FIM Superbike World Championship Losail International Circuit, Qatar February 23, 2007 Superpole Results: 1. Troy CORSER (Yam YZF-R1), 1:58.402 2. Max BIAGGI (Suz GSX-R1000K7), 1:58.724 3. James TOSELAND (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:59.005 4. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 1:59.294 5. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 999F07), 1:59.537 6. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 999F07), 1:59.668 7. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000K7), 1:59.964 8. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000K6), 2:00.098 9. Fonsi NIETO (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:00.240 10. Roberto ROLFO (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:00.414 11. Ruben XAUS (Duc 999F06), 2:00.429 12. Michel FABRIZIO (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:01.085 13. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), 2:01.176 14. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:01.411 15. Josh BROOKES (Hon CBR1000RR), 2:01.581 16. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), 2:02.301 More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha YZF: 2 pole positions for Yamaha, Nakatomi 16th For the first race of the year, Yamaha is in pole position in Superbike with Troy Corser and in Supersport with Kevin Curtain. Shinichi Nakatomi, who qualified for Superpole, is in 16th position. There is a good progress for Shinichi Nakatomi who is 1.4 seconds quicker than he was last year. This is a very good result because Nakatomi did not have the opportunity to do much testing over the last winter. The new Yamaha R1 is efficient, and both team mates Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga will start from the front row tomorrow. Nakatomi’s Yamaha is using the racing kit parts that the team is helping to develop, and the Kayaba suspensions that show a very good efficiency. Martial Garcia (team-manager): “We had no major trouble. Our rider needs some mileage because he could not do much practice last winter. So this race is for us some kind of real test session. To participate to the Superpole is satisfying.” More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Toseland on the front row as Rolfo continues to improve The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda World Superbike team finished final qualifying today with a tense Superpole session in the hot sun at Losail International Circuit in Qatar. James Toseland and Roberto Rolfo will start the opening race of the 2007 World Superbike Championship in third and tenth grid positions respectively. James Toseland has proved the competitiveness of his CBR1000RR by being at the top of the timesheets for most of this weekend’s event. The British rider stormed to the top of the rankings and smashed the existing Qatar Superbike lap record with an impressive time of 1’58.681 in this morning’s qualifying session. This set him in good stead for the Superpole one-lap dash this afternoon and as the sun set over the Losail circuit he secured a third place starting position. Toseland’s Superpole lap of 1’59.005 didn’t match his previous best lap of the weekend set on a race tyre, but it was within six-tenths of a second of fastest rider Troy Corser. Roberto Rolfo has continued to improve over the course of the first round qualifying sessions. The Italian rider’s lap times in this morning’s session were his fastest yet at the 5.4km Qatar track as he recorded a best time of 2’00.244. He entered Superpole in a strong position and put in an impressive lap to reach tenth place on the grid for the start of tomorrow’s race. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “The track conditions have been variable all weekend with the wind changing direction everyday. It is always difficult to be the fastest rider and go last in the Superpole qualifying competition. James has done a great job all weekend and whilst I felt we had a chance of pole position, a front row start is what really matters. Roby has made steady progress all weekend and I am confident of two good race results for both riders tomorrow.” James Toseland: “I was really disappointed about the outcome of the Superpole, just because it’s been going so well all weekend that I felt that it was time for a pole position. For the race tomorrow we have a good set-up, I’ve had a meeting with the team since the Superpole to fine tune the bike for tomorrow and I’m feeling confident. I think there will be four or five of us in the serious battle for first place so it should be a good race” Roberto Rolfo: “This is my first Superpole performance with the CBR1000RR and I am still learning how to get the best from the bike. I am happy to be starting from tenth position as I am confident of improving even further in tomorrow’s races. The strong wind died down towards the end of Superpole. This caused me a few problems but I don’t think it effected the outcome. I am looking forward to tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 1, Losail, Qatar Final qualifying, Friday 23rd February Circuit: 5.380 kms. Conditions: Dry, mostly sunny 22-25 C. SUPERMAX! Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi stunned everybody by storming to second place in Superpole despite never ever having done a Superpole lap before. He had qualified fifth overall in regular qualifying, but a super smooth lap of 1:58.724 saw him finish just behind Superpole winner Troy Corser (Yamaha). Third quickest was James Toseland (Honda), with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) fourth. Max’s team mate Yukio Kagayama made a few mistakes on his Superpole lap and ended seventh and so will start tomorrow’s pair of 18-lap races from the second row of the grid. MAX – 2nd, 1:58.724 Superpole was another new experience for me and I can tell you that I was a bit nervous before I started it. I didn’t want to make any mistakes or crash, so I tried to ride as smoothly as I could and get round in the best time. I am very happy because my Superpole lap was the fastest lap I’ve done this weekend and it means that I am well-placed on the front row of the grid. The bike is working well and I am enjoying all these new experiences, but what matters now is what happens in the races tomorrow. I think we can make a good result and for that I have to thank my Alstare team for all the work they’ve done. I am just sorry that Francis (Batta) is not here to see us and I hope he watches it on TV and we can give him a good result. YUKIO – 7th, 1:59.964 I think I made small mistakes almost all round the circuit in my Superpole lap and that lost a lot of time. That was mainly because I did not have a good feeling with the qualifying tyre. Maybe I was a bit too aggressive in the first part and by the time I smoothed myself out, it was too late. But my set-up for the race is good – better then for Superpole – and I am confident that I can make good results. After all, second row at this track is not so bad, because the first turn is a long way from the start. As long as I make a good start, I can be on the podiums. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: SECOND ROW START FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM RIDERS IN QATAR Losail (Qatar), Friday 23 February: The first Superpole session of the 2007 World Superbike championship was a tough one for the Ducati Xerox Team at the Losail circuit in Qatar with riders Lorenzo Lanzi and Troy Bayliss posting fifth and sixth quickest times in the one-lap dash. “Well, that was something different!” declared Troy about his Superpole. “I think everyone will be happy to see that but not us! We haven’t been at our best all weekend actually. It’s really strange because the last test I did here I did a 58.1 and now the best I’ve done all weekend has been a 59.5 with exactly the same setting from last time. We’re just having some difficulty in getting comfortable on the bike, my Superpole lap didn’t feel good and it just didn’t happen. That’s it really, now we put it behind us and hopefully we can do a good race tomorrow. We knew it was going to be a hard weekend but it’s just looking a bit harder than normal. Honestly my long run is the only good thing I’ve done this weekend, 10 laps in 1m59s, so that’s a good sign and I’m feeling pretty confident that I will be OK in the second part of the race.” “I really hoped to get on the front row of the grid because all weekend I’ve always been in the top 4 and it was important for the start” declared Lorenzo. “Now Troy and I are both on the second row, we have to hope for a good start and do the first few laps well. We’re pretty clear on the choice of tyres, we’ll just have to see how they work tomorrow and what sort of weather conditions there are because the cooler it is the better it is for us. The bike set-up feels OK for the race, unfortunately I made an error in my Superpole lap at the final corner and lost those vital tenths of a second that would have put me on the front row of the grid.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: CORSER OUSTS BIAGGI TO SCORE SUPERPOLE WIN No. 39 TC EXTENDS SUPERPOLE ALL TIME RECORD Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) overcame two practice crashes earlier in the weekend to score his 39th Superpole win at Losail, after qualifying second quickest in regulation practice. Corser’s lap of 1’58.402 was the fastest of the weekend, and was set on race tyres, in his first ever meeting for his new Yamaha team. BIAGGI A CLOSE SECOND IN HIS FIRST EVER SUPERPOLE A stunning lap by Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) in his first ever Superpole contest was a remarkable feat for the new SBK force, and looked for some time like his 1’58.724 would be the Superpole winner. He was only 0.322 seconds from Corser in the final analysis, and ran qualifying tyres in his flying lap. Pre-Superpole fastest rider James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was last rider away but he made a couple of small errors in his Superpole lap, losing the chance of the win. In scoring third place he nonetheless earned a coveted front row start. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) went fourth fastest on his new R1, and joins the cream of the Superpole crop on the front row for Saturday’s two 18-lap races. LANZI AND BAYLISS HEAD UP SECOND ROW STARS Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) slipped and slid to fifth fastest time in Superpole, and was one place ahead of a strangely subdued Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox), who only went sixth. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) once more rounded out the top seven after a hot day of qualifying at the 5.380km Losail circuit. A quite brilliant second day for Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) saw him take a 2006 specification GSX-R1000 to a second row start. in eighth place, impressing all who watched with his maturity in the pressurised scenario of Superpole. NIETO OVERCOMES ILLNESS TO SCORE NINTH SPOT Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) only rated his fitness at 75% today but he punched hard in Superpole to take ninth best time out of 23 riders, despite his machine suffering from chatter and requiring a high degree of steering effort. Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) set a workmanlike lap to earn second spot on row three at Losail – and the last place inside the psychologically important top ten. Ruben Xaus (Team Sterilgarda Ducati) went 11th, with the hard pushing style of Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) taking him to a third row starting place. LACONI IN 13th PLACE AFTER TOUGH WEEKEND OF PRACTICE Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) could not get the front end feel from his machine that he needed to set a lap better than the 13th fastest in Superpole, after qualifying 12th in regulation. He now starts from row four, one place ahead of the still developing Alto Evolution Hondas of Karl Muggeridge (14th) and Josh Brookes (15th). Yamaha YZF Team rider Shinichi Nakatomi was the last rider who made the Superpole cut and the last rider after Superpole was completed. DFX Corse Honda rider Steve Martin failed to make Superpole by one place, with the LBR Racing MV Agusta of Christian Zaiser just under 0..3 seconds from Martin, in 18th place. British privateer Dean Ellison (Team Pedercini 999RS) was 20th, one place behind rookie Alessandro Polita (Celani Team Suzuki Italia). PIRELLI DIABLO SUPERBIKE The new generation of DIABLO SUPERBIKE tyres confirmed the results of the Pirelli tests at Losail in December. The best lap of last year was just destroyed by James Toseland in regulation qualifying, dropping the record on race tyres by 1.4″ (after a 1’58.6 lap). Then In Superpole Troy Corser scored an even better time, also on race tyres. After the second SBK qualifying session, the free sessions were saved for ‘long runs’, which indicated that with Pirellis and the right setup it’s possible to compete for the whole race at record pace. In Superpole, the riders earned first row starts using both qualifying rubber (Biaggi, Toseland) and race tyre solutions (Haga, Corser). If raceday temperatures will allow it, some riders could race with the same tyre choice as Superpole, confirming the incredible level of performance reached by Pirelli’s race tyres, thanks to the development carried on during the off-season. WORLD SUPERSPORT The top four Supersport riders put clear distance between themselves and their peers in the 600cc division, with Kevin Curtain (Yamaha World SSP Racing) taking only his third career pole, with an impressive new WSS best lap of 2’02.081. Close behind, only 0.102 adrift, was reigning double champion Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) with first-day provisional pole man Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) now third, even after improving on his Thursday time. Fourth, and last man on the front row of the grid, was Charpentier’s team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). The second row of the grid will be led away by GIL Kawasaki pairing Fabien Foret and Pere Riba (GIL Kawasaki) in an outstanding showing for the all-new ZX-6R. Broc Parkes (Yamaha World SSP Racing) and Gianluca Nannelli (Team Caracchi Ducati SC 749R) finished of the second row, with the fastest GSX-R rider on show being Barry Veneman (Hoegee Suzuki) 11th. Every one of the 36 riders in the field qualified for Saturday’s 18-lap race. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: SECOND ROW FOR NANNELLI IN QATAR (Doha 2007 February 23) Gianluca Nannelli will start tomorrow from the second row in Supersport race, after recording the eight fastest in qualifyin practice. Today the Scuderia SC Caracchi Ducati had some difficulties: the Supersport morning session, when external conditions look to be different as yesterday, the team tested some new set that did not give the attended result. On the contrary in Superbike a small technical trouble, that has been possible to recover just after the end of the session, did not allow Jakub Smrz to join the Superpole, but during the second free practice session the young Czech rider did improve clearly his record. “Today I’m less satisfied as yesterday.” said a disappointed Nannelli at the end of qualifying “This morning the conditions were too different from what we could presume for the race, so we tried some new solution that could be interesting, but we have not been satisfied about that. So in the afternoon we worked most with race set up. I suppose a race pace maybe around 2’03″ and in such condition I’ll be able to stay with the leaders. Tomorrow I’ll start from the second row, I have to hope for a good start and du the first few laps well, but if I’ll be able to stay with the leading group I’ve seen that in race condition I can have the same pace.” Jakub Smrz in Superbike has not been to catch the Superpole, but in the decisive qualifying session he’s been actually unlucky. “We got a small trouble and we could recover it just at the end of the session, when it was too late.” commented Jakub Smrz rejoining the garage. “In the afternoon, during free practice session, I improved clearly my lap time, and for tomorrow I believe to be able to fight for the points. Of course I was hoping to start from a better position, and with just a whisker of fortune I could be able to do it.