FIM Superbike World Championship Magny-Cours, France October 3, 2010 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 23 laps, 38:11.343 2. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (Yamaha YZF-R1), -0.087 second 3. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Ducati 1098F10), -3.715 seconds 4. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -4.004 5. Noriyuki HAGA, Japan (Ducati 1098F10), -15.471 6. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -18.378 7. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -21.180 8. Shane BYRNE, Great Britain (Ducati 1098R), -23.055 9. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), -25.657 10. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -27.781 11. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -28.206 12. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (Honda CBR1000RR), -44.634 13. Ian LOWRY, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -64.181 14. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -76.446 15. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -6 laps, DNF, crash 16. Roger HAYDEN, USA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -14 laps, DNF, retired 17. James TOSELAND, Great Britain (Yamaha YZF-R1), -19 laps, DNF, crash 18. Troy CORSER, Australia (BMW S1000RR), -19 laps, DNF, retired 19. Fabrizio LAI, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), -19 laps, DNF, retired 20. Ruben XAUS, Spain (BMW S1000RR), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 26 of 26 races): 1. Biaggi, 451 2. Haslam, 376 3. Checa, 297 4. Rea, 292 5. Crutchlow, 284 6. Haga, 258 7. Guintoli, 197 8. Fabrizio, 195 9. Toseland, 187 10. Byrne, 169 11. Corser, 165 12. Camier, 164 13. Smrz, 110 14. Sykes, 106 15. Xaus, 96 16. Lanzi, 88 17. Scassa, 85 18. Neukirchner, 54 19. TIE, Hayden/Chris Vermeulen, 10 21. TIE, Lowry/Broc Parkes/Baiocco, 9 24. Josh Brookes, 6 25. TIE, Federico Sandi/Sheridan Morais/Andrew Pitt, 3 28. Lai, 2 More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Sunny in the morning, overcast and windy in the afternoon. Temperature: Air: 21 – 26 °C, Track: 21 – 36 °C Number of riders participating: 21 from 13 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Racing) 1:38.781 min Fastest lap Race 2: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Racing) 1:38.879 min In Magny-Cours (FRA), Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport experienced a tough end to what was overall a successful second season in the 2010 FIM Superbike World Championship. Ruben Xaus (ESP) and Troy Corser (AUS) posted a total of eight top-five-finishes, and Troy clinched the team’s first pole position and podium finishes. In the championship standings Troy finished 11th (165 points) and Ruben finished 15th (106 points). In the manufacturers’ standings BMW ended the season sixth with 201 points (2009: 141 points). In race 1, Ruben crashed on his third lap in turn 2 after hitting a bump. Troy was fighting with the top guys when the engine of his BMW S 1000 RR lost power after eight laps. Troy parked the bike. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) won the race. After consultation with team doctor, Dr. Vincenzo Tota, the team management and Ruben jointly decided for the Spanish rider not to participate in race 2. The entire team wants to thank Ruben for his commitment and focus and wish him all the best for his future. Troy started race 2 well, but had to stop early with gearbox issues. Max Biaggi (ITA) won the final race of the 2010 season. In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Team BMW Motorrad Italia STK rider Ayrton Badovini finished off a superb season with another great result. After having won the first nine races of the season, he finished the race in Magny-Cours second. During warm-up, the Italian was involved in a crash. His left calf was crushed, and subsequently he was in pain. Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director BMW Motorrad, says: “Our heartiest congratulations to Ayrton and Team BMW Motorrad Italia STK for this unbelievable season. They were in a class of their own, dominating the season from the very beginning. This performance proves both the superiority of Ayrton and the BMW S 1000 RR as a production motorcycle in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup.” Troy Corser: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Result Race 1: DNF / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:39.391 min Result Race 2: DNF / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:41.159 min “It has been a really hard weekend for us. We have had some issues with the set-up which has prevented us from taking advantage of two good starts in today’s races. Sadly a technical issue brought an early end to both races, but I know we have the package to succeed in the long term. On the whole it has been a good year for the team, and we can now look forward to next year and developing the 2011 bike. Hopefully we can learn from today and improve so we are ready for the start of next season. I would like to thank the entire team for all their hard work and commitment over the season and I am really looking forward to next year.” Ruben Xaus: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Result Race 1: DNF / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:40.166 min Result Race 2: DNS “This is not the way I want to finish the season, and I am really sad. Nevertheless, I am not 100 per cent physically fit, and we decided jointly it would be better for me not to start race 2. I will now recover to be ready for the challenges ahead.” Berthold Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director): “Unfortunately we have suffered some bad luck over the last couple of races. Our results did not really reflect the potential of the riders, the team and the bike. We will keep our heads up and look into the future positively. I want to thank Ruben on behalf of the entire team for his commitment. We wish him all the best. Nevertheless, as soon as one season is over another begins: On Tuesday we will test here in Magny-Cours – for the first time with our new rider line-up. Not only Troy, but also Leon Haslam will ride the BMW S 1000 RR. We want to thank Suzuki Alstare, and in particular Francis and Patricia Batta, for the early release of Leon. Their cooperation has been extraordinary. We really appreciate their magnanimous gesture.” More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Crutchlow and Biaggi take wins on final day Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) shared the race wins this weekend, the last one of the 2010 season. The action did not disappoint even if the championship was decided last weekend in favour of Biaggi, and throughout the field the final championship ranking places were still up for grabs. Max helped win the Manufacturers’ Championship for Aprilia, and in winning race two took his overall win score in 2010 to an appropriate ten. Aprilia won the Manufacturers’ title by 47 points. Race one podium man Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) ended his season with 376 points to Biaggi’s 451, but Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) ended up moving into third, despite the brave efforts in race one of injured rider Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) who had to pull out of race two. Checa now finishes with 297 points, Rea has 292 and after