2007 FIM Superbike World CHampionship Magny Cours, France October 7, 2007 Race Two Results: 1. Noriyuki HAGA (Yamaha YZF-R1), 23 laps, 38:35.353 2. Max BIAGGI (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), -3.518 seconds 3. Fonsi NIETO (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -9.142 4. Troy CORSER (Yamaha YZF-R1), -9.257 5. Troy BAYLISS (Ducati 999F07), -12.825 6. James TOSELAND (Honda CBR1000RR), -19.316 7. Roberto ROLFO (Honda CBR1000RR), -20.994 8. Regis LACONI (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -22.452 9. Michel FABRIZIO (Honda CBR1000RR), -22.505 10. Ruben XAUS (Ducati 999F06), -28.352 11. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Honda CBR1000RR), -44.333 12. Yoann TIBERIO (Honda CBR1000RR), -48.077 13. Guillaume DIETRICH (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), -83.307 14. Luca MORELLI (Honda CBR1000RR), -83.826 15. Dean ELLISON (Ducati 999RS), -97.631 16. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suzuki GSX-R1000K7), -17 laps, DNF, crash 17. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yamaha YZF-R1), -18 laps, DNF, crash/retired 18. Steve MARTIN (Suzuki GSX-R1000K6), -22 laps, DNF, crash 19. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 999F05), -23 laps, DNF, mechanical Final 2007 FIM Superbike World Championship Point Standings (after 26 of 26 races): 1. Toseland, 415 2. Haga, 413 3. Biaggi, 397 4. Bayliss, 372 5. Corser, 296 6. Xaus, 201 7. TIE, Lanzi/Rolfo, 192 9. Neukirchner, 149 10. Laconi, 137 11. Fabrizio, 132 12. Nieto, 125 13. Yukio Kagayama, 116 14. TIE, Nakatomi/Smrz, 66 16. Muggeridge, 62 17. Brookes, 40 18. Martin, 27 19. Iannuzzo, 19 20. Marco Borciani, 12 More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: TOSELAND THE CHAMPION AFTER TENSE FINAL ROUND ENGLISHMAN CROWNED FOR THE SECOND TIME, BUT BY ONLY TWO POINTS James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) secured the 2007 World Championship by a scant two points after another luckless raceday threatened to rob him of his hard won championship at one stage. Early fog at the track took an age to clear and the first few races were delayed, jangling the nerves of all three potential championship winners. In the first race, a collision with Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) saw Toseland dead least after the first few corners, while one of his main championship rivals, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) scorched away to the first of two wins. Going into race two Toseland rode sensibly behind the leading bunch to record a sixth place finish, and the ten points he gained for that position gave him a final season total of 415, to Haga’s 413. Toseland thus gasped over the line to his second title win, but with eight race victories to his credit in 2007, one more than any other rider this year, his strong early season work ensured he would get his final reward, and the accolades of the 75,000 weekend crowd. Biaggi finished the season third on 397 points, Bayliss fourth on 372, and Corser fifth on 296. RACE ONE A dramatic start to the first race, much delayed because of heavy fog, saw Toseland and Lanzi clash on the entry to turn one, Lanzi fall, Toseland pushed off track and Biaggi also being held up in the melee. Up front Haga made a clean start and led every lap bar the first, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) eventually 2.7 seconds down in second place. Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) was hot on his compatriot’s heels after a sometimes-tactile battle between the former world champions. Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra/Suzuki Germany) scored a fantastic fourth and looked set for a podium for much of the race. Fonsi Nieto’s (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) top five finish was as unexpected as it was welcome by the neutrals, and made it four different bikes in the top five. Biaggi was sixth, Toseland seventh in the race. RACE TWO A much less busy race two was nonetheless a tense affair, with only Haga and Toseland able to win the title, but either was on course to lose it should they crash or break down. Haga was imperious at the front once more, scoring his second double of the season, to record six race victories in total. Biaggi was second, while Nieto showed his true credential to record his first podium of the year, scoring a brilliant and highly combative third after a sometimes-harsh fight with Corser. Toseland fought with Bayliss for a short time, but decided to let the Ducati rider go and concentrate on doing enough to win the title. With Lanzi missing the second race, and Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) posting an eighth and a tenth place finish, the Spaniard was overall sixth, on 201 points. Lanzi and Rolfo tied on 192 points, with Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) finishing the season with a tenth and a seventh. In the Manufacturers’ Championship Yamaha finished with 467 points, Honda and Ducati both have 439, and Suzuki 419. NEWS STAR BORN AT ALSTARE Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra/Suzuki Germany) was a revelation in race one to score fourth in race one, but pushed his front too hard in race two and fell. He was replacing Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) who was unable to ride due to injury. Neukirchner now finishes ninth overall, with the top ten being rounded out by local hero in France, Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), after he scored a ninth and an eighth place. He had to fight off a serious challenge in the final race by the man he demoted to 11th overall, Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda). Nieto’s third pushed him up to 12th overall, and Kagayama drops to 13th. Jakub Smrz (Caracchi Ducati) and Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha YZF Team) end the season tied on points, 66 apiece. Two good finishes today, in 12th and 11th, put Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda) 16th, on 62 points. WORLD SUPERSPORT – SOFUOGLU MAKES