was on hand to present the trophy.

DANIEL FALZON – TEAM AUSTRALIA

“It’s a great honour to bring home the inaugural Oceania championship for Australia.

“Ryan was going to be a tough competitor this weekend – he has shown speed at every round and has consistently been getting faster and faster.

“But I knew that I had a fair bit more experience around this track then he did, and I felt confident in my bike and the team that we could win it here this weekend.

“In the last race I put my head down from the start and try to pull a gap, maybe put a bit of pressure on Ryan, and it is bittersweet with Ryan having a fall, but it allowed the Championship to fall in our lap and it’s a good thing.”

RYAN HAMPTON – TEAM NEW ZEALAND

“In terms of Oceania, obviously the whole championship from the New Zealand point of view all stemmed on me, so it was definitely a disappointment to let that one go.

“I knew it was going to be close – especially with Dan and I being P4 and P5 in the first race and it was pretty much down to who finished in front of the other.

“A bit disappointing there but we will have another crack next year, and I hope that it is something that does progress forward as it is a good thing for the sport, definitely.”

DEAN JAMES – FIM OCEANIA BOARD MEMBER

“I was at the event and it was excellent. From FIM Oceania’s point of view we’re very, very happy that it has come together.

“Both riders in Daniel Falzon and Ryan Hampton were very honoured to represent their federations, and we’re hopeful for this to only get bigger and better in the coming years.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha-Racing.com:

YZF-R1M Wins In The Hands Of Guarnoni In France

With Kev Coghlan (MRS Yamaha) and Florian Marino (MRS Yamaha) missing the final round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup through injury their places were taken by Lukas Trautmann and Mathieu Gines but it was race winner Jeremy Guarnoni (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) who made all the headlines on home asphalt.

This was the first win for the new YZF-R1M in its debut Superstock 1000 FIM Cup season.

Starting from pole position after a popular hometown qualifying success, Guarnoni was part of a superb battle for the win in a race where early leader Ondrej Jezek fell and the final fight for the 25-points was between four riders.

Potential podium rider Riccardo Russo (G.M. Racing Yamaha) fell on the penultimate lap, or it would have been a five rider fight for the top three places.

Gines was part of the final contest for the win, finishing fourth and just off the podium – and missing the victory by only 1.811 seconds. Trautmann was 12th in the tricky track conditions and MG Competition rider Christoffer Bergman was 13th.

Jeremy Guarnoni

1st / 25’26.713 / 15 laps

“It was unbelievable to win in front of my people in Magny-Cours – and for Yamaha as well since it is the first win in Stock 1000 with the new bike. That was the most difficult race ever for me in this class because I had a really bad start. Jezek had a big gap in the first lap so I said to myself it would be very hard to catch him. He crashed and then I pushed and pushed. I saw that Riccardo Russo was really close and when he passed me I was a little bit disturbed. In the final lap I pushed hard and said to myself ‘go for the win or crash!’. I passed De Rosa and made a really fast final lap.”