FIM Superbike World Championship Valencia, Spain April 15, 2007 Race Two Results: 1. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 23 laps, 37:02.596 2. Max BIAGGI (Suz GSX-R1000K7), -0.287 second 3. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), -0.375 second 4. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F06), -6.637 seconds 5. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F07), -7.991 seconds 6. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F07), -10.210 seconds 7. Josh BROOKES (Hon CBR1000RR), -10.861 seconds 8. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), -14.366 seconds 9. Troy CORSER (Yam YZF-R1), -15.511 seconds 10. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000K6), -19.716 seconds 11. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), -25.287 seconds 12. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), -26.437 seconds 13. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000K7), -34.992 seconds 14. Carmelo MORALES (Yam YZF-R1), -39.987 seconds 15. Giovanni BUSSEI (Duc 999F06), -42.445 seconds 16. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), -43.467 seconds 17. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 999F05), -68.350 seconds, crash 18. Luca MORELLI (Duc 999RS), -7 laps, DNF, mechanical 19. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), -7 laps, DNF, mechanical 20. Steve MARTIN (Hon CBR1000RR), -10 laps, DNF, mechanical 21. Dean ELLISON (Duc 999RS), -11 laps, DNF, mechanical 22. Christian ZAISER (MV Agusta F4-1000R 312), -16 laps, DNF, crash 23. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), -23 laps, DNF, crash FIM Superbike World Championship Point Standings (after 8 of 26 races): 1. Toseland, 151 points 2. Biaggi, 138 points 3. Haga, 124 points 4. Corser, 101 points 5. Bayliss, 90 points 6. Lanzi, 87 points 7. Xaus, 83 points 8. Neukirchner, 56 points 9. Rolfo, 46 points 10. Laconi, 37 points 11. TIE, Fabrizio/Brookes, 32 points 13. Nieto, 30 points 14. Kagayama, 27 points 15. Smrz, 25 points More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Difficult weekend With the weather changing very often, the conditions were difficult at Valencia for the riders and the teams. Shinichi Nakatomi came close to earn some points when he almost finished in the top 15, with a 16th position in race 2. The first race was not easy for the Japanese rider, as a wrong choice of tyre did not help him. After one lap, he was in 19th position, and then he climbed to the 16th place. Unfortunately, his tyre problem made him retire at lap 17. In race 2, he could finish in 16th position, which was not sufficient to earn World Championship points. Team-manager Martial Garcia: “We miss more practice time. We could find the right setting only late because of the rain during the practice. We still have to work to find better setting settings. Little by little, our rider has his sensations back. Generally speaking, we are not completely happy with this weekend.” Race 1: 1-Xaus (Ducati), 2-Haga (Yamaha), 3-Bayliss (Ducati), 4-Corser (Yamaha), 5-Toseland (Honda) Race 2: 1-Toseland (Honda), 2-Biaggi (Suzuki), 3-Haga (Yamaha), 4-Xaus (Ducati), 5-Lanzi (Ducati)…16-Nakatomi (Yamaha) World Championship standings: 1-Toseland (Honda) 151 points, 2-Biaggi (Suzuki) 138, 3-Haga (Yamaha) 124, 4-Corser (Yamaha) 101, 5-Bayliss (Ducati) 90…18- Nakatomi (Yamaha) 12 5th round of the Superbike World Championship: April 29th at Assen (Nederland) More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: XAUS AND TOSELAND SHARE VALENCIA WINS SPANISH THRILLERS DELIVER POPULAR VICTORIES After two very different 23-lap races at Valencia local rider Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) and championship leader James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) scored a win apiece, with Xaus running clear in race one but Toseland having to fight for every inch of track in race two. Both races were run in the dry, but the first race was a much trickier affair for all, as the many damp patches off line caught out a lot of riders. In the championship standings, Toseland now leads Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) by 13 points. RACE ONE Eventual winner Xaus was involved in a four-way fight for the win at one stage, but after he broke the challenge of Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) towards the end of a race held in drying conditions, he was a clear winner by almost two seconds. Behind Haga, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was an impressive third, with early leader Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) fourth, and championship leader Toseland fifth, fighting vibrations from a rear tyre which had spun on the rim. Xaus’s win was his tenth career SBK victory, and his first since Magny Cours race two, in the 2003 season. RACE TWO The leading group in a classic race two sometimes featured seven riders, but it finally settled down into a three way fight, with Toseland the victor from a slow stating Biaggi and frequent race leader Haga. A mere 0.375 seconds covered the top