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: ‘MR SUPERPOLE’ DOES IT AGAIN! There is a reason where Troy is called ‘Mr Superpole’ and today he once again showed why he has been given that title. Despite this being the very first race weekend with a new bike and a new team and despite a crash in the afternoon session just before Superpole, Troy stormed round the 5.380 Km Qatar circuit in 1:58.402 – one and a half seconds inside the lap record! And all this was achieved with a very sore left hand, hurt when the hand was trapped under the bike when Troy fell in the second turn this afternoon! TROY – 1st, 1:58.402 I’ve had two crashes this weekend and that’s two too many for me! This afternoon, I just tipped off at turn two when my Yamaha came round on me and down I went. My left hand was caught under the bar and then the clip-on broke and my hand got jammed in the fairing and it was that or the track that gave it a thump. I may have broken a small bone in the top of the hand, but I can work my fingers and wrist OK and it didn’t give me any trouble at all on my Superpole lap. I’m pretty happy with how the bike is working, especially after we made some adjustments to the fork settings today. It’s something Nori has been working on and I’ve tried it today and it’s an improvement for sure. I’ll fine-tune it to my own feelings and that should pretty much be it. I know what tyres I’m going to use, so it’s just a case of getting a couple of good starts and following up with a couple of good results. It was good to win Superpole today, but I was honestly just making sure of a front row grid place. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Corser on pole as 2007 R1 continues impressive debut Troy Corser lived up to his reputation as the king of superpole in Qatar today, setting a blistering lap time to grab pole position for his first races with the Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team. The new-for-2007 YZF-R1 has made an immediate impact in its first world championship outing with Noriyuki Haga setting the pace yesterday and Corser taking pole today. Haga continued his great form in superpole and will join his team-mate on the front row for tomorrow’s races. Corser, who will sit on pole for the 39th time tomorrow, didn’t have the ideal preparation for his superpole lap after crashing at the end of the preceding free practice session. The Australian rider had gone out to test the soft qualifying tyre used for superpole but slid off as he entered the second turn. His job looked doubly difficult when superbike newcomer Max Biaggi (Suzuki) became the first man to record a sub 1:59 lap time in superpole. Corser, who elected to run a tried and tested race tyre rather than the super-sticky qualifier, simply put the crash behind him and stormed to a 1:58.402 lap – one-third of a second quicker than the Italian and the fastest ever superbike time around the Losail circuit. Team-mate Haga was delighted to secure an all-important front row start for tomorrow’s 18-lap races. The Japanese star also opted not to use the softer qualifying tyre, preferring to use the softest race option instead. Haga’s lap was, by his own admission, less than perfect but the combination of the R1’s power and Haga’s own skill and determination helped him stop the clock in 1:59.294, good enough for fourth place on tomorrow’s grid. Team YZF Yamaha rider Shinichi Nakatomi was the first rider to set off on his superpole lap after ending the two hours of qualifying in 16th position. The Japanese rider was unable to improve his time or qualifying position and will start the races from the fourth row after recording a time of 2:02.301. Despite failing to go faster on the soft superpole tyre, Nakatomi feels he has a good set up for the races and can make up positions as he regularly did last season. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “I’m delighted to get the pole, although I think that Yamaha and the team are even more excited! You always just go out to have a clean lap and not make any mistakes. The front row is what you want but pole is always a nice bonus. “I had a little crash just before the superpole. I went out on the qualifier and I don’t really know what happened. I guess that I was probably taking it too easy because the back end just slid away as I turned in for the second corner. It was unfortunate. I got caught out yesterday as well, when went down on some oil, but I’m thankful that I slid down the way I did, because it could have been a nasty highside. “It’s a new bike and Nori and I are working really well together in the box. We’re both doing our own things but we’re also sharing a lot of information, especially on the suspension settings and tyre selections, to get the best out of the bike. I’ve got a really good feeling with the team and even though we’ve only been working together a short time we’re working together well and it can only get better. The track is getting better the more we ride on it and I thought the tyres worked pretty well today. I did a lot of laps with James (Toseland) in practice and our lap times were pretty good. If we can make a good tyre choice then I think we should be up the front tomorrow.