HISTORY AGAIN Ending the season with a mammoth 276 points to his credit Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) scored a record breaking eighth win of the season today, leaving him 143 points ahead of Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Racing) in the championship. He was also ahead of him at this race, although Parkes looked like could have won the race himself at one stage. Sofuoglu was the victor by 2.7 seconds, easing away at the finish. Parkes, earning 20 points for his Magny-Cours experience, is now five points clear of Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) in the table, with the 2002 champion’s machine suffering electrical problems on lap 12, severe enough for him to retire. Eighth in the race at Magny-Cours Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) finished his season in fourth place overall. Third in the Magny Cours race for Craig Jones (Revè Ekerold Honda) was enough to put him fifth overall in the championship, as he eased out Gianluca Vizziello (RG Yamaha Team) fourth and Tommy Hill (Yamaha World Supersport Racing) fifth. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – CANEPA THE CHAMPION AFTER ASTOUNDING FINALE A last gasp overtake by race winner Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Racing Team) on previous leader Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) ensured that third placed rider Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox 1098) would win the championship, by only four points. Matteo Baiocco (Umbria Bike Yamaha) lost his chance of the top honour by finishing only ninth, while the other championship hopeful, Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki), retired from the race. The final championship points are Canepa 161, Corti 157, Baiocco 153 and Simeon 138. Mark Aitchison was fifth in the race, and fifth overall on 132 points. More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: BAD DAY AT MAGNY COURS It has been actually a day to forget for Scuderia SC Caracchi today at Magny Cours. After working all the night long to rebuilt the Ducati 999 F05 badly damaged in yesterday afternoon’s accident, Jakub Smrz crashed once more during the early laps of race-1. During race-2 the bike, harried repaired during the interval between the two start, was not running well and Smrz retired during the first lap. No points for him, and 14th final ranking in the World Championship. “It would be better remain in the bed this morning.” said Jakub Smrz. “In race-1 I got a good start, avoiding the confusion for the accident between Lanzi and Toseland, and at the first split I was in tenth position. Then at the beginning of fifth lap, when I was trying to to resist the Biaggi and Toseland assault, I crashed at high speed at the corner behind the finish line. The bike required a long repairing work during the small time between the two races, shortened by the delay due the heavy fog during the morning. So we couldn’t make any check and at the start the bike didn’t run well and I stop.” At Magny Cours finished also the World Supersport. Missing both the final rounds, Vallelunga and France, Gianluca Nannelli closed the championship scoring the 13th final ranking, passed at the end by riders that took the start in all the rounds. “It has been a strange season.” commented Gianluca Nannelli, present at Nevers to stay with the team. “Despite some problem, the beginning of the season has been exiting and at the eve of Silverstone i had the fourth ranking, a few points behind the third. Then happened the dramatic accident in Silversone’s flood, that ruined all the season efforts. I would thank all the team, Stefano Caracchi and Franco Farnè first of all, for all they’ve done for me. I would like to give a true value to their work with a success, but the destiny got a different decision. Thanks to everybody, with all my heart.” More, from a press release issued by British Superbike Championship organizers: Rule Britannia British rider James Toseland capped off an exciting weekend in British sport by securing his second World Superbike Championship title at Magny Cours in France today. The Bennetts-supported rider has led the series from round one in Qatar and entered the season finale with a 29-point advantage over closest rival Max Biaggi. A race win for third-placed Noriyuki Haga and sixth place for Biaggi in race one forced the Italian out of title contention and set the scene for an exciting final race showdown. Bennetts-backed Toseland suffered a difficult opening race after Lorenzo Lanzi high-sided in front of him on the opening lap – forcing him onto the gravel. The 27-year-old remained upright aboard the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR and re-joined the track to fight for further points to add to his tally. After carving his way through the field, the Brit finally settled for a safe seventh position – maintaining a 17-point advantage over new closest rival Haga. Race two saw Haga once again claim victory, but Toseland enjoyed a sensible sixth place finish at the chequered flag to secure a two-point margin over his Japanese rival and the World Superbike crown. It was Toseland’s final World Superbike event before moving to MotoGP in 2008 with continued support from Bennetts. Race one result: 1 N. Haga; 2 T. Bayliss 3 T. Corser; 7 J. Toseland Race two result: 1 N. Haga; 2 M. Biaggi; 3 F. Nieto; 6 J. Toseland Championship standings: 1 J. Toseland 415; 2 N. Haga 413; 3 M. Biaggi 397; 4 T. Bayliss 373; 5 T. Corser 296; More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Circuit: 4.411 kms. Crowd: 75,000 (3-day) Conditions: Overcast at first, sunny later. Sunday 7th October PODIUM FOR MAX IN THE FINAL RACE OF THE YEAR. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi ended the year a with a podium and finished his ‘rookie’ year in the Superbike World Championship in third place. In race one, he fought his way up to sixth place after ending the first lap fifteenth after luckily avoiding a first corner incident involving Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) and James Toseland (Honda). In race two, he took a superb runner-up spot after a tremendous battle with Troy Corser (Yamaha). Max Neukirchner, deputising for the injured Yukio Kagayama, was on course for a podium in race one, until he was forced wide after tangling with Troy Bayliss (Ducati). He recovered to take fourth position. In race two, he was beginning his charge up the field, but crashed out on the sixth lap. Both races today were won by Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), but James Toseland held on to take the title by just two points! MAX BIAGGI It has been a bit of a strange day all round. In race one, I was lucky not to get caught up in Lanzi’s crash, but I lost a lot of places avoiding the mess and was only 15th at the end of the first lap. I fought as hard as I could, but it was impossible to catch the leaders. I was very disappointed with my sixth place, because I knew it should have been much better. Race two was a hard race, but at least I was fighting with the leaders. Troy (Corser) and I had a great fight, and touched a couple of times, but that is normal Superbike racing. I have liked my Superbike experience and it has been good to race against many strong riders. MAX NEUKIRCHNER My debut with this team has generally been very good indeed. I have enjoyed riding this bike and today – well the first race anyway – was great fun. If Bayliss had not forced me wide it’s possible that I could’ve made a podium. But racing is like that sometimes. I was pushing hard in race two, but lost the front at one of the left-handers and crashed. It was a disappointing end to what has been a great weekend for me. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: BAYLISS BRINGS 999 ERA TO AN END FOR DUCATI XEROX AS TOSELAND TAKES TITLE – LANZI CRASHES OUT OF FINAL RACE Magny-Cours (France), Sunday 7 October : Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) brought the Ducati 999 era to an end as he finished second and fifth in the final two races of the year in front of 75,000 spectators at Magny-Cours in France. With both wins going to Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and the title in the hands of James Toseland (Honda), the 38 year-old Australian concluded the 2007 championship in fourth place on 372 points. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi had a disappointing end to his period in the factory Ducati Xerox Team with a nasty high-speed crash at the start of race 1. Lorenzo suffered bruising to his right shoulder, elbow and knee, which forced him to miss race 2. The Manufacturers’ title went to Yamaha, with Ducati in second place, but there was satisfaction for the Italian manufacturer today as 19 year-old Niccolò Canepa clinched the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup with the new twin-cylinder Ducati 1098S in its first year of competition. “I guess it was a little bit up and down today” declared Troy. “It took me a little while to actually get going in race 1 because the guys were going really fast at the start of the race. But I managed to keep the momentum going and started reeling them back in. Our bike’s not slow but there are a couple of tracks where we suffer a little bit in acceleration and this is one of them, and when I do make a pass I have to cover the way well otherwise it’s a waste of time. I thought I was going to do a better job in the second race, we put a harder front tyre and changed the rear setting a little. It’s hard to say if it was better or worse really, I did my best lap on the last one but it was all over by then. I’m happy to have taken the 999 to the end of its career, I’ve had a great time on it and it’s been kind to me…once! And now I’m really looking forward to riding the new bike next year!” “It was a real pity” declared Lorenzo. “Today I felt really good and I was sure I could have got a couple of good results because I had a really good feeling with the bike. I wanted to make a good start and I did, and I was almost immediately taking Corser for second place. Then I felt the rear go away from me, I thought I had overdone it in the curve but after looking at the replay I realised that James touched me. Unfortunately these things happen, that’s racing, I’ve also touched other riders’ wheels when overtaking. Luckily nothing’s broken, but I’ve got some severe bruising which prevented me from taking part in race 2.” Davide Tardozzi, Ducati Corse Superbike Director, added: “We won seven races this year, demonstrating that the 999 is still a competitive bike. Although we lost the title, we know that we could have been in with a chance of winning it. A few too many mistakes during the season unfortunately prevented us from coming to Magny-Cours for the final round with the title still to play for, but we know we’ve got a great rider and a great bike. Satisfaction however for the Ducati Xerox Junior Team. The 1098 is a winning machine, it won with Niccolò who is a talented young rider and for sure the bike lent a hand. It’s a great result!”. END OF THE LINE FOR THE DUCATI 999 Magny-Cours (France), Sunday 7th October: The final round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours also marked the end of the line for one of the most successful racing machines ever built by the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. Since it made its triumphant debut in the opening round of the 2003 championship at Valencia with a 1-2 finish for Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus, the 999 has won three of the last five Riders’ titles, with Neil Hodgson (2003), James Toseland (2004) and Troy Bayliss (2006). In that period Ducati also won three WSBK Manufacturers’ titles in the same years, although in 2003 and 2004 points for this particular title were also earned by the venerable 998, with wins on five occasions for Toseland, Shane Byrne and Pierfrancesco Chili. The 999 won a total of 63 WSBK races in its history, in the hands of eight different riders – Troy Bayliss (19), Neil Hodgson (13), Régis Laconi (10), Ruben Xaus (8), Noriyuki Haga (6), James Toseland (4), Lorenzo