three in the second outing, with another race leader, Xaus, slotting in fourth, some six seconds behind. CORSER FOURTH IN CHAMPIONSHIP BEHIND HAGA Corser experienced machine difficulties in race two and was forced away from a potential podium to ninth, but he maintained some degree of pressure on the leading bunch all the same, as he sits fourth overall on 101 points, 23 behind Haga. Bayliss, who had won Superpole and looked good for at least one race win at one stage, made mistakes due to an imperfect race set-up, but he scored strongly in both races only two weeks after having his throttle hand little finger amputated. He is fifth in the championship chase, on 90 points. The man only three points behind him is his own team-mate, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) with race one winner Xaus jumping up to seventh, on 83 points.. BROOKES STARS IN RACE TWO AS NEUKIRCHNER HOLDS STEADY Aussie rider Joshua Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda) rode strongly from his front row starts to secure two impressive finishes, ninth in race one and seventh in race two, after making adjustments between races. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) was not on quite such sparkling form this weekend, but he is still eighth overall. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) recovered from the disappointment of not making Superpole to record tenth and 12th place finishes respectively. Rolfo is ninth in the standings, on 46 points. KAWASAKI RIDERS NOT ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON RACEDAY Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) recorded 11th and 8th place finishes at Valencia, fighting hard and effectively in race two, and being part of the early leading group. Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) expected much from his home race but he struggled from first to last, scoring two DNFs after experiencing set-up and tyre choice issues. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) struggled with his frequently injured body at Valencia, and recorded 15th and 13th place results. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) was an impressive seventh in race one and is 11th overall, one up on Brookes, despite their identical points scores. WORLD SUPERSPORT – SOFUOGLU WAY AHEAD Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) scored his third race win of the year after another crash-littered Supersport contest, taking a powerfully confident win from his own temporary team-mate, Andrew Pitt. In third place was the aggressive presence of slow starting Gianluca Nannelli (Caracchi Ducati) who rode most of the last lap with one boot hanging off. He hunted down Pitt in the later stages, but Pitt reasserted himself to keep his second place.. Fourth was a slow starting, but rapidly closing, Fabien Foret (Gil Kawasaki). Three riders with a podium chance crashed out in the same incident, as Pere Riba (Gil Kawasaki) and Kevin Curtain (Yamaha World SSP Team) collided and took out Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda). Curtain sustained a long cut on his left thigh, in the groin area, and had to be taken to hospital for stitches to be inserted. In the championship Sofuoglu is only five points from perfection with 95, while Foret’s fourth place puts him into overall second again, on 51. Fujiwara, who limped home 18t,h, is now third in the series, on an unchanged 41 points. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – AUSSIE WINS Aussie ‘new boy’ Mark Aitchison (Celani Suzuki) scored his first Superstock win in what proved to be a two-part race after a red flag stopped the first leg when a machine could not be retrieved from a dangerous position. In an aggregate competition, Aitchison won overall from long-time leg-one leader Michele Pirro Michele Pirro (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) and Donington race winner, Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox 1098). In the championship, the leader is Canepa, on 41 points, with Aitchison on 38 and Pirro’s team-mate Claudio Corti third, on 25. NEXT STOP FOR SBK IS ASSEN IN TWO WEEKS On 29th April, Assen in the Netherlands hosts the next round of the main championship classes, with practice kicking off on Friday 27th. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) TAKES FIGHTING RACE 1 PODIUM AT VALENCIA Valencia (Spain), Sunday 15 April : Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) took a fighting third place podium finish in race 1 at Valencia and a sixth position in the second counter as Ruben Xaus (Ducati) and James Toseland (Honda) clinched the wins on the day. Despite clearly suffering from the aftermath of his Donington crash two weeks ago, Troy was quick to play down any idea that it had affected his performance at Valencia. “I’m a little bit disappointed actually because I’ve been feeling quite good all weekend” declared Troy in the Clinica Mobile where the medics were removing fifteen stitches from his right hand. “My injuries are not that big, they haven’t hurt me all weekend and they haven’t been a factor in me not doing so well. The first race was OK, but the second was a bit disappointing. We really struggled with the setting and it worked the tyres too much. I lost ten points on James but the whole plan was to make up points on him not to lose them. That’s the way it is sometimes. In turn 1 I got in a little bit deep and I’d been wasting my front tyre. As soon as you touch the filler you just have to try and stand it up otherwise it’s going to crash. Now I’m looking forward to going to Assen, it’s a great track and it should be fun”. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi showed some determination in the final laps of the first race to beat off the challenge of Max Biaggi (Suzuki) and then defended well for a good fifth place finish in race 2. “In race 1 I lost too much time in the early laps because I didn’t have enough confidence on the damp track” commented Lorenzo. “I didn’t take any risks and the others just went away from me. However in the last ten laps I was lapping at the same pace as them, but I could only finish sixth. In race 2 I pushed hard right from the start, taking Ruben, then he passed me again, then I had a fight with Troy and in the final few laps when Max passed me, the rear tyre performance just dropped away. Last year I was on the podium twice here and I was much happier but I wasn’t in as good a position as I am now in the championship”. RACE 1: 1. Xaus (Ducati); 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 4. Corser (Yamaha); 5. Toseland (Honda); 6. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox); 7. Fabrizio (Honda); 8. Biaggi (Suzuki); etc. RACE 2: 1. Toseland; 2. Biaggi; 3. Haga; 4. Xaus; 5. Lanzi; 6. Bayliss; 7. Brookes (Honda); 8. Laconi (Kawasaki) etc. POINTS (after 4 of 13 rounds): Riders – 1. Toseland 151; 2. Biaggi 138; 3. Haga 124; 4. Corser 101; 5. Bayliss 90; 6. Lanzi 87; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Honda 160; 2. Suzuki 138; 3. Yamaha 134; 4. Ducati 132; 5. Kawasaki 53. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: Jakub Smrz in Superbike had a black and white day; during the warm up, finished with an excellent seventh fastest, he had some brake problem, that appear in an absolutely unpredictable way. After a bad start in race-1 “Kuba” recorded an excellent recover, while in race-2, after a good start, the brake troubles did steal the possibility to get a place in the points from him just at the last lap, thank a braking mistake at the end of finish line. “I’m quite satisfied for my performance, because I recorded good lap times when the tyres were leaving.” commented Jakub Smrz. “I can’t however have the same opinion for my results. In race-1 I miss the start and then I had some problem to pass Bussei, it was impossible for me to pass him, his ex-factory bike 2006 has the traction control and, outing the corners he was more steady. Anymore I finished in the points and so I’m satisfied. In race-2 I got a perfect start, but early the brake problems appears and I made a couple of mistakes and I lose positions. Then I got a good pace, with good lap times, so I earned several positions, but just at the last lap the brake didn’t work at the end of the finish lane and I rode out in the gravel, losing my position.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: TOSELAND EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AFTER THRILLING RACE WIN James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) rode to his fourth win of the season after the disappointment of fifth in race one, and in doing so extended his championship lead over Max Biaggi to 13 points, 151 points to 138. In the first race, Toseland get away quickly but a tyre that had spun on the wheel rim was the reason why he had to drop from the leading group, running out a solitary fifth after 23 laps. The race was won by Ruben Xaus, with Noriyuki Haga second and Troy Bayliss third. In the second race Toseland was involved in the fight for the win from the very start, having qualified fifth in a wet Superpole. Race two was a classic, with three different riders exchanging the lead, and the final podium three being separated by only 0.375 seconds. Biaggi was second, Haga third. In the opening contest Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) started from 17th on the grid, having missed out on Superpole qualification, but his pugilistic attitude saw him tenth, just one place behind front row qualifier Joshua Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR), who was only pushed from a fine sixth place to ninth in the last few laps. Brookes was an excellent season-best seventh in race two, with Rolfo 12th. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) beat Biaggi in race one to finish seventh, but an ill-advised set-up change put him 11th in race two. Raceday was unlucky for top ten Superpole rider Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) who carded two crashes, the first after hitting one of the damp patches which persisted all day, and the second after losing adhesion on the first lap of the second leg. Steve Martin (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) had two technical issues mar his raceday, having made great progress in the early laps from his 21st place in qualifying. Toseland was understandably ecstatic about his second race win, especially as he was able to fight back when passed by Biaggi on the final lap. He has now won half of all the available races in 2007, more than he won in all of 2006. “The problems in the first race were due to the tyre moving in the wheel rim and that’s the end of my excuses for that,” said the blunt Yorkshire rider, now resident in the Isle of Man. “The second race was just awesome. We used Friday’s set-up on the number two bike so thanks to my team for getting it ready so quickly after the first race. I am just so happy to have got the win in Valencia. Last year I was 9th and 11th here, so I was determined to do better this time. It really was a great race and I had to give it everything to hang in there until the end, but I did it and I leave here the leader.” Rolfo was disappointed with his weekend’s work, and is now overall ninth on 46 points, but takes some positives away after race one. “The weekend has not been too great for me because starting in the fifth row it is hard to get to the front of the pack,” said Rolfo. “I pushed pretty hard and had a good fight with Biaggi in the first race, but the second it was not working for me. I have two weeks before Assen and I will work hard to come back fighting for the team’s home race.” Technical and organisational changes for the Alto Evolution team before and during the Valencia weekend allowed Brookes to deliver on the promise he has shown in the past. He is now 12th overall, on 32 points. “We only made small changes to the bike between race one and race two but we had a much better result,” said Brookes. “When you are in the right area then small changes can make a big difference. The first race I had a better start but made a worse finish, but in race two I got baulked a bit off the start and still made a better finish. I made a good fight back and passed people, and the team worked great this weekend.” Fabrizio had a good race one but a less successful race two, after qualifying ninth. “For race one the set-up was very good and I could race at a high pace,” said Fabrizio. “The race rhythm was OK and to fight with a champion like Max Biaggi has given me enormous satisfaction. In race two we made changes to try and make even more of an advantage but things went the other way and the rear was sliding a lot. It was not the tyre but the set-up. We have a test here tomorrow where I will use the Honda electronics for the first time, so I am excited about that.” Martin, who had to start from the back row of the grid after problems in the dry qualifying session, suffered bad luck twice in race situations. “Starting where I was made it hard work but in race one I started well and had a good set-up,” said Martin. “It was working well but the throttle came loose and I almost crashed; I was lucky to stay on. My foot started slipping from the footpeg and I couldn’t see what was causing it, so I had to stop. We’ve learned a few things this weekend and I want to try a few more things in testing tomorrow.” Martin is now 17th overall. Muggeridge knew he was unlucky in race one and is now 16th, on 14 points, the same total as Martin. “I just hit a damp patch of track in race one,” said Muggeridge. “I knew it was coming and I was ready for it, but I still fell. In race two, at turn two, the rear just came round and highsided me.” Round five of the WSS and SBK classes take place between 27 and 29 April, at Assen in the Netherlands. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Toseland secures a Valencian victory HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Toseland extended his lead in the 2007 World Superbike Championship by 13-point margin at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia today. The British rider suffered mixed fortunes in the two 23-lap races at the 4km track in one of the most thrilling rounds of the series so far. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo performed well to maintain his ninth place in the standings. Race one saw Toseland miss out on a place on the podium for only the second time this season. After starting from fifth on the grid, a severe problem with chatter in the rear wheel prevented the British rider from passing the leading pack. He held fast in fifth position for the entire race to pick up 11 points and maintain his lead in the standings. Spaniard Ruben Xaus took the victory, followed by Noriyuki Haga and Troy Bayliss in second and third places respectively. Race two was a different story for Toseland, who stormed to victory in a nail-biting race that kept the Valencia crowds on the edge of their seats. The thrilling contest was incredibly close-run, with the five front runners within less than a second of each other for almost the entire 23-laps. The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider fought his way up from fifth on the grid to take third place by