2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Santamonica Circuit Misano, Italy June 17, 2007 Race Two Results: 1. Troy Bayliss (Duc 999F07), 24 laps, 38:43.506 2. Noriyuki Haga (Yam YZF-R1), -2.537 seconds 3. Max Biaggi (Suz GSX-R1000K7), -6.386 seconds 4. Yukio Kagayama (Suz GSX-R1000K7), -8.905 seconds 5. Troy Corser (Yam YZF-R1), -9.130 seconds 6. James Toseland (Hon CBR1000RR), -13.967 seconds 7. Ruben Xaus (Duc 999F06), -16.708 seconds 8. Roberto Rolfo (Hon CBR1000RR), -16.781 seconds 9. Lorenzo Lanzi (Duc 999F07), -17.312 seconds 10. Max Neukirchner (Suz GSX-R1000K6), -33.065 seconds More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: WELL SMRZ IN THE HOT SUPERBIKE AT MISANO Satisfying day for Scuderia SC Caracchi in Superbike today at Misano Adriatico: Jakub Smrz finished twice clearly into the points. In race-1 the Czech rider finished in tenth position after a good start, while in race-2 during the first lap has been blocked by other riders, losing a few positions, but has been able to recover to 13th position. “We made a good job during the morning’s warm up and I’ve been faster as yesterday just testing the new engine.” commented a satisfied Jakub Smrz “For race-1 I got a good start and I could fight for the tenth position that I reach after 24 laps quite demanding for the warm. In race-2 I’ve been less brilliant at the start, but the biggest trouble has been that somebody blocked me and I lost three positions. I started to recover and at the end I finished in 13th position, a good result for me and all the team.” A little bit disappointed on the contrary Alessio Brugnoni: his world first experience ended before the chequered flag due a technical trouble. “This morning I was very happy, because I improved during the warm up session my lap time about 0,6 seconds once more.” said Alessio Brugnoni rejoining the pit. “Unfortunately during the race a technical trouble forced me to stop after four laps and my race ended with a not finishing. That’s been however a very exciting experience and, also if I missed the result, I’m satisfied.” More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Points for Nakatomi Finishing fourteenth in the second race, Shinichi Nakatomi earns two more points for the World Championship. In the beginning of race 1, Nakatomi was 14th, but unfortunately, he had to retire with an engine problem. This is the first time this year that he cannot finish a race for a technical reason. In race 2, he had a good start with the 11th position but he had to slow down by the end of the race. He still finished 14th, with 2 points for the championship. Team-manager Martial Garcia: “The first race was difficult because of an engine problem. In race 2, Nakatomi had a very good start, but he had to slow down in the last laps. We still hope to finish in a good position in the championship. We are happy with the 2 points that we get for finishing in 14th position.” Race 1: 1-Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Corser (Yamaha), 3-Kagayama (Suzuki), 4-Toseland (Honda), 5-Rolfo (Honda) Race 2: 1-Bayliss (Ducati), 2-Haga (Yamaha), 3-Biaggi (Suzuki), 4-Kagayama (Suzuki), 5-Corser (Yamaha) World Championship standings: 1-Toseland (Honda) 260 points, Bayliss (Ducati) 239, 3-Haga (Yamaha) 234, 4-Biaggi (Suzuki) 217, 5-Corser (Yamaha) –¦ 17-Nakatomi (Yamaha) 24 9th round of the Superbike World Championship: July 22nd at Brno (Czech Republic) More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: BAYLISS DOUBLES UP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2007 – REIGNING CHAMPION IS THE CLASS ACT ON RACEDAY Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was crowned king of Misano by popular vote and after trial by combat thanks to his wins in two action-packed 24-lap races, at what was a cauldron of heat and adrenaline for all the competitors. Bayliss jumped fully two places higher in the championship thanks to his 50 points today, and now sits second overall, 21 points behind the leader James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). RACE ONE Bayliss was to end the first race almost unopposed, an unlikely scenario given the four-way fight for the lead for most of the race. An eventual three rider battle, featuring Bayliss, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) and Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), was decided when Biaggi collided with Haga on the second part of the Curvone corner, on lap 22, and each rider tumbled out of contention for any kind of points. The final result was Bayliss, from Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia), with Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) third and Toseland fourth. RACE TWO In a more evenly spaced finish this time, Bayliss won the race from Haga, easing up to finish two seconds ahead at the flag, while third place was taken by a recovered Biaggi, who passed both his team-mate Kagayama and Corser later in the race. Toseland was sixth, but maintained his championship lead, now on a total of 260 points to Bayliss’s 239. In third place Haga has 234 points and Biaggi 