taking a win and a second today, Crutchlow is fifth, only eight points behind Rea. Noriyuki Haga ended his final day in his current team sixth in the standings, on 258 points. Despite being excluded from race one for ignoring a ride-through penalty, Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) went fourth in race two and seventh overall. He ended his rookie WSBK season two points ahead of race two podium finisher, Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox). James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) dropped to overall ninth, after two no-scores today. Tenth in the rankings was Shane Byrne (Althea Racing Ducati) after Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) no scored today, and finished 11th. Tom Sykes was top Kawasaki rider again, in today’s races and the championship itself, taking his official Kawasaki Racing Team machine to 14th in the rankings. Race 1 Crutchlow had an eventually lonely win, by 3.779 seconds, in the first race at Magny-Cours but an intense battle behind went to Haslam and Checa as they passed Biaggi for the final podium places in the final chicane. In fourth Biaggi still scored enough points to give Aprilia the Manufacturers’ Championship. Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Aprilia) was fifth. Cal Crutchlow: “It was a weird race for me really, leading from the front for most of the race. I didn’t think anybody would break away, Max seemed to be holding the group up so I though let’s get in front of him. I thought he or the group would come with me, but managed to pull out a gap. All credit to Sterilgarda Yamaha, we did a good job in this race.” Leon Haslam: “We’ve not had the best of weekends, qualifying in tenth place but I got a good start and had a fantastic battle with loads of different guys. To catch Max and be in that position on the last lap I had to have a go. Imola was going through my mind, the first race when I went off, but I made it stick this time and I’m really happy for Alstare and the boys.” Carlos Checa: “A big thanks to Leon for the third place! It was an exciting race and I thought I could get the podium, I was fighting for second and Max passed me and Leon, I got involved in that group but it was difficult. After I see the fighting between Leon and Max, I see Max open the line, touch the corner and I thought this is my opportunity, I had better drive and on the exit I got the third place. It was fantastic, a real surprise and a nice result.” Results (with Pirelli Race Tyre Selection (Front/Rear): 1.Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 38’15.586 (159,101 kph) (C/A); 2.Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 3.779 (B/A); 3.Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 4.261 (B/B); 4.Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 4.416 (B/A); 5. Smrz J. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.476 (B/A); 6.Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 11.866 (A/A); 7.Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 16.390 (A/A); 8.Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 21.669 (C/A); 9.Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 22.065 (B/A); 10.Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 22.281 (A/A); 11.Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 26.748 (B/A); 12.Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 35.608 (C/A); 13.Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 39.929 (C/A); 14.Lowry I. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 54.836 (A/A); 15.Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’07.191 (C/A); 16.Lai F. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’14.632 (A/A) Race 2 Biaggi underlined his championship status with a win in race two, holding off a determined Crutchlow by only 0.087 seconds after 23 laps of close action. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team) pushed his way past Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) in the final chicane entry to take third. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) was fifth. Max Biaggi: “My condition was bad all weekend, I had a bit of high fever. Race 1 was not so bad but I couldn’t breathe properly. Race 2 I wanted to finish on the podium, I pushed very hard, had a little moment half-way through. I tried to not make any mistakes. We wanted to make a good result for the end of the year and I’m proud of helping Aprilia to win the Manufacturers’ title.” Cal Crutchlow: “It was a close race, enjoyable for me. I had to catch up from a bad start. All credit to Max he rode fantastic. It was an incredible race win, I couldn’t do anything about it. He won the championship so to be battling with him at the end it’s been good for me. I came into the championship with high expectations, and I’m pleased with the fifth place overall.” Michel Fabrizio: “It was a great battle with Guintoli. I really wanted the podium both for myself and for my team, so I could finish the season off well with them. I’d like to thank Ducati for the last three years, as well as the team, it’s been great. Now I have to look to the future!” Results: 1.Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38’11.343 (159,396 kph); 2.Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 0.087; 3.Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 3.715; 4.Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 4.004; 5.Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 15.471; 6.Smrz J. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18.378; 7.Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 21.180; 8.Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 23.055; 9.Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 25.657; 10.Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 27.781; 11.Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 28.206; 12.Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 44.634; 13.Lowry I. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’04.181; 14.Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’16.446 Points (after 13 rounds of 13): 1. Biaggi 451; 2. Haslam 376; 3.Checa 297; 4.Rea 292; 5. Crutchlow 284; 6. Haga 258; 7. Guintoli 197;8.Fabrizio 195; 9.Toseland 187; 10.Byrne 169 Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 471; 2. Ducati 424; 3.Suzuki 412; 4.Yamaha 352; 5.Honda 313; 6. BMW 201; 7. Kawasaki 113 Pirelli Race Tyre Selection (Front/Rear): All riders on same solutions with the exception of Lanzi and Lai who changed to the “C” front and Hayden who changed to the “B” front for Race 2. World Supersport Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) won his second Supersport World Championship after finishing second behind Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) today. Sofuoglu ends the season with 263 points, Laverty 252. In a thrilling race for Chaz Davies (Triumph BE-1 ParkinGO) he passed several riders on the final laps to take third in the race, and fourth in the championship, behind injured and absent Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Joan Lascorz. Michele Pirro (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) is fifth in the points, on a total of 99. There were four race winners this year, the leading ‘big three’ and Pirro, who took his win last time out in Imola. Results: 1.Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 37’46.575 (154,132 kph); 2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR).Honda CBR600RR.4.769; 3.Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 17.658; 4.Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 20.412; 5.Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 20.559; 6.Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 21.200; 7.Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 25.051; 8.Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 25.174; Points (after 13 rounds of 13): 1. Sofuoglu 263; 2. Laverty 252; 3. Lascorz 168; 4. Davies 153; 5.Pirro 99; 6. Salom 99; 7.Harms 98; 8. Roccoli 84; 9.Rea 83; 10. Fujiwara 81. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 320; 2. Kawasaki 211; 3. Triumph 168; 4. Yamaha 37 Superstock 1000 Maxime Berger (Hannspree Ten Kate Junior Honda) pushed hard from the start and took his reward with his first win of the year, the first time this season that champion Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italy Superstock) has been beaten in a race. Badovini was second today, 4.7 seconds back, while front row starter Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Junior Team BMW) was third. In the points, Badovini fishes the season with 245, and Berger is second, on 147. Results: 1.Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 23’52.988 (155,14 kph); 2.Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 4.722; 3.Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 10.258; 4.Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 15.130; 5.Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 25.214; 6.Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 29.120; 7.Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 29.780; 8.Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 29.879; Points (after 9 rounds of 10): 1. Badovini 245; 2. Berger 147; 3. Magnoni 98; 4.Antonelli 98; 5. Giugliano 94; 6. Barrier 87; 7.Zanetti 66; 8.Baz 65; 9. Petrucci 63; 10. Baroni 54. Manufacturers: 1. BMW 245; 2. Honda 190; 3. Suzuki 110; 4.Ducati 92; 5.Yamaha 67; 6. Kawasaki 66; 7.KTM 39; 8. Aprilia 21 More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsports Kawasaki: Strong finishes for seasons end for Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Racing Team rider’s Tom Sykes and Ian Lowry had four point scoring finishes to end the 2010 World Superbike Championship at Magny Cours in France on a high. Twenty-five-year-old Tom Sykes, rode two challenging races today to finish his season with an eighth in race one followed by an eleventh place in race two from a thirteenth grid position. The Yorkshireman has had an amazing run of good form on the Kawasaki ZX-10R over the last three races and can now officially confirm his presence with the Paul Bird Motorsport Team for 2011. Starting from eighteenth on the grid, Northern Irishman Ian Lowry put in an outstanding performance at the French circuit bringing the bike home in fourteenth and thirteenth places in the two 23-lap races. Lowry showed immense improvement over the weekend and was happy to complete his wild-card opportunity on the Kawasaki machine having achieved his target of two point scoring finishes. Tom Sykes finished the 2010 Hannspree World Superbike season in a deserving fourteenth place with 106 points in front of a crowd of 81,500. Tom will commence his testing schedule on 5-6 October this week on the new 2011 Ninja alongside the recent retired World Supersport star, Katsu Fujiwara who will commence his role as the 2011 official Kawasaki test rider. Further details of the 2011 Kawasaki Racing Team plan will be announced later this week. Tom Sykes: “Overall we’ve completed this weekend with two point scoring finishes and some decent results. We knew it was going to be difficult to repeat our Imola results but we’ve managed to improve on our qualifying position in both races which was my target. This circuit has a lot of changes of direction which is a challenge for our package but having said that I gave it my all and I don’t think we could have achieved much more. I’d like to thank Paul Bird Motorsport, Kawasaki and the lads, for putting in an outstanding effort this year. I think we have done a great job. I’m now looking forward to continuing my partnership with Paul Bird Motorsport and Kawasaki for 2011.” Ian Lowry: “I’m happy to have achieved two point scoring finishes today as that was mine and the Teams target at the start of the weekend. We had a few niggling issues and an up-and-down qualifying but more time on the bike would have ironed out a few problems but it’s the end of the season now so we’ll have to settle for the job done today. It’s been a great experience for me to work with this Team and race in World Superbikes for the last part of the season and I’d like to thank Paul Bird personally for giving me this opportunity and I hope that I have done a reasonable job.” Paul Bird Team Owner: “It’s been a challenging year for us but I’m pleased the way we have completed the season with some strong point scoring finishes. It’s an end of an era for the existing ZX-10R machine and I feel that the Team has done the best job possible and we can now look forward to the beginning of the 2011 Kawasaki Racing Team set-up. Young Ian Lowry has done a great job for the team over the past few weeks and I would like to thank him for his contribution and his positive spirit. The Team has been in negotiations with Tom Sykes for the past couple of weeks and I’m delighted to announce that he will remain contracted to the Paul Bird Motorsport for 2011. Tom has done an outstanding job for Kawasaki this year and he is a big part of the Teams future in World Superbikes. We have a busy test schedule planned over the winter and we look forward to returning to the World Superbike Championship next year to be as competitive as we possibly can.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: LEON TAKES SUPERB PODIUM IN RACE 1. SYLVAIN JUST MISSES OUT IN RACE 2. The title might already have been decided but Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli gave everything they had at Magny-Cours today and acquitted themselves very well. Leon fought his way to runner-up spot in the first race after a battling up from seventh on lap 1. Towards the end, he was locked in a dogfight with Max Biaggi (Aprilia), but managed to overtake him just two corners from the end of the final lap and make it stick. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) won the race and Carlos Checa (Ducati) also got the better of Biaggi to finish third. Sylvain was second at the end of the opening lap, and remained in the top six throughout the 23-lapper, but was disqualified for ignoring a black flag. Sylvain started race 2 as if he was on fire. The Frenchman led the first eight laps and it looked as if his first podium was on the cards. He dropped to fourth after 16 laps but hustled his way back into contention in the final stages only to be thwarted by Michel Fabrizio (Ducati). Biaggi won the race by the narrowest of margins, with Crutchlow second and Fabrizio third. After race 1, Leon knew that another podium was a possibility, despite his third row grid position. His start was not particularly good, but he began attacking the leaders and he looked on course for podium number 14. But, on lap 6, Toseland highsided in front of him and Leon had to take to the grass to avoid hitting his fellow countryman. By the time he rejoined the track, he was in 16th place, but a lap later he was already up to 13th. From then on in, Leon was on a charge, but the leaders were too far ahead. In the end, he finished 10th. Leon – Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 10th The first race was the kind of race I love. Full of fighting and everything on the line. I am so happy to get second and so happy to have beaten Max. On the last lap, Max defended his line going into the final two turns, but I was determined to get the better of him and dived underneath him! That surprised him and he wasn’t able to recover in time. It was a pretty hard move, but racing’s a hard game and sometimes you just have to be tough. I was particularly happy to get on the podium because I didn’t get a very good start. I had just worked away and gradually got back into contention. Throughout the whole race I had to make some pretty odd moves, but that’s what I had to do to get into the situation of challenging for the podium. The championship might have been over, but I always want to win races and that’s what I set about doing. So, although I was on row three of the grid, I knew that a podium was also a possibility in race two. That is until, JT’s highside right in front of me! All weekend, he’s been riding a bit desperate. The third row of the grid is one thing, but finding yourself in 16th, with the pack long gone is another matter because I had lost so much time going on the grass after avoiding JT. Tenth is not how I wanted to season to end, but that’s racing. It’s been a great year. I only had a couple of DNFs – one my fault and one not – and I’ve scored 14 podiums. I’m very happy with the season and would like to thank everybody at Alstare Suzuki for all their hard work and support. They made this all possible – the best season I’ve ever had! Sylvain – Race 1: Disqualified, Race 2: 4th Too be honest, I’m absolutely gutted! I fought like an animal today and half my effort was ruined because of a black flag. That was in race 1, when I was happily fighting in the top four. I did accidentally cut part of a chicane, but made sure I didn’t gain any positional advantage, but it seems that I was supposed to rejoin in some marked area. I didn’t see any area, so just assumed all was OK. Later the black flag with my number came out, but by then it was too late. I got disqualified because I was adjudged to have not respected the black flag. Race 2 is why I race. It was brilliant! I made a great start and led the first eight laps. I was comfortable in the lead, in fact I felt more comfortable in the front than when I am in a pack of riders. I had a really good battle with Fabrizio in the closing stages. We must have overtaken each other four times on just one lap! Also, he hit me a couple of times, but it was all just a good fight. I did my best to get past him and stay there, but just couldn’t manage it. I’m very disappointed not to have got on the podium. I’ve had a fantastic season. I have learnt so much from this team. They’ve pushed me , made me change as a rider (for the better) and helped me grow. I have felt part of the Alstare family from the beginning and I would like to thank Francis and the whole team for this wonderful experience. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: Magny-Cours, 3rd October 2010 a podium and the third position in the final championship standings. With these two results the Magny-Cours weekend comes to a close for the Althea Racing Team, and its riders Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne. The Italian squad, captained by Genesio Bevilacqua returns from the French track with two strong results in the bag, both achieved by Spanish rider Checa. In Race 1 he powered his Ducati to a podium finish, taking third just before the line, by passing Max Biaggi; Checa’s eighth podium of a very positive season, characterized by three race wins, four seconds and a third place finish. In Race 2, having not made the best start, the 37-year old rider moved up to ninth position, going after the points he needed to finish third in the standings, behind world champion Biaggi and Leon Haslam. “Race 1 was fantastic”, said Carlos. “We put on a great performance and in the end I was able to profit from Max’s error, also thanks to the fact that I took a totally different line to him. It was a tight race, I tried to make up ground in my braking while the four cylinders gained in acceleration. At a certain point I thought that I had got away from them but they were straight back again and we fought for the podium until the very last metre. In the second race, after a difficult start, I made up positions and in the end was able to take enough points to secure third place in the championship. I am very happy, and thank the team, the sponsors and everyone that has been close to us during a 2010 full of satisfaction”. Two top ten finishes also for Shane Byrne, who closes his experience with the Althea Racing Team in the best possible way. The English rider, on board his 1198, achieved a ninth and eighth place finish which rendered his weekend a positive one and allowed him to finish inside the top ten with regard to the final standings. Thanks to today’s results he concludes the 2010 championship in tenth position. “In the first race I got away well but after a few corners I ran over oil and risked landing on the ground”, said Shane. “I lost a lot of positions but then I managed to pick up speed again to close in the top ten. In the second race, after a quick start, I was able to do even better. Of course I would have liked to finish my year with Althea by rewarding my team with a podium but I cannot be too disappointed because I know I gave 100%. I thank the team, my technicians and our sponsors.” “Today, for a small team such as ours, we have achieved an historic result”, says Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea Racing. “I particularly want to thank Carlos for having had faith in our team. We in turn had faith in him and together we have achieved great things. I thank every member of the team, they have demonstrated their professionalism, and all of our sponsors, especially Unibat, for having believed in our ambitious project. I would also like to thank Ducati; they did everything they could to allow us to achieve these results and have persuaded us to race with the 1198 again in 2011.” Genesio Bevilacqua and all of Team Althea Racing’s staff would like to offer their condolences to Maria and Valentina, after learning of the death of Alberto Fantini, International Race Director, owner of “Sport Promotion” and FMI colleague. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes Eighth And Eleventh At Final Round WSBK, Magny-Cours, France, 3 October 2010 Tom Sykes ended his season with strong points scores and a championship classification of 14th at the final round in France, after he started each 23-lap race from the third row. Sykes rode hard in the dry conditions on raceday and took away result he felt were as much as could be achieved at this particular circuit with the current race package. Ian Lowry was a points scorer in each race, 14th in the first and 13th in the second, giving him his best weekend so far, if not his single strongest finish. That was 12th in race one, in Germany, at round 11. The weekend crowd of over 80,000 were treated to an entertaining season finale, with race one taken by Cal Crutchlow and race two won by Max Biaggi, and with both Kawasaki riders battling with others throughout. Tom Sykes: “It was not the easiest weekend we had all year, but we improved on our qualifying position which is always a good target to meet. Overall I was not expecting to set the world on fire this weekend but the boys put in a lot of effort and I think we have achieved as much as we could have achieved this weekend. We got the best from the package. This year we have done more than we thought we were going to, but a lot of that was down to the massive effort the whole team and Kawasaki has put in. “ Ian Lowry: “In the points with 14th in the 13th in the last race and I am pretty happy, and the team is happy too. It is the same old thing I have been saying each race; I would just need some more time on the bike. I have really enjoyed my time with the team and I would like to thank Kawasaki and everyone involved or giving me this opportunity. It has been brilliant and I hope I have done a reasonable enough job for them.” More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Frustrating end to Rea’s World Superbike season Jonathan Rea was forced to sit out today’s second and final World Superbike race of 2010 at Magny-Cours in France after injuries sustained in a warm-up crash exacerbated those from last weekend at Imola in Italy. Rea had confounded many with a steely determination to contest this weekend’s final races at the 4.411km Magny-Cours circuit. A specially-constructed cast supported his fractured wrist, while twice-daily strapping by the Clinica Mobile, protected his injured shoulder. However, an innocuous clamp on a water hose broke on his second lap of morning warm-up, spraying water on to the rear wheel of his Honda CBR1000RR which resulted in a high-speed crash. Rea sustained additional injuries to his right shoulder and gluteus-maximus. The gutsy 23-year-old from Northern Ireland was determined to fight to hold on to his third place in the championship standings and finished in 12th place in the opening 23-lap race. But the effort exhausted Rea both physically and mentally, and a joint decision with his team saw him sitting out race two. His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, brought his own Fireblade home in the points in both outings, but 13th and 12th places were not the way we had wanted to finish his season with the team. Jonathan Rea 12th and DNS It’s not been a great weekend in Magny-Cours but my championship was pretty much over at Imola with the injuries I picked up there. My surgeon back in Manchester said it would be a pretty dumb idea to ride here but that it would cause no more injuries, only pain. The plastic cast they made helped to get me out there and I had quite good pace, but not for more than three or four laps. Then we had a bit of a freak accident in warm-up this morning with one of the hose clamps on the water pump coming loose and putting water all over the back tyre. It caused me to ha ve a big high-side and I landed on my ass, which really hurt. It wasn’t so bad and they patched me up pretty well but race one just drained all my energy and concentration and I was in quite a lot of pain. The difference between third and fourth was not that much and I know this is a winning team and I’m a winning rider. I learned a lot last year, which I brought to this, and a lot this year which I’ll take into next. I’m going under the knife on Tuesday to start the repairs, so I just want to thank all the team and my fans who have made me strong. Max Neukirchner 13th and 12th Of course today I finished in the points twice, but like most of this season I didn’t really find a good feeling with the bike. In the beginning there were some problems with grip levels and some electronics problems in race one. Of course, it has been a difficult season for all of us and I hope next season will go b etter. I’d like to say thank you to all the guys in the team, who are great. The relationship has always been really good, but the bike and I didn’t really work together very well. Ronald ten Kate team manager With the injuries he sustained at Imola, we always knew Jonathan was going to have a difficult weekend. I was all going relatively OK until warm-up this mornig when he had quite a big off which was not his mistake. Unfortunately a water-hose clamp snapped and put water on the tyre and in the crash, Jonathan hurt his right side, which meant there was no side of him without pain. Even so, he was determined to try to defend third place in the championship in race one, but for race two we decided jointly to pull him out. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty this weekend and put more into it than any rider could. It’s not good to lose third in the championship but from the next race on, the a im is not third but first. Max couldn’t end the season in the way he and the team would have hoped. We have had a tough season together but the co-operation between us has been such that it never led to any frustration. We’ve all kept our heads and kept working together and we’d like to wish him all the best for next season and beyond More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Dry track and sunny weather conditions today in Magny Cours for the last round of the World Superbike championship and the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. Sixth row for Hayden and fifth row for Baiocco in today’s Superbike 23 laps races. In race one Baiocco obtained a good fifteenth position, reaching one point for the championship standing. Hayden was forced to re-enter the box due to some technical problem. In race two another good result for Baiocco who reached the fourteenth position and two more points for his championship standing. Hayden was again forced to stop his race during the fifteenth laps, due to some brake problems. Superbike race 1: 1) Crutchlow (Yamaha) 2) Haslam (Suzuki) 3) Checa (Ducati) – 4) Biaggi (Aprilia) 5) Smrz (Aprilia) “¦.. 15) Baiocco (Kawasaki) RET Hayden (Kawasaki). Superbike race 2 : 1) Biaggi (Aprilia) 2) Crutchlow (Yamaha) 3) Fabrizio (Ducati) 4) Guintoli (Suzuki) – 5) Haga (Ducati)”¦.. 14) Baiocco (Kawasaki) RET Hayden (Kawasaki). Roger Lee Hayden :”Two difficult races for me today. In race one I had to re-enter the box because of some technical problems. Unfortunately we had some brake problems also during the fifteenth lap of the second race which prevented me from getting a good position and some points for my championship standing. I am very disappointed because we could have fought for a good result here and I’m sorry for my team because we didn’t finish with a good result. I want to thank all my crew for their great job during the entire Superbike season”. Matteo Baiocco :”I’m pretty satisfied with my today results. In race one I fought in a group of three riders and finally I reached the fifteenth position. In race two my rhythm was more fast and I obtained the fourteenth place. Three points in two races is a good result and I’m happy also for my team. These were the last two races of the season and so I want to thank and I want to thanks the guys in the team who have done a great job during the full racing season”. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: CLOSE OUT THE 2010 SEASON IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE. Magny Cours (France), 3 October 2010 With the victory won by Max Biaggi, brand new World SBK champion, the triumphant march of the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team comes to an end after conquering all of the titles on the table in their second year on the track with the new RSV4. Max Biaggi’s French performance was magnificent in spite of his battle with the flu which troubled him all weekend. In the second race, which ended with a well deserved victory, the Roman champion dug deep to steal the game ball from his rivals who were riding faster and faster. After starting from the fourth block of the grid, Max dictated the pace right away moving into the lead position in the ninth lap and then imposing his pace, resisting attacks first by Guintoli and later by Crutchlow. Today’s victory is Max’s tenth of the season, truly excellent spoils for the Corsair. With the 25 points in Race 2 and his fourth place in Race 1, Max brings his world championship points to a total of 451, 75 more than Haslam and 154 more than Carlos Checa. Aprilia soars to the top of the manufacturer standings with 47 points over Ducati, 59 over Suzuki, 119 over Yamaha, followed by Honda, BMW and Kawasaki. The spectacular year ends with a first place for the Team championship at 615 points, that is the sum of Max’s 451 points and his team-mate Leon Camier’s 164. “Race 2 was really hard confirmed a radiant Max Biaggi We were a lot stronger than in the first race and yet the competition was always right their snapping at our heels. My cold didn’t let up at all and after the halfway point of the race I was struggling to breathe and sincerely couldn’t wait to get to the last lap. It’s nice to end this season with a win after the first place in the rider and manufacturer standings: the celebration was for me at Imola, but today it’s my Team’s turn. They have worked hard and they deserve this success from the mechanics to the engineers from Noale who follow me track after track.” More, from a press release issued by Team PATA/B&G Racing: Jakub Smrz ended the season with two strong races, finishing fifth and sixth respectively. The rider from the Czech Republic rode an attacking race one. Despite dropping to seventh place after the start, he engaged in a duel with Haga, whom he managed to overtake after a few laps. Once he was out of the podium zone, he did a series of fast laps, managing to catch up with the group made up of Fabrizio, Biaggi and Checa. He did however make a mistake and fell back, but did not give up and managed to overtake Fabrizio eventually, finishing fifth. In race 2, Smrz did not make the best start and finished lap one in the middle group, but fought back to take sixth place and was among the fastest in the final part of the race. Lorenzo Baroni did well too to end the season on an excellent sixth place after a tough duel with Lorenzo Zanetti. JAKUB SMRZ | Aprilia RSV4 | 5th , 6th: “I’m satisfied with my performance in both races. Although I took a few hits on the first two laps and lost a few positions, I didn’t give up and fought back twice. I ended the season with two strong races, despite having our ups and downs. We had to start from scratch halfway through but I did some good things nonetheless. I would like to thank the team for their commitment and hard work and I wish them all the best”. LORENZO BARONI | Ducati 1098R | 5th : “I had a ball today and closed the season with another good race. I got better over the ten races of this year, so I would like to thank everybody who helped me improve”. MARCO BORCIANI: “Kuba went very fast today, both the bike and the rider were at their very best and so I was expecting a podium, but unfortunately we weren’t very lucky at the start. I regret that as it’s my first season as team manager with no podium result, but we barely missed that performance today. However, I wish Smrz all the best in his future endeavours, he’s a great human being and very professional at what he does”. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: MICHEL FABRIZIO SCORES FINAL PODIUM FOR THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT MAGNY-COURS Magny-Cours (France), Sunday 4th October: an emotionally charged day for the Ducati Xerox Team that, with riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga, ran its final due World Superbike races this afternoon at the French circuit of Magny-Cours; Fabrizio gave his all to reward the team with one final podium, scoring a third place finish in Race 2, Haga coming home in fifth. Race 1 was challenging for both of the Ducati Xerox riders. Michel made a good start, up in third after the first corners; the first half of his race consisted of a battle for the top three places against Max Biaggi, Cal Crutchlow and Sylvain Guintoli. Fabrizio held third place until the fifteenth lap, after which Carlos Checa and Leon Haslam, lying in fourth and fifth respectively, picked up their pace, managing to get past Michel who was by that point struggling with a lack of front grip. The Italian rider continued to push until the very end but ultimately had to be satisfied with sixth position. Noriyuki on the other hand lost a couple of positions off the line and struggled to catch faster riders ahead of him. By mid-race he had regained some of the lost ground but there was already a three second gap between him and Jakub Smrz, ahead of him in seventh, and he was unable to catch the Czech rider who had a slightly faster pace. The Japanese rider closed Race 1 in seventh position. Similar conditions in Race 2, with a track temperature of 30°C. Both Noriyuki and Michel got away well this time, lying in third and fourth place respectively by the end of the first lap. When Cal Crutchlow got past both of them, Noriyuki lost some ground while Michel was able to maintain a strong pace, fighting against Sylvain Guintoli for the third podium spot for the best part of the race. Fabrizio oscillated between third and fourth place until the last lap when a final attack on the French rider paid off; Michel crossed the line in third, a fraction of a second ahead of Guintoli. Haga held fifth position from the third lap to the finish line, running a solitary race sandwiched between the leaders and chasing group. At the end of the 2010 World Superbike Championship, Noriyuki finishes in sixth position in the riders classification, with 258 points, while Michel Fabrizio closes in eighth, having accumulated 195 points. The team has celebrated victories at Valencia, Kyalami and Nurburgring and thanks also to these results, Ducati finishes second in the manufacturers championship, emphasizing the potential of the Ducati 1198. Today’s races were the last for the Ducati Xerox factory team; as already communicated, Ducati will support satellite teams that participate in the 2011 SBK championship rather than run a factory outfit. Over the last 22 years of competition, Ducati has amassed 16 manufacturer’s titles, 13 rider’s titles and a total of 718 podiums, 291 of which race wins. Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 6th, Race 2 3rd) “The first race didn’t go as planned and front tyre wear gave me a lot of problems, preventing me from catching those ahead. In Race 2 I had a great battle with Guintoli. I was braking as hard and as late as possible in order to make up what I was losing on the straights and I had to attack for third right on the last lap. Sylvain wanted the podium because it’s his home race but I wanted it for my team and to wrap up the last three years with the Ducati Xerox team in the best possible way. I thank Ducati, my entire team, the sponsors and the fans; this is our day and I’m going to enjoy it with my team.” Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 7th, Race 2 5th) “I was expecting a much faster second race to tell the truth. In Race 1 I was having problems with the rear tyre and so I thought that the changes we made before the second race would improve the situation. But in Race 2 it was difficult to push because I didn’t have great balance. Anyway, I want to thank my team. The guys have been absolutely fantastic, especially before yesterday’s Superpole and ahead of this morning’s warm-up when they performed miracles to prepare my bike in time. We close this chapter sadly but for the Ducati Xerox Team I have an incredible respect that I will always carry with me.” Ernesto Marinelli “It has been a very special weekend and race day. In Race 2 I saw in Michel a determination that made me truly proud, proud not just of him but of the entire team, a unique group of people with whom I have had the honour to work for all these years. To change a frame like they did this morning in 45 minutes or to repair a bike in under 30, is an achievement that can only be accomplished by extraordinary people, thanks to their professionalism, ability and coordination. The biggest thanks therefore goes to them, “thanks guys”. Thanks also to Daniele Casolari and Feel Racing that has helped us along this journey full of successes, to Xerox for the six wonderful years of partnership, to Valsir, Shell, TIM and all the other sponsors that have supported us.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: French World Superbike at Magny-Cours Sunday October 3 2010 World Superbike and World Supersport Race Report 4.411km circuit Weather: Dry, bright Temperature 23 to 25 ambient, 28 to 35 track REA FOURTH IN THE OVERALL RANKINGS SOFULOGLU TAKES SUPERSPORT TITLE Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea battled pain from his crash at Imola in race one at Magny-Cours but he was forced to withdraw from race two, and therefore lost the chance to defend his long-term third in the championship standings. He was beaten to an overall top three finish by Carlos Checa, by only five points, 297 to 292. Rea was 12th in race one, having performed a minor miracle to go sixth in Superpole, but after consultation with his team he elected to miss race two, to allow his preparations for 2011 to begin without further complications. He is scheduled to have an operation on his injured left wrist, to fix a torn ligament, on Tuesday 5th October. Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was 13th in race one, 12th in race two, after qualifying 17th on the grid. Max finishes his season 18th overall. Fabrizio Lai (ECHO CRS Honda) had a luckless outing in France, qualifying 20th and then missing the points by one place in race one, after choosing a too-soft front tyre, then being forced out of race two when an engine sensor failed and he lost power. Cal Crutchlow and 2010 champion Max Biaggi won the Magny-Cours races. Sofuoglu The Champion Despite Win for Laverty Pole position qualifier Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) rode a measured and intelligent race at Magny-Cours and took his second world championship as a result, enjoying an 11-point margin over race winner Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) after today’s race. Sofuoglu took second place behind his championship rival Laverty, easing up over the line in celebration of his victory in the points standings. With Laverty second on the grid, the top two men got away together in the race, but Sofuoglu pushed the early pace, waiting for Laverty’s expected charge. Kenan was content to allow the Irish rider to lead him home, as the following riders were too far behind to make a challenge. Sofuoglu won the WSS Championship first time in 2007, for the same Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team he rode for this year. Both riders had reason to be happy today, with Laverty winning an amazing eighth race of a 13-round season, and Sofuoglu taking his 13th podium finish in a row. Overall third in the championship went to Joan Lascorz, who has been out injured since Silverstone, while today’s third place podium rider, Chaz Davies, gained fourth overall. Fifth in the championship rankings after a season of injury-induced lows and a recent high of his first WSS race win, Michele Pirro from the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team, was eighth today, despite problems selecting gears. He had been seventh in qualifying. Intermoto Czech Honda rider Massimo Roccoli qualified eighth but made a decent start to the 22-lap race, and battled for a podium finish throughout, only losing out to the late advance of Davies. Fourth was his best result of the year. He ends his year eighth in the championship, one point and one place ahead of his team-mate Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech Honda) who had to retire with a technical problem on lap 12. Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) arrived in France carrying injures from his first lap Imola crash last weekend, and his pains were added to after a big fall in practice. He qualified 17th but took a top ten in a gritty ride, ending his year 12th. WSBK Rider Comments Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 12th and DNS – 4th overall. “Not a great weekend for me in Magny-Cours but my challenge for third in the championship was pretty much over in Imola when I tore my wrist ligament, chipped my scaphoid and separated my shoulder. I used a plastic cast on my wrist and we had good pace here, but not for more than three or four laps. We had a freak accident when a hose clamp came loose this morning, which put water on the back tyre and I highsided, landing on my backside. Race one took all my energy and concentration so that that drained me physically and mentally. When I sat down and thought about it third place overall was gone at Imola.” Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 13th and 12th – 18th overall. “In race one after two or three laps the grip was gone, but I could brake well. So it was very frustrating to be in that position, behind other riders but not able to catch up to them. In the second race I could not hold the line and get the bike turned, but I enjoyed sliding the bike around at this track. I got points in each race but these are not the results I really wanted.” Fabrizio Lai, ECHO CRS Honda: 16th and DNF 28th overall. “In the first race we chose a soft front tyre and the feeling after the first three laps was bad in the long corners, movement in the front. We had an electronics problem with the camshaft sensor in race two and had to stop.” WSS Rider Comments Kenan Sofuoglu, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 2nd – CHAMPION. “Before the race I knew I was fast enough to win but I knew it was important to make points here. My goal was to get a good start, pull ahead of everybody, and when I looked back after a few laps I saw only Eugene, so I closed the throttle a little bit. The last six laps were very difficult, the second longest race of my life after Brands Hatch in 2007 when I won the title for the first time. It is a great feeling to be World Champion again and I want to say thanks to my team because this year in 13 races I have been 13-times on the podium.” Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda: Winner 2nd overall. “At the beginning Kenan was very fast and I struggled a little bit, and I struggled to figure out where to improve, but once the fuel went down a bit I started to move forwards a bit quicker. After I passed him Kenan rode smart and he knew that there was a big gap back to third position, so he could slow down and still win the championship. To get my eighth win of the year is a great way to finish off two season racing for the Parkalgar Honda team.” Massimo Roccoli, Czech Intermoto Honda: 4th 8th overall. “I tried very hard to get a podium today but in these conditions with not so much grip on the track, Davies was very fast. I made two or three mistakes but I was trying all race to get a podium. Fourth here and ninth overall is not good, but not so bad.” Michele Pirro, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: 8th – 5th overall. “The race was difficult because from the first lap I was unable to get the bike into first gear, which was not easy for the hairpin for sure. I didn’t have a good feeling from the bike and it didn’t feel so fast. OK, I took my first World Supersport win last week and I finished the championship in fifth place, but that’s not where I wanted to be, so I hope that next season can be better. I am very happy for Kenan though, and I am so pleased for him and the team that they won the championship. He has been very fast all season and helped me a lot in my first year with the team.” Gino Rea, Intermoto Czech Honda: DNF 9th overall. “Not too sure what the problems was with the bike but it was a frustrating end to the season. It would have been nice to go out on a podium again and I felt I had the pace to do it. I was just sitting behind Fujiwara and waiting for the end and then I had to pull out.” Miguel Praia, Parkalgar Honda: 10 – 12th overall. “I arrived here with my hands damaged and sore from my Imola crash and then I crashed here in practice at 225kmph, so I hurt all my arm hand again. So it was hard, especially during fast changes in direction and I could not be aggressive. So to finish inside the top ten today in these conditions was not so bad.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Fantastic farewell for Crutchlow with victory at Magny Cours Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike YZF-R1 rider Cal Crutchlow wrapped up his year in the World Superbike Championship in style today, taking two classic podiums with a race win and a second place. The thrilling first race at the Magny Cours circuit saw a seamless performance by Crutchlow. The Moto GP bound rider dealt with his penultimate WSB race in style, taking a clear victory nearly four seconds ahead of closest rider Leon Haslam at the line. Crutchlow had dropped off pole initially to fourth but recovered quickly on the second lap, passing both Sylvain Guintoli and Michele Fabrizio in one clean move to take second behind race leader Max Biaggi. He made his move on Biaggi on lap eight; a sequence of corners saw the two fight for position before Crutchlow closed the door and moved into the lead which he held to the end. Race two saw him drop off the line initially to sixth before moving back through to challenge Sylvain Guintoli for second, eventually passing the French rider on lap 14 and moving on to close down race leader Max Biaggi. The remaining race laps passed with Crutchlow averaging a tiny 0.2 second gap between himself and Biaggi although he was unable to pass for the win, taking his second podium of the day with a well earned second place after crossing the line just 0.087 behind the Italian rider. The fastest lap of both races was taken by Crutchlow, giving him eight fastest race laps for the year, beating Carlos Checa to take the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2010: Fastest Rider of the Year. He leaves the championship in fifth place in the final standings just 13 points adrift of Checa in third. He can also claim Rookie of the Year with three race wins, six Superpoles and ten podiums. Team mate James Toseland made a strong start from 15th on the grid in race one, moving up six places to ninth in just one lap. The British rider then unfortunately lost the front through the Estoril corner and was unable to continue. Race two saw more misfortune for what is also Toseland’s last Yamaha Sterilgarda appearance. A strong start saw him move up to eighth on the first lap, then climb again to sixth which he held until lap four when he crashed coming through the final chicane onto the start finish straight. Toseland wraps up the 2010 World Championship in ninth place in the standings with 187 points. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 2nd) “It was two really close and enjoyable races today. All credit to Max, he rode really well. To have +0 on the board every lap is a big pressure so he did fantastically. He is the championship winner so to be battling with him at the end is good for me. Finishing fifth is not too bad, I’m Rookie of the Year as well. I came into the championship with high expectations, Yamaha has done a great job and I’m pleased with the end results. The team have been fantastic so I owe them all a big thank you along with all the sponsors and everyone that’s made it possible for us to go out there and give it our best this year.” James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (DNF, DNF) “Today has not been the finale that I’d hoped for at one of my favourite circuits but that just seems to be the way that this year has gone. I’d like to thank Yamaha Sterilgarda and all of the team for their hard work throughout the season and the support from the fans, I’ll be back.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “I think Cal found the best way to leave this championship, taking pole and taking a race win and a podium. He pushed really hard and didn’t make any mistakes apart from his crash on Friday morning. I think it was impossible to do better. On the other side of the garage, I think James was trying to push as hard as he could today but maybe too far and made two mistakes. For us the weekend was really positive and we come away from Magny Cours having kept our record of performing well here.” Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe “We had a difficult start of the season but had made great improvements already by the second round. Honestly speaking I think we’ve had a lot of bad luck this year while battling at the front, including crashes beyond our riders control like at Monza. In the end we’ve finished the season really strongly with Cal as the number one rookie, winning three races and eight fastest race laps of all riders, showing the strength of the bike and the team and earning him a deserved ride next year in MotoGP with Yamaha. This means we’ve reached one of our targets as a team to nurture and bring new talent through to MotoGP. We know our bike is strong, we have room for more development and for sure we will be ready for the next season much earlier that we were this year, we have a lot of ideas for our upcoming tests with two fresh riders; Eugene Laverty – young and talented and new to superbike, and Marco Melandri; talented with a wealth of experience, we think this is going to be a great mix for next season. I have to thank the team who have worked incredibly hard this year and wish the best of luck to both James and Cal for the next year.”