Lanzi (2) and Garry McCoy (1). Factory Ducati 999 machines have appeared in the colours of two different sponsors – Fila in 2003 and 2004 and Xerox from 2005 to 2007. Ducati Corse Superbike Technical Director Ernesto Marinelli has been responsible for the development and evolution of the 999 since it was introduced. “It brings a tear to my eye!” commented Ernesto. “For sure the 999 is a bike that has given us a lot of satisfaction since 2003, when it came to us, until this year. Even in its last year, it is still proving to be competitive. On the engine level, there has been only one intermediate horsepower ‘step’ between the 2004 and 2005 seasons, when power output went up from 189 HP to 194HP, after which the engine did not undergo any more development. The other fundamental change came with the electronics, again between 2004 and 2005, with the switch from the Marelli MF5 to the Marvel4 with all the electronic updates.” With the change in regulations for 2008, next year the Ducati Xerox Team will take part in the World Superbike Championship with the new 1098 F08. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Double tops for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda An astonishing display of true grit and determination enabled British rider James Toseland to secure his second World Superbike Championship title – and the first ever for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. The 2007 series victory rounds off an extremely successful season, in which the team has already collected the World Supersport title with Kenan Sofuoglu. The 27-year-old collected the win by the narrowest of margins following two difficult 23-lap races. Race one saw Toseland forced off the track on the opening lap after Lorenzo Lanzi high-sided in front of him leaving him nowhere to go but onto the gravel. The new champion remained aboard the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR and re-joined the track at the back of the pack. Toseland concentrated on the task at hand and set about carving his way through the field – eventually settling for a safe seventh position. Noriyuki Haga claimed the race win to move into second position overall and narrow the gap in the championship standings to 17 points. HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Toseland returned to the track for race two with a difficult task ahead and knowing that he must finish in eighth place or higher. The Brit did not enjoy the best of starts and slotted into sixth position from pole before moving up to fifth on the opening lap. The determined rider soon came under pressure from Troy Bayliss and Max Neukirchner and by lap five the German rider passed the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider, relegating Toseland to sixth place. However, just three laps later Neukirchner crashed out, leaving only Bayliss to challenge the World Superbike Champion. Bayliss passed Toseland on lap 11, while Toseland’s team-mate Roberto Rolfo slotted into seventh position. The riders maintained station until the chequered flag with Rolfo assisting his HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate to ride safely to championship victory with a two-point margin. A tenth and seventh position respectively places Rolfo eighth in the overall standings, on equal points with seventh-placed Lanzi. Toseland’s title rival Noriyuki Haga claimed a double race win – but it was not quite enough to seal ultimate glory. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “What an incredible end to a fantastic season! To be honest, we had a lot of bad luck today in the races. The first race James was run of the track and I think at that point he made a decision to fight as hard as he could to get back up. That showed just how much he wanted it and I think everyone in the paddock agrees that James is the one who deserves this. In the second race he knew where he had to finish to get the title. It’s nice that the Honda CBR1000RR has finally won a title. “I want to give big compliments to my team – it has only been four years since we started in this business and it has been a learning curve. We are still a local Dutch dealer going racing so this is pretty great for us. In conclusion, today has been not too bad at all!” James Toseland: “It’s about time!! I have led the championship from Qatar and what an incredible championship it has been. I think this has been the best World Superbike season I have ever experienced and I have been riding in the series for seven years now. The standard of riding has been incredible and I have enjoyed battling with all of the riders – Bayliss, Corser, Biaggi, Haga – the list goes on! I have been pushed to the absolute limit and to win the championship by just two points is unbelievable. “To get pole position and the series title at my last Superbike round is amazing. This is what I live for, it’s what really matters to me and I wanted it so much. This is my way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported me through my Superbike career – my friends, my family, my sponsors, FGSport and the whole Superbike team and of course, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. I can leave for MotoGP with my head held high and the knowledge that I gave this championship my all until the very last race.” Roberto Rolfo: “Today’s races were tough. I tried my best to get up to the front but everyone was fighting so hard for the last race. Anyway, I have had a good season with HANNspree Ten Kate Honda and I have learned so much. I am happy for James and Kenan and it is great to see the team on top in both Championships. They certainly deserve it.