217. OFF PODIUM PLACES HARD WON AT A STEAMY MISANO Behind the fight for top places a tough weekend for Toseland became rock hard on Sunday, with fourth and a sixth his scant rewards. Behind him in each race, the points were equally hard won. His own team-mate Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was fifth in race one but down in eighth in race two, ending his day eighth overall in the series. Corser’s fifth place overall on 182 points leaves him clear of sixth and ninth place race finisher at Misano, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox), who now has a total of 133 points. He had a strenuous battle for the status of second fastest Ducati rider of the weekend with Ruben Xaus (Ducati Sterilgarda) who recorded an eighth place in race one and a seventh in race two, despite losing power in the Misano heat. Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) beat Xaus in race one, and took a 11th in race two, now mimicking the latter position in the championship table. Kagayama’s front group heroics placed him back into the overall top ten, on 89 points, one behind Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) who earned himself a ninth and a tenth at Misano. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) failed to finish either race at Misano. POS NO. RIDER BIKE TIME 1 21 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 999 F07 38’43.506 (155,434 kph) 2 41 Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 2.537 3 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7 6.386 4 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7 8.905 5 11 Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 9.130 6 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 13.967 7 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 999 F06 16.708 8 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 16.781 9 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 999 F07 17.312 10 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6 33.065 WEST AGAIN FROM TEAM-MATE PARKES A two-part WSS race at Misano went to Anthony West (Yamaha World SSP Racing), who won both ‘legs’ and took an overall margin of victory of over four seconds. It was West’s second win in succession in the WSS class, and his third consecutive podium since his first ride at Monza. In second place Broc Parkes (Yamaha World SSP Racing) was locked in a fight with championship leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and the Australian rider triumphed on the stopwatch. Sofuoglu’s 16 points, and a no-score after a collision with Craig Jones (Revè Ekerold Honda) suffered by his nearest championship rival Fabien Foret (GIL Motorsports Kawasaki) put Sofuoglu an impressive 61 points clear of Foret after eight rounds. Eighth-placed Misano runner Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) is still third overall, on 77 points. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – BAIOCCO TAKES RACE WIN 2 Home rounds in Italy are proving fruitful for Matteo Baiocco (Umbria Bike Yamaha) who took pole at Misano and carried on his victorious form from his recent race win at Monza with another full pointer at today. He won an aggregate race, by 0.581 seconds, from Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). In third place came Ilario Dionisi (Cruciani Suzuki) who rode expansively to head up a warring squadron of would be podium finishers. In the overall championship standings, Baiocco is now on 95 points, from Aussie Mark Aitchison (Celani Suzuki) on 87, plus Claudio Canepa (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) and Simeon (both on 71 points). More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 8, Misano, Italy Sunday 17th June 2007 Circuit: 4.180 kms Crowd: 68.000 (3-day). Conditions: Dry, sunny/cloudy 27-31 C. A PODIUM APIECE FOR YUKIO AND MAX! Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Yukio Kagayama and Max Biaggi both took podium places in today’s eighth round of the Superbike World Championship t Misano. In scorchingly hot conditions, Yukio took third in race one and followed that with a fourth in race two. Max was also on course for a podium place in race one, but crashed out when he tangled with Noriyuki Haga just three laps from the end. Despite a sore right leg and left hand, he made amends by taking third place in race two. Both races were won by Aussie Troy Bayliss (much to the delight of the local fans) and he is now second in the championship just twenty-one points behind series leader James Toseland(Honda). Troy Corser (Yamaha) took second in the first race, with Yukio third and Noriyuki Haga took runner-up spot in race two, with Max third. YUKIO – Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 4th I am very happy to get back to podium ways today – even though I was a bit lucky because two riders in front of me crashed. But racing is like this sometimes and it’s good to get some good luck at last. We have been working very hard on the rear settings recently and I feel we have made some big changes and also some good progress. I did not have many problems in the