lap three, second place by lap nine and first place by lap 16. From then on it was a three-way battle between Toseland, Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga. The three rivals were rarely more than a second away from each other as they fought for the top place on the podium, changing places frequently and with great skill. On the last lap Biaggi pushed hard to pass both Haga and Toseland, but the British rider fought back and secured the first place with a 0.287 seconds advantage. Two strong performances from team-mate Roberto Rolfo saw him move from 17th on the grid to a tenth place in the first race and twelfth in the second. In race one the 25-year-old was involved in a tussle with second place championship contender Max Biaggi for the majority of the contest. At the end of the day, Rolfo picked up ten valuable points to add to maintain ninth place in the championship standings. Ronald ten Kate: “After the problems we had in the first race when we didn’t get the result we were hoping for, we made some changes to James’ bike for the second race. It obviously worked so thanks to his crew for getting that done so quickly and big compliments to James for riding so well. This is a hard track to overtake on, especially when all the front runners are on the same pace. Roby also did well to climb up from 17th place on the grid. We came here as leaders in the championship and we have not only kept that, we have extended it in both classes so we are obviously very happy and looking forward to the home round in Assen.” James Toseland: “The problems in the first race were due to the tyre moving in the wheel rim and that’s the end of my excuses for that. The second race was just awesome! We used Friday’s set-up on the number two bike so thanks to my team for getting it ready so quickly after the first race. I am just so happy to have got the win here. Last year I was ninth and eleventh here, so I was determined to do better this year. It really was a great race and I had to give it everything to hang in there until the end, but I did it and I leave here as the leader.” Roberto Rolfo: “The weekend has not been too great for me because starting in the fifth row it is hard to get to the front of the pack. I pushed pretty hard and had a good fight with Biaggi in the first race, but the second it was not working for me. I have two weeks before Assen and I will work hard to come back fighting for the team’s home race” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Second and third for Haga, less luck for Corser Noriyuki Haga brought 36 more points and two podiums home for Yamaha in today’s World Superbike Championship round at Valencia. Having battled to find the right set-up all weekend, Haga went out today and claimed second in race one, with Corser in fourth. He then had an excellent second race, finishing in third after a race-long battle with James Toseland. In race one Corser made a good start and took the lead by the first turn until lap six when it became evident that he had a grip problem. He maintained as much pace as he could though, to stay in the four-way battle for top spot between Xaus, Haga, Bayliss and himself. Eventually Haga and Xaus dropped Bayliss and Corser and continued the battle, with Haga taking the fastest lap on lap eight before taking the race lead. Corser and Bayliss fought for third place until Bayliss broke free to re-join the top two runners. A close race with Xaus, Haga and Bayliss saw all three of them dice for position but Xaus managed to take the win, with Haga second and Bayliss third. Corser held on to fourth with a decent margin back to Toseland in fifth. In race two Nitro Nori, lived up to his name getting the hole-shot off the line to take the lead. Corser made a good start as well to follow up in second, with Xaus and Toseland again close behind. By the end of lap one Toseland and Xaus had both passed Corser and by the end of lap three Bayliss had managed the same move, pushing Troy back to fifth. Ruben Xaus made it past Haga on lap four and Toseland and Haga touched fairings as the Honda rider also squeezed through. For the next ten laps all three riders swapped places at almost every turn until Bayliss ran briefly into the gravel after hitting the white line and dropping down to sixth. Haga and Toseland continued to fight for the win, with Noriyuki leading again from lap 19 until a mistake let James through on the penultimate lap. Team Yamaha YZF rider, Shinichi Nakatomi, had a disappointing weekend after retiring in race one with tyre problems and finishing 16th in race two. The team has really felt the lack of winter testing this weekend, coupled with Nakatomi’s lack of confidence with wet weather riding. Noriyuki Haga (3rd – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “In race two I had a good start, getting the hole-shot from the start line into first place. During the race I was looking for a good pace – I was not concerned if someone came past me, I was watching them (Xaus and Toseland). But they weren’t carrying the same speed as me, and slowed down the pace. I was fighting side by side with Toseland but also looking to save my rear tyre to push in the last five laps. During the last two laps I had a good fight with Toseland for first place, and when I was planning to overtake James at the last corner I was not expecting Biaggi to be there, which prevented me from passing. For me, today was good but not perfect.” Troy Corser (9th – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “In race one I had a problem with our mapping choice, which is why I couldn’t keep the pace with the front runners. But in race two the problem was different. I had exactly the same tyre as I had in race one, but I had absolutely no grip. I don’t know why. I just can’t believe my result today.