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: ROUND 13 MAGNY-COURS 7 OCTOBER 2007 RACE REVIEW 7th October 2007, Magny-Cours (France) Once again a dramatic end was in store for the SBK championship, with three riders still battling for the title on the eve of raceday. James Toseland arrived at Magny-Cours leading by 29 points over Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga, and since the first session ‘JT’s’ idea was clear: he came here to prove he truly deserves the number 1 plate. With his fabulous Superpole time, under 1’39, Max Biaggi re-entered his pitbox celebrating, but immediately after his opponents stuck in some really fantastic laps, relegating him to 7th place. The first row comprised Haga (fourth), Corser, Neukirchner – on his first race on the Alstare Suzuki bike substituting Yukio Kagayama – and, in pole position, James Toseland who set the new record with his impressive time of 1’38.501. Race1: AIR HUMIDITY 94% AIR TEMPERATURE 15°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 19° Superbike is always something more than just exciting, even after a long wait for the early fog to clear. At the start the air was baited with communal excitement, and all the eyes were on the three title contenders: Toseland, Biaggi and Haga. At the green light the crowded first bend saw Toseland and Lanzi touch. Lanzi went down, Toseland re-joined the race – in last position. The leading group featured Haga, leading from Corser, Neukirchner and Bayliss. Toseland was trying to recover to gain as many points as he could; Haga trying to escape for keeps. A truly amazing race, with Corser battling furiously behind his team mate, with Max and Troy for company, while Biaggi seemed out of the game. There were numerous passes and full contacts, in a fair but furious race. Haga succeeded in winning leading Bayliss and Corser. Atop the podium three riders had raced with different tyres: B font and A rear for Bayliss, while a double soft (“A”) was used by Haga and Corser. The softest ones offered performance and a great consistency, improving last year’s best race time (in Race two) by 20 seconds. Toseland finished 7th behind Biaggi, both out of the leading game. Man of the race (together with Haga) was German young rider Max Neukirchner, able to fight through the whole race for the podium on the official Suzuki. Race Standings Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Haga Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia WSB 38’33.762 2 Bayliss Ducati 999 F07 Ducati Xerox +2.770 3 Corser Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia WSB +3.735 4 Neukirchner Suzuki GSXR1000K7 Suzuki Germany +8.570 5 Nieto Kawasaki ZX-10R Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse +12.925 Race 2: AIR HUMIDITY 57% AIR TEMPERATURE 24°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 31° With warmer temperatures the riders had to go ahead with another tyre decision – to confirm race one’s solution or put a on different spec. Toseland, Haga and Biaggi made the same choice, changing the front “A” tyre to a “B”, but confirming the softer “A” rear. At the start Haga immediately took the lead and everybody started to make calculations as Toseland first crossed the line in safe fifth position, closely followed by Bayliss, Neukirchner and Laconi. Neukirchner passed the English rider, but crashed after two laps, giving Toseland his fifth place back. No one could catch Haga until the podium ceremony, but in his slipstream the battle went on between Biaggi and Corser, and then Corser and Nieto, changing positions many times and even colliding with each other. “This is the fun of SBK and that’s why all the crowds come to the races” said Nieto later, when celebrating his third position with the fans, having finished behind Haga and Biaggi. Bayliss passed Toseland, who was managing his gap up to Haga: eighth would have been good enough for Toseland to be World Champion and James managed to finish sixth, winning with only two points advantage over Haga. Fabrizio lost his tenth place in the championship standing, therefore losing the Pirelli award for the youngest top ten rider, which now goes to Max Neukirchner. The SBK Championship found its 2007 World Champion only after the second race at the last round, offering us a fantastic season that once again proved that the control tyre rule, managed by Pirelli since 2004 (when again the championship also ended in a dramatic last race) means entertainment, battles, and competition on fair basis. Since 2004 three different bike manufacturers have won the title, and this season all five volume manufacturers appeared on the podium at some stage, proving that engineering tyres with the development teams allows Pirelli and the championship to have tyres that offer the best performance for every bike in the series. Toseland won the 2007 Riders’ Championship with his Honda, while Yamaha can now celebrate their first Manufacturers’ Championship title. “I’m happy about the way we ended this fourth season because once again we had a championship fought out by very different riders,” stated Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Tyre Racing Manager, “Our tyres played their role, which must be the role of allowing every rider to express his talent, and never this year did we have a race conditioned by a tyre. Now we are starting to work again for next season, with the winter tests looming, and we look forward to the entrance of some new bike manufacturers.” Race Standings Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Haga Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia WSB 38’53.353 2 Biaggi Suzuki GSXR1000K7 Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra +3.518 3 Nieto Kawasaki ZX-10R Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse +9.142 4 Corser Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia WSB +9.257 5 Bayliss Ducati 999 F07 Ducati Xerox +12.825 Championship Standings Rider Bike Team Points 1 Toseland Honda CBR1000RR Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 415 2 Haga Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia WSB 413 3 Biaggi Suzuki GSXR1000K7 Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 397 4 Bayliss Ducati 999 F07 Ducati Xerox 372 5 Corser Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Motor Italia WSB 296 6 Xaus Ducati 999 F06 Ducati Sterilgarda 201 7 Lanzi Ducati 999F 07 Ducati Xerox 192 8 Rolfo Honda CBR1000RR Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 192 9 Neukirchner