first race, except those caused by my starting position. The second row of the grid is not the best place to be when the first corner is not so far away. Also, this track does not have so many passing places, so by the time I got past Toseland it was too late to do anything about the leaders. Once I was ahead of him, I had a free track and I was able to run more consistently fast laps. In the second race, I was happy in third position but then I began to have some problems with the rear tyre moving around. I really wanted another podium, but the shaking and movement was enough to slow me down, so I just tried to get the best result I could. Now that I have tasted a podium again, I want more. MAX – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 3rd This was a hard day, but it ended with a podium so I am happy to take something positive from it. I was challenging for a podium in the first race but then Nori and I hit each other and we both crashed. I am sorry for myself and I’m sorry for him. I tumbled over and over on the crash and hurt my right leg and left hand and that caused some problems in race two. Because of the pain, I found it difficult to concentrate in the early stages and lost some ground when I ran a bit wide. But gradually I started to get back into the race and began to catch the leaders. I managed to get past Toseland, Corser and Yukio and into third three or four laps from the end of the race, but Haga and Bayliss had too much of a lead and there was nothing I could do about that. I am disappointed by what happened in the first race, but pleased that I took a podium in the second. Race 1:1 Bayliss (AUS – Ducati); 2 Corser (AUS – Yamaha); 3 Kagayama (JPN – Suzuki); 4 Toseland (GBR – Honda); 5 Rolfo (ITA – Honda); 6 Lanzi (ITA – Ducati); 7 Laconi (FRA – Kawasaki) 8 Xaus (ESP – Ducati); 9 Neukirchner (GER – Suzuki); 10 Smrz (CZE – Ducati) Race 2:1 Bayliss (AUS – Ducati); 2 Haga (JPN – Yamaha); 3 Biaggi (ITA – Suzuki); 4 Kagayama (JPN – Suzuki); 5 Corser (AUS – Yamaha); 6 Toseland (GBR – Honda); 7 Xaus (ESP – Ducati); 8 Rolfo (ITA – Honda); 9 Lanzi (ITA – Ducati); 10 Neukirchner (GER – Suzuki) Points: 1 Toseland, 260; 2 Bayliss, 239; 3 Haga, 234; 4 Biaggi, 217; 5 Corser, 182; 6 Lanzi, 133; 7 Xaus, 130; 8 Rolfo, 109; 9 Neukirchner, 100; 10 Kagayama, 89 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) BLASTS BACK INTO TITLE CONTENTION WITH BRILLIANT DOUBLE WIN AT MISANO Misano Adriatico (Italy), Sunday 17 June: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) bounced back into championship contention with a brilliant double win at a scorching hot Misano World Circuit in front of 68,000 spectators. Troy had a terrific battle in race 1 with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), Max Biaggi (Suzuki) and Troy Corser (Yamaha) to take the win, while in the second race of the day he led every lap from start to finish to hold off the challenge of Haga. With Toseland (Honda) only finishing fourth and sixth, Bayliss now moves into second place in the standings, 21 points behind the championship leader. Troy’s 37th and 38th wins here today also haul Ducati back into the lead of the Manufacturers’ standings. “That’s exactly what we needed and exactly what I wanted” declared Troy. “Misano is a very special place for me to come and win here for all the Italians. There’s not much more to say, we changed one click for the second race just to make me a little bit more comfortable on the bike. I did some really fast laps and saw that Nori wasn’t making any ground, I thought of letting him past to do some of the work but I’ve done that before and it didn’t work so I really put my head down for a while and managed to get a little gap, then I could take it easy towards the end. I’m very happy for all our team, Xerox, Shell and all our sponsors, it’s been a great journey back towards the front of the field and we leave here hopeful for the rest of the year. Unfortunately I got the Australian flag caught in the clutch on the cool-down lap and stalled the bike like an amateur! I was lucky to get a ride back, but all is well and I’m happy!” “After my sixth place in race 1, we worked hard to get a better result in race 2, unfortunately the outcome wasn’t very satisfactory” declared Lorenzo. “I’m not complaining because during the weekend we did a lot of laps on that tyre and also during the recent tests but in race 1 the tyre didn’t perform like before and this prevented me from doing a good race. In race 2 we fitted a harder tyre and made a change to the set-up. However my start wasn’t a good one and the clutch slipped and I had to work hard to recover. I’m not very satisfied with the results because despite the fact that I recorded some good times, the outcome wasn’t the best one. Hopefully I can do better next month at Brno”. RACE 1: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 2. Corser (Yamaha); 3. Kagayama (Suzuki); 4. Toseland (Honda); 5. Rolfo (Honda); 6. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox); 7. Laconi (Kawasaki); 8. Xaus (Ducati); etc. RACE 2: 1. Bayliss; 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Biaggi (Suzuki); 4. Kagayama; 5. Corser; 6. Toseland; 7. Xaus; 8. Rolfo; etc. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 8 of 13 rounds): Riders – 1. Toseland 260; 2. Bayliss 239; 3. Haga 234; 4. Biaggi 217; 5. Corser 182; 6. Lanzi 133; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Ducati 284; 2. Yamaha 277; 3. Honda 274; 4. Suzuki 233; 5. Kawasaki 102; 6. MV Agusta 1. More, from a press release issued by Honda: TOSELAND STILL LEADING AFTER MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF MISANO James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) had to ride with all the guile and determination he could muster to score top six positions in each Misano race today. In doing so he left the eighth round of the championship with his championship lead intact. James now enjoys a gap to his nearest rival of 21 points, after finishing fourth and sixth in the 24-lap races. After Misano, Toseland, who had started from a front row place after setting fourth best Superpole time, has a total of 260 points. Double Misano race winner Troy Bayliss is second on 239; Noriyuki Haga is third on 234 and Max Biaggi now fourth on 217. Biaggi and Haga collided in race one, aiding Toseland’s battle in the championship. Qualifying at the new-look 4.180km Misano circuit, now longer and run in a different direction from previous years, had been a tough prospect for all in the hot temperatures that prevailed throughout the entire race weekend. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) had been ninth after Superpole, Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) 12th, and relative newcomer Luca Morelli (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was 19th after regulation qualifying, missing out on Superpole qualifying by three places. In the first race a potential three way fight for the lead was ended when Noriyuki Haga and Max Biaggi collided, and each fell from contention, leaving a top three of Bayliss, Corser and Kagayama. Toseland was a fighting fourth after losing pace to the early leading group. Rolfo was fifth after a strong ride from the third row, seven seconds down on Toseland, with Luca Morelli 13th. Morelli’s team-mate Fabrizio retired on lap five, with a fault traced to the alternator. Race two was a clearer cut version than the opener, with Bayliss running clear from Haga and Biaggi, with Toseland losing another early fourth place in the final analysis, experiencing reduced drive towards the end of the second race run with track temperatures almost hitting 50°c. Rolfo ground his way to eighth after losing rear traction and then working the front too hard to compensate, with Morelli finishing 18th in a race with only three non-finishers, one of whom was his team-mate Fabrizio. Toseland was not satisfied with the race day results but acknowledged that the main objective, maintaining a healthy championship lead at a track which is not a designated test venue for his team, was successfully achieved. “I knew this round was going to be difficult because it wasn’t one of our test tracks and it’s a completely new layout,” said Toseland “. I expected to be coming from behind. We got lucky in the first race when Biaggi took out Haga, but you can’t rely on luck for the rest of the season. Needless to say I’m disappointed with the weekend, but I’m looking ahead to Brno and hopefully we can get back on track.” Rolfo was happy with his progress in finding real race pace in his set-up, even if in race two results were not as good as the first race. “I am not completely happy with the results, but I am pleased that we have been able to improve the bike set-up so much this weekend,” said the former 250cc ace. “We worked really hard in qualifying and the bike is feeling very good for me now. I felt like I had a good rhythm in the races and I was making good lap times, but I wasn’t with the podium competitors like I wanted to be. I am looking forward to the test in Brno so we can continue the work we have done here and I want to say thanks to the team for their support here in Misano.” Fabrizio was distraught at his misfortunes in front of a partisan home crowd. “Obviously I am not happy to have two non-finishes, especially here,” said the 22-year-old Roman rider. “In the first race the alternator went and in race two the throttle seemed to be stuck half open and in two corners I could not get the revs down, and it was not a good idea to continue.” Morelli is now 20th in the championship, after scoring three points in race one. “Race one was good for me and I was happy with the new track,” said Morelli. “We chose a softer tyre than some and it worked OK, but I felt a harder rear would be better in race two. It wasn’t the best choice to make.” Top teams will be testing at Brno, followed by official testing at Vallelunga in July, preceding round nine of the WSS and SBK series, to be held at Brno in the Czech Republic, between 20 and 22 July. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Toseland maintains lead after tough weekend A tough weekend of racing at the Misano World Circuit concluded today with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Toseland maintaining his lead in the 2007 World Superbike Championship. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo rode well and picked up valuable points to keep eighth place in the standings. The first race of the day saw Toseland extend his lead despite not finishing on the podium. After a shaky start, the British rider struggled to keep up with the leading pack after experiencing clutch problems on his CBR1000RR. He was running in sixth when a mistake by Max Biaggi in the fight for second position caused both Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga to crash out of the race. This resulted in a fourth place finish for Toseland, who picked up 13 points to remain at the top of the standings. Rolfo had fought his way from eleventh to seventh at the time of the crash and also benefited from Biaggi’s mistake, crossing the finish line in fifth position to collect 11 points. Despite an admirable fight from Toseland in race two, he was unable to catch the front runners and passed the chequered flag in sixth position. However, the result was more than enough for the British rider to keep his championship lead by a 21 point margin ahead of Troy Bayliss. His tally now stands at 161 points. Rolfo completed the second race in eighth place after a strong performance of consistently fast laps. The Italian rider now lies in eighth in the standings ahead of the ninth round race at Brno in four weeks time. Ronald ten Kate: “We’ve had quite a difficult weekend. The only positive thing about it is that we remain at the top of the championship – we didn’t lose too much of the lead in the end. Roby got two good results – he rode well and very consistently in both races. We’re going out to Brno for a two day test, which will be really good because we can evaluate the all the data from this weekend. Hopefully we can come back fighting at the next round.” James Toseland: “I knew this round was going to be difficult because it wasn’t one of our test tracks and it’s a completely new layout. I expected to be coming from behind. We got lucky in the first race when Biaggi took out Haga, but we can’t rely on luck for the rest of the season. Needless to say I’m disappointed with the weekend, but I’m looking ahead to Brno and hopefully we can get back on track.” Roberto Rolfo: “I am not completely happy with the results, but I am pleased that we have been able to improve the bike set-up so much this weekend. We worked really hard in qualifying and the bike is feeling very good for me now. I felt like I had a good rhythm in the race and I was making good lap times, but I wasn’t with the podium competitors like I wanted to be. I am looking forward to the test in Brno so we can continue the work we have done here and I want to say thanks to the team for their support here in Misano.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY TAKES A SUPERB PODIUM IN MISANO OPENER. Troy recorded his second best Superbike race weekend of the season with a superb second place in race one and a fighting fifth place in race two. Troy was in contention in both races, battling with Troy Bayliss (Ducati), team mate Noriyuki Haga and Max Biaggi (Suzuki) in the first 24-lapper and then with the same trio and Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) in the second. Troy suffered grip problems in the second race and nearly crashed on one occasion, but kept going as fast as he dared and managed to take fifth spot. Troy Bayliss delighted the local Ducatisti by winning both the races and is now just twenty-one points behind series leader James Toseland (Honda). TROY – Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 5th I am happy with my second in race one and it felt good to be on the podium again. Both races were tough today, because of the heat and also because this track is physically very demanding – twenty laps would’ve been enough for both rider and tyres! Strangely enough, I didn’t feel so bad in the second race, but that was probably down to the fact that it was a bit cooler. The tyres weren’t too bad in the first race and lasted twenty laps before there were any problems. The bike felt a bit flat between third and fourth gears, so I changed to my spare bike for race two. I had ridden it in the morning warm-up, so it was no big deal. I’m not sure what happened in race two, because the grip level wasn’t the same even though we were on the same tyres and set-up. It’s possible that a stone had hit the radiator and caused a bit of a water leak and then when the water went onto the tyre, it caused some problems. Either way, exiting the first turn, the bike suddenly went and I was thrown into the air. Really I should have crashed, but somehow I fell back down onto the bike and was able to carry on. After that I was a bit tentative for few laps and took extra caution, but at least I was able to ride to the finish. So, I guess I’m happy with my result in the first race, but not the second. Yesterday Superpole went very well and I believed that I could win a race or two. One podium is good, but two would’ve been better. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga each took a second podium position in today’s World Superbike races at Misano after starting in pole and third respectively. Haga got a good start in race one and maintained his second with his team mate right behind him in third and Bayliss leading the pack. Together with Biaggi in fourth, the pack created some distance from the rest of the field with all four riders battling throughout the race. Haga and Bayliss had an exciting fight for the lead on lap 16 but it was Bayliss who came out on top with Haga second, Biaggi third and Corser fourth. Then, on the penultimate lap Biaggi tried to overtake Haga the second curvone corner but crashed, taking both riders out. As a result of this Corser grabbed second place and his 111th Superbike podium. Race two saw the Yamaha Motor Italia team mates challenge each other for second place in the first couple of laps before Haga won the battle. Haga then turned his attention to front man Bayliss whom he diced with for first place. Unfortunately, he started to feel sick due to painkilling injections he had been given following injuries received in the race one incident. He was forced to relax his challenge on Bayliss and settle for second as his condition worsened. Following his battle with Haga early on in the second race, Corser found himself battling with Biaggi and Kagayama for the rest of the race. Despite a last lap charge to overtake Kagayama Corser had to accept fifth place and eleven points. Corser has now scored over 300 points at the same circuit – 325 to be precise. This has only been achieved three times before and by only two riders. Carl Fogarty achieved this record at Assen (350 points) and Donington Park (308 points), while Corser first achieved it in Phillip Island (330 points). Shinichi Nakatomi had a mixed day today but finished 14th in race two to take two points away. He was forced to retire from the first race on lap seven with engine problems. Today’s results have reduced Yamaha’s championship points deficit to just seven behind Ducati. Haga sits in third five points behind Bayliss and an accessible 26 behind Toseland. Corser remains fifth in the championship standings with the next race in a month’s time. The team has two tests before the next round, which is at Brno. Troy Corser (2nd and 5th – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “Today has been unbelievably disappointing after such a good day yesterday. In race one I had a rear grip problem and didn’t get a good start either. Those two factors together just made for a tough race. I changed bikes between the two races and the engine in the second bike felt better but the set-up wasn’t quite right, giving me all sorts of problems. I kept losing the front throughout the second race. I was actually crashing at one point but I landed back on the bike, hit the screen and managed to keep going. It is such a disappointment after getting my fortieth pole yesterday – a sorry end to an otherwise good weekend.” Noriyuki Haga (DNF and 2nd – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I was unlucky in race one. Mistakes can happen to anyone; I’m not angry about the incident in race one but I’m very disappointed that there has been no acknowledgement or apology for what happened. That isn’t professional in my book. I hurt my right elbow and wrist in the race one incident and so had to have some painkillers for the second race. The race was going well when, about halfway through, I started to feel sick, which was caused by the painkillers. I had to slow down. Also, only a few laps into the race my rear brake pedal broke leaving me without any rear brake. All in all I am quite happy with second. But today was an unlucky day for me.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “Mistakes can happen but it was perhaps unexpected from such an experienced rider; Nori was unlucky to be involved. Today was a good opportunity for us to get more points in our campaign to catch Toseland but we haven’t achieved that. The day didn’t go as planned but the result is actually quite good for the team as we don’t traditionally have a good record at Misano. I am very pleased that we were able to fight for wins in both races here as it means, if we can do it here, we can do it anywhere. Nori’s second race was very good considering he felt ill and it is a good result for Troy to get pole as well as a second place.” Shinichi Nakatomi (DNF and 14th – Team Yamaha YZF) “The first race was frustrating for me; I was very disappointed to have to retire. In race two I managed to make up some places but lost a couple at the end of the race. At least I have two more points.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager, Team Yamaha YZF) “Race one was difficult for us today with Tomi suffering from engine problems. He got a good start in race two and was having a good race when he unfortunately had to slow down one some of the last laps. We came here hoping to get two good results but at least we got fourteenth and two points.”