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “Troy’s tyre problem aside, this was a positive weekend for me. We got some good points especially closing the gap to Biaggi and Suzuki in the Manufacturers’ standings. The progress we saw in Donington, we saw again here. Nori rode very well, he lead 14 of 23 laps in the second race, always very focused. Two podiums is an excellent step towards our goal – the Championship. Unfortunately Troy had tyre problems in race two. His rear tyre didn’t seem to work very well, giving him no grip at all. Otherwise, we are sure he would have been on the podium today. I am sure he will be up there in Assen. I’m looking forward to the next race, we are confident in good results there.” Shinichi Nakatomi (18th – Team Yamaha YZF) “Race one was bad for me, we needed more test time to find the right tyre but we did not have it so made a wrong choice. Race two was not a good result, but it was better than race one at least. At least I know where we need to make improvements now. This weekend has been tough, I hope Assen is better.” Martial Garcia (Team Coordinator – Team YZF Yamaha) “In race one, we made the wrong tyre choice, which was too soft and had finished after only five laps. The tyre we chose for race two was much better, but it is just unfortunate we couldn’t get into the points even with our improved lap times. We are paying for the lack of winter testing before this season. For Assen we hope for good weather and for Nakatomi to improve his confidence in riding in the wet.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: SUPERMAX RUNNER UP IN RACE TWO! Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi charged his way from the third row of the grid to take a superb second place in race two at Valencia this afternoon. The Italian stormed through the field, lap by lap, to fight the leaders, James Toseland (Honda) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) in the closing stages. He dived past Haga on the very last lap and then attacked Toseland in the final few corners, but just couldn’t get past the Briton and so had to settle for second place. Max’s tremendous performance in the second race was the highlight of the day for the team, with Max taking a hard fought for eighth in race one and his team mate Yukio a low scorer in both 23-lappers due to his injuries and some tyre problems. Local hero Ruben Xaus (Ducati) won the first race after a terrific battle with first Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and then Haga after half distance. The Spaniard dominated proceedings after about twelve laps and took a comfortable win by nearly two seconds. Bayliss took third, with Troy Corser (Yamaha) fourth, Toseland fifth and Lanzi (Ducati) sixth. Race one winner Xaus was again in contention in the first half of race two, but then was passed by Toseland and Haga, before succumbing to pressure from Max on lap sixteen. Once Max got past the Spaniard, he set about reeling in Haga and Toseland and managed to sneak past Haga when the Japanese rider left a small gap three or four turns from the end. He closed in on leader Toseland, but the youngster held him off to take the chequered flag by just over two tenths of a second. Haga easily held on to third, with Xaus some way back in fourth. Fifth was Lanzi, with reigning champion Bayliss back in sixth. MAX – Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 2nd A mixed day, but it is good to finish on an up with a podium in the second race. Valencia is a very difficult track to race at unless it is perfectly dry. When there are damp patches around, it is very tricky and you have to concentrate 100% all the time. I didn’t have such a good feeling in the first race – some of the problems that we’ve had all weekend and also some problems with engine braking. On the brakes going into turns, I didn’t have a consistent feeling about what was going on, so it made me a bit cautious. We made some changes to the bike for the second race – clutch feeling, a few clicks on the suspension and a harder front tyre and certainly the tyres worked better, possibly also because the track was completely dry. Starting from the third row of the grid is always a challenge and I couldn’t attack the first corner because of all the cement dust there from a crash earlier. That had left a lot of oil on the track and it had to be