Suzuki GSXR1000K6 Suzuki Germany 149 10 Laconi Kawasaki ZX-10R Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse 137 AIR HUMIDITY 71% AIR TEMPERATURE 21°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 23° Once again Sofuoglu was the winner, taking his last race in WSS before next season’s move to SBK. Today’s race was not an easy one, the World Champion almost crashed, but didn’t give up, eventually finishing the race in first position. Kenan set the fastest lap of the race at the fourth lap, and leaves France with the new record: 1’42.057 set with the same Pirelli DIABLO SUPERCORSA tyres which set records of almost every circuit this year. Behind ‘Sofu’ came Yamaha man Parkes, then Jones, with the second Honda bike on the podium earning him an important place in the final championship standings. After a good Vallelunga, Vizziello made a great job, taking a fantastic fourth place that means he takes 10th position in the final world standings. Race Standings Rider Bike Team Race time 1 Sofuoglu Honda CBR600 RR Hannspree Ten Kate 37’55.892 2 Parkes Yamaha YZF-R6 Yamaha World SSP Racing +2.794 3 Jones Honda CBR600 RR Revè Ekerold Honda Racing +11.135 4 Vizziello Yamaha YZF-R6 RG Racing Team +11.551 5 Hill Yamaha YZF-R6 Yamaha World SSP Racing +12.359 Championship Standings Rider Bike Team Points 1 Sofuoglu Honda CBR600 RR Hannspree Ten Kate 276 2 Parkes Yamaha YZF-R6 Yamaha World SSP Racing 133 3 Foret Kawasaki ZX 6R GilMotorsport 128 4 Fujiwara Honda CBR600 RR Team Althea Megabike 101 5 Jones Honda CBR600 RR Revè Ekerold Honda Racing 94 6 Roccoli Yamaha YZF-R6 Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni 90 7 Harms Honda CBR600 RR Stiggy Motorsport 83 8 Veneman Suzuki GSX-R600 Pioneer Hoegee Suzuki 70 9 West Yamaha YZF-R6 Yamaha World SSP Racing 66 10 Vizziello Yamaha YZF-R6 RG Racing Team 60 AIR HUMIDITY 68% AIR TEMPERATURE 22°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 24° The Superstock 1000 FIM CUP came to France without a champion. After 10 races the Championship was still open, and only on the final lap of the race, with Badovini overtaking the leader Claudio Corti, was title assigned. Corti made a great race but at the end, third place for Canepa was enough for him to grab the title. Canepa was ahead of Corti and Baiocco – with a full Italian 1-2-3. Pirelli’s DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC2 proved to be the best racing tyre available on the market and its performance provided a great show at all the races. Race Standings: Rider Bike Team Race Time 1 Badovini MV Agusta F4 Biassono Racing Team 22’08.540 2 Corti Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Team Italia +0.817 3 Canepa MV Agusta F4 312 R MV Agusta +2.884 4 Scassa Ducati 1098 S Ducati Xerox Jr Team +4.678 5 Aitchinson Suzuki GSXR 1000 Celani Team Suzuki Italia +7.058 Championship Standings: Rider Bike Team Points 1 Canepa Ducati 1098 Ducati Xerox Jr Team 161 2 Corti Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha Team Italia 157 3 Baiocco Yamaha YZF R1 Umbria Bike 153 4 Simeon Suzuki GSXR 1000 Alstare Suzuki Corona Exta 138 5 Aitchison Suzuki GSXR 1000 Celani Suzuki Italia 132 AIR HUMIDITY 90% AIR TEMPERATURE 18°C TRACK CONDITION Dry TRACK TEMPERATURE 22° Superstock 600 took place on Saturday afternoon, the first race of the weekend, offering – as always – a great show for the spectators. Berger started from pole position and immediately tried to run away with it, with only Antonelli able to follow. After them came another battling duo, comprising Black and Barrier, who made a mistake on the eighth lap, losing four seconds. At the end of the 10 laps Berger won the race, underlining his title credentials, while Antonelli finished in second place both in the race and the season, ahead of Black (third today and fourth in the championship final standings). More, from a press release issued by Honda: TOSELAND WINS THE TITLE BY TWO POINTS AFTER TENSE FINALE IN FRANCE Long-term championship leader James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) had to wait until the final race of the 2007 season to secure the title in a championship class he has led since the very first race meeting of the year – and after a dramatic first corner incident in race one put him off track. He restarted absolutely last but made it back through the field to secure seventh in the opener, and in finishing a very safe and secure sixth in race two, he beat Magny Cours double race winner Noriyuki Haga to the title by only two points. The final championship positions in SBK read Toseland 415 points (and 8 wins), Haga 413 (6 wins), Max Biaggi 397 (3 wins) and Troy Bayliss 372 (7 wins). This is Honda’s first win in the Riders’ Championship since Colin Edwards scored the season victory on a Honda VTR1000SP in 2002, and the sixth Honda victory in the Riders’ Championship since the championship’s inception in 1988. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Honda is joint second, on 439 points. Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) went tenth and seventh in the Magny Cours races, after qualifying 11th, to finish his first Honda season in SBK racing on 192 points, This puts him eighth in the rankings, but on the same points as Lorenzo Lanzi, the rider who tangled with Toseland in the first race. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) just missed out on a top ten place in the overall championship standings, after scoring a 14th place and a ninth at Magny-Cours. He had qualified 12th in Superpole, and finished his season 11th overall, on 132 points. Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) rode two characteristically gritty races to record a 12th and an 11th place on raceday, and end his season 16th, on 62 points. Luca Morelli (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) finished his season 22nd in the ranking, on 11 points, after retiring in race one today, and then scoring 14th place. Yoann Tiberio (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) carried on his steep learning process with two solid and ever-improving performances, running out 13th and 12th in his home races. He was only a tenth of a second behind Muggeridge in race one. Toseland was understandably as relieved as he was happy to secure his second championship, having enjoyed such an expansive championship lead at one time, only to see bad luck and small errors punished harshly in the last few races. “It’s about time!” said Toseland from the same venue he wrapped up his first world title at in 2004. “I have led the championship from Qatar and what an incredible championship it has been. I think this has been the best World Supervise season I have ever experienced and I have been riding in the series for seven years now. The standard of riding has been incredible and I have enjoyed battling with all of them Bayliss, Corser, Biaggi, Haga the list goes on. I have been pushed to the absolute limit and to win the championship by just two points is unbelievable.” Toseland was also happy to show that his fighting spirit has been unbowed by his recent misfortunes, and he went all out in Superpole to show he was the fastest rider on track, and unafraid to take risks. “To get pole position and the title at my last Superbike round is great,” said Toseland who set a new track best in Superpole of 1’38.501. “This is what I live for, it’s what really matters to me and I wanted it so much. This is my way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported me through my Superbike career. I can leave for MotoGP with my head held high and the knowledge that I gave this championship my all until the very last race.” Hannspree Ten Kate Racing Team Owner Gerrit Ten Kate was understandably emotional about his team winning both Supersport and Superbike championships in 2007, and praised all involved. “I am of course very proud of all my guys, without my team I cannot do anything,” said Ten Kate, who earlier in the year watched Kenan Sofuoglu win Honda and Ten Kate their sixth consecutive championships. “It shows again that a private team, with good support from a manufacturer, can win. You do not always need to have full factory support behind you. Of course we have good support from Honda and we are very grateful for it. I never thought that when we started in Thunderbike and Supersport racing all those years ago we would win two championships in one season. We are simple guys, with our feet on the ground. We tried our best, we will celebrate tonight, but then we will be focused on next year. Next year we will still be strong.” Rolfo praised all involved in his side of the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda garage, but knew things were going to be difficult from the very first laps. “Today’s races were tough,” said the Turin rider. “I tried my best to get up to the front but everyone was fighting so hard for the last race. Anyway, I have had a good season with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda and I have learned so much. I am happy for James and Kenan and it is great to see the team on top in both championships. They certainly deserve it.” Fabrizio encountered chatter from his machine in the second race, but a bad start in race one was his main problem. “In the first race I kicked the bike into gear and the clutch grabbed so my start was not so good,” said Fabrizio “In race two the tyre was starting to go off after a few laps and I had the back end chattering and sliding.” Muggeridge rode his heart out but with so many slow corner exits to deal with, the lack of electronic controls on his machine finally determined his finishes outside the top ten. “We invented a setting this morning that didn’t work that well but we improved it this afternoon,” said Muggeridge. “It was still not quite there. Today was a lot better than the rest of the weekend, but it would have been nice to have this setting on Friday or Saturday. With the lack of electronics and grip on the bike, we have no real chance, but I rode as fast and safe as I could. We finished sunny side up both races.” Morelli was forced out of race one, but recovered to score points in the second, despite suffering some problems. “In the first race my rear tyre was just finished before the end of the race so I decided to come in and stop and not risk carrying on,” said Morelli, “In race two I had a lot of chatter and had to work hard to keep going fast.” Tiberio had two good races in front of his home crowd, and after only three rounds in the SBK championship, has scored ten points. “The second race felt worse for tyres, but my choice,” said Tiberio. “The first race felt like it was better, and I wanted to fight with Karl in race two. He made a small gap and it was impossible to keep with him. We got good points and made an improvement at this race, which I have to be happy about.” JT HISTORY – supplied by team James Toseland profile and career history At just 23 years old, James Toseland became the youngest ever SBK World Champion in 2004. Now 27, and having celebrated his birthday on the Friday of first practice in France, the Doncaster-born rider has more racing experience under his leathers than some of the series’ other veterans. Early competition in trials and motocross awarded him an impressive haul of trophies and ultimately laid the foundations of a promising career in road racing. Toseland quickly worked his way up through the ranks of 125cc racing and into British Supersport and shone in the European Championship. However, it was in 1998 at the tender age of 16 that he was given his big break a ride with Castrol Honda in the World Supersport series. Never one to turn down a challenge, over the next two seasons Toseland finished 18th and 11th overall before returning to Britain to ride in the 2000 British Superbike Championship. Despite missing almost half the season through injury, the Yorkshireman finished 12th and was quickly snapped-up by GSE Racing for its World Superbike campaign. An impressive 13th place in the 2001 series, including sixth at Brands Hatch, was enough to confirm the rider as a clear World Superbike contender. Since then, Toseland has emerged as a world-class rider. In only his second year in the World Superbike series in 2002, he made his name as a regular top-six finisher and scored his first-ever podium finish at Assen. In 2003, he ended fellow Brit Hodgson’s winning streak with an impressive victory at Oschersleben and earned his first pole position in the final round at Magny-Cours. An extraordinary 2004 season followed, with Toseland making the history books as the youngest-ever World Superbike Champion. Despite a relatively tough 2005 season with the British-based team when he finished fourth overall Toseland bounced back in 2006 to take second position overall with Winston Ten Kate Honda. 