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “I’m very happy to be on the front row. During the superpole I made a mistake with my braking early in the lap, so I pushed hard and made another small mistake. But the lap time was good and the front row is always the target. We did a lot of work on the suspension today as we are trying to get the maximum from the tyre in race condition and I think that we can feel the benefit of this tomorrow.” Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) “I think we are ready for the races. This is what we concentrate on during the practice and I have been able to make lots of consistent laps. We are learning more about this new bike all the time and I think we can improve more tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team) “We did not really expect to make the pole after Troy’s crash but he was very focused and did a great job. Noriyuki’s superpole lap was also done on the soft race tyre, rather than the qualifier, because he prefers to use this. So Troy on pole and Nori on the front row is a great result for the team and I hope we can continue the good results in the races tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Steve Martin’s publicist: Steve Martin Qualifies 17th in Qatar Steve Martin will start tomorrow’s opening race of the 2007 World Superbike season in Qatar from the fifth row of the grid, after missing out on superpole by just three tenths of a second with his time of 2:01.359. Having not been able to ride his Honda at another circuit other than Valencia prior to yesterday’s opening day of the championship, the Aussie spent much of his time during the two free practice and qualifying sessions concentrating on bike set up for the 5.4km desert circuit of Losail. Steve commented, “It’s really good to be back in the paddock and on track in a race weekend environment again. Whilst I’m not overly happy with my qualifying position on the grid for tomorrow’s races as 17th just isn’t where I want to be, I am encouraged that I was able to go faster during every session on track over the last two days and also posted 12th in the timesheet during this afternoon’s second free practice. “We’ve made a number of changes to the set up and tested different clutch settings, with the 2007 spec rear shock and new electronics package also fitted for this race, so it just takes a lot of time to work though everything and get the bike working as a whole package. “And we’re still waiting for some further new development parts so things are definitely heading in the right direction. With comfortably warm temperatures, rather than the sweltering heat experienced in the past at Losail, Steve completed a long distance run in the afternoon with consistent lap times to establish a good direction for final tweaks to his Honda overnight, in readiness for tomorrow’s races. “The long run highlighted that we need to do some more work on the bike’s turning, so we’ve got some changes to make overnight in that area to try during warm up tomorrow morning, as well as making a few tweaks to the set up to try and give the tyres a slightly easier time. “I’m not 100% confident with the bike set up at the moment, but it’s building all the time and I think that completing two race distances on the Honda in race conditions tomorrow will make me feel much more comfortable, having experienced its handling and characteristics then in a full range of situations. Talking about Losail, Steve said, “It’s a pretty easy circuit to learn and this is the third year we’ve raced here. But it doesn’t matter how many times you go round, if you are not on the ball it’s easy to make a mistake as there are a lot of turns that look the same. About Losail The Losail International Circuit, purpose-built on the outskirts of the capital city of Doha, was constructed in little over a year after an investment of some $58 million USD and round-the-clock dedication of up to 1,000 workers. The track itself is a flowing layout of 5.4 kilometres, featuring a long main straight of 1100 metres, surrounded by artificial grass designed to prevent sand from the neighbouring desert from blowing onto the circuit. What happened for Steve in 2006? Just four months after major kidney surgery, Steve valiantly qualified in 9th at the opening round of the season, just four hundredths of a second off the second row of the grid. Steve’s qualifying lap time was three seconds faster than his quickest lap at the Losail circuit in 2005, providing an indication of the progress he had made in developing the Petronas during that period. In race one, Steve unfortunately dropped a number of places on the fifth lap after hitting neutral going into the hairpin, but he fought back to take 18th place at the chequered flag, followed by a further 18th place finish in race two. What happened for Steve in 2005? Steve was denied a double points-scoring weekend when an engine failure on the penultimate lap of the second race denied him the chance to repeat his first race position of 15th.