cleaned and then cement dust put down. That meant there was only really one line through the turn, so I couldn’t use a different line and pass a few people striaghtaway. I got held up by traffic, but I was pushing hard right from the start for sure. I kept up a good fast pace and at the end, I felt I could get past Nori and that’s what I did. I tried to catch James, but just ran out of time and laps, but I am happy to get second today after starting from twelfth place. YUKIO – Race 1:15th, Race 2: 13th Not such a good day for me today, but I knew this was going to be very hard before the races began. I am not fit yet and the pain in my shoulders meant that getting the bike to change direction was very hard – and painful! And Valencia is quite a physically demanding track, so you don’t get any real chance to rest at all. Also, in the first race, we made the wrong rear tyre choice and after 15 laps it was destroyed and so I couldn’t keep up a fast pace. We used a similar tyre in the second race, but it performed better, but there were still a lot of slides in the last third of the race. In both races, I got some false neutrals and that made life interesting! After this weekend, I need some rest and then I will be in better condition for the next race in Assen. Unfortunately, it is in only two weeks time, so I will not have much chance to rest and then get fit, but I know that I’ll be in better shape then now. Results Race 1: 1 Xaus (E-Ducati), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 4 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 5 Toseland (GB-Honda), 6 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 7 Fabrizio (I-Honda), 8 MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 9 Brookes (Aus-Honda), 10 Rolfo (I-Honda), 15 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), Race 2: 1 Toseland, 2 MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 3 Haga, 4 Xaus, 5 Lanzi, 6 Bayliss, 7 Brookes, 8 Laconi (F-Kawasaki), 9 Corser, 10 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki), 13 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), Points: 1 Toseland 151, 2 MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 138, 3 Haga 124, 4 Corser 101, 5 Bayliss 90, 6 Lanzi 87, 14 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 27, More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: A DISAPPOINTING DAY FOR TROY. The Valencia race weekend ended on a bit of a sour note for Troy who struggled with mostly tyre problems at the 4.005 kilometre circuit. After posting a very respectable fourth in difficult, slightly damp conditions in the first race, Troy then had bigger problems in the dry second race and could only finish ninth. Local hero Ruben Xaus (Ducati) won the first race after a terrific battle with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Haga (Yamaha). The Spaniard dominated proceedings after about twelve laps and took a comfortable win by nearly two seconds. Bayliss took third, with Troy fourth, Toseland fifth and Lanzi (Ducati) sixth. Race one winner Xaus was again in contention in the first half of race two, but then was passed by Toseland and Haga, before giving way to Biaggi on lap sixteen. Once Biaggi got past Xaus, he set about reeling in Haga and Toseland and managed to sneak past Haga when the Japanese rider left a small gap three or four turns from the end. He closed in on leader Toseland, but the youngster held him off to take the chequered flag by just over two tenths of a second. Haga easily held on to third, with Xaus some way back in fourth. Fifth was Lanzi, with reigning champion Bayliss back in sixth. Tyre problems hampered Troy in the race and, in the end, he finished ninth. TROY I’m fed up and frustrated today. We had problems and I just couldn’t do anything about them. I started the first race well and led for the opening five laps and was pretty OK with how it was going. Ruben went past, but I wasn’t too fussed because I was happy enough with the pace. But then my foot began to slip off the footpegs. I looked down and there seemed to be some oil on the pegs and I felt that some of it was going onto the rear tyre and that made me take things a bit cautiously – as I didn’t want to crash. The bike was still working OK, but I knew I had to take care and make sure I brought it home OK. In race two, I began to have rear tyre problems after about only three laps and I was getting quite a few slides. It was so bad that it was hard to keep going, but I didn’t want to pull in. The tyre was the same type as in the first race, but it just didn’t perform in the same way, and I and the team don’t know why. The bike was the same, the set-up was the same and the tyre was the same, but for some reason or another it didn’t work in the same way. It’s very frustrating when you have an inconsistent problem, because you never know where you are. I feel I’m riding well at the moment, but either the tyres or some other small things are preventing me from getting better results. I hope the next race in Assen will see a change of luck, because I feel I need it! See ya. Troy