2007 is his seventh consecutive year as a permanent fixture on the Superbike grid – this time with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda. He has led the championship since round one at Qatar including 8 race wins until the eve of Magny-Cours. More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha Nakatomi 11th In the first race, Shinichi Nakatomi finished in 11th position. Unfortunately he could not finish race 2 because of a small crash. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) won both races while James Toseland (Honda) was Superbike World Champion. During the first event, Shinichi Nakatomi was 10th after the first lap. He then had a great fight with Roberto Rolfo (Honda Ten Kate) and crossed the finish line in 11th position. After the first lap of the second race, he was 15th. He progressed to 13th place but crashed a little bit later when he lost the front. Noriyuki Haga won both races with a great talent, but for only two little points he lost the World Championship title to James Toseland. Shinichi Nakatomi: “We changed the setting for Race 1. It was my best setting of the weekend. I had good lap times. In the last five laps, the front tyre started to slide and the motorcycle was difficult to control. I started 16th in the second race. I gained two positions but then I crashed when I lost the front wheel.” Team-manager Martial Garcia: “Shinichi Nakatomi did a great first race. He finished excellently 11th, 30 seconds behind the winner after a good fight with Roberto Rolfo. So we are 10th in the team ranking. Nakatomi had an average start in Race 2, but he gained positions. Losing the front wheel did not allow us to score a good result. I am happy because the potential is still here. Our bike is competitive compared to some factory bikes. Thank you to the team for the professionalism. See you next year with a stronger team.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Wins the 2007 World Superbike Manufacturers Championship Yamaha has won the 2007 WSB Manufacturers Championship with a 28-point margin following today’s season finale at Magny-Cours. Both Yamaha Motor Italia riders put in 100% effort today to give the manufacturer the title with Noriyuki Haga taking the double win and Troy Corser coming home in third and fourth. Both races were nail-biting events with Haga and Corser making good use of team work to gain maximum points. Nobody could have asked for more from Haga as he led both races from start to finish, claiming his second double win of the season; the first being at Monza. Corser also put in a sterling performance during the day, battling with Neukirchner and Bayliss in race one and Biaggi and Nieto in race two, to take third and fourth. Haga’s double win was bittersweet as the rider ended the day just two points off the championship title. This is the third time Noriyuki has finished second in the championship. Corser’s results today means he finishes the 2007 season in fifth place and today saw him take the record for the highest number of WSB race starts ever with 276 – one ahead of Pierfrancesco Chili. After 16 pole positions, 177 podiums and 44 race wins Yamaha has claimed the Manufacturers Title for the first time. Shinichi Nakatomi finishes 2007 in 15th place following an 11th place finish in race one and a DNF in race two. Noriyuki Haga (1st and 1st – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “In race one I couldn’t see what was happening behind but my pit board was telling me so I built up as much gap as possible to try and stay out of the battles going on. My heart was definitely beating faster though! For race two I didn’t change anything on the bike and I just tried my best. I’m disappointed with second in the championship, who wouldn’t be with a gap of just two points! But I’m happy. I’ve enjoyed fighting with all the riders in the championship this year. The last few races have been really good, from a results point of view; I’ll just have to try harder next year. It’s been good working with Troy this year, we get on well and I’m looking forward to developing the bike further with him next year. I’d like to thank the team for all their efforts and congratulations to James on winning the championship.” Troy Corser (3rd and 4th – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I got a great start in race one; my aim had been to get in front and just go for the win but Nori was very determined to get in front of me! I wasn’t going to risk crashing and taking us both out in order to get back past him. I rode as hard as I could but my front tyre went off during the race so I was unable to hold Bayliss off and he got past. In race two I got off the line well again and I just did my best to hold everyone up! Overall I’m happy; I set out what I achieved to do today and I’m pleased to have played a part in giving Yamaha the Manufacturers Title.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “Today has been a great day! We did everything that was possible to win and Troy did an excellent job for the team. I’d like to thank both Nori and Troy for their team work and efforts throughout the season. In addition I’d like to thank everyone in the team; they have played an important part in our championship fight. Next year we’ll be ready from the first race. We won six races this year and got 18 podiums and this is the best result the team’s ever had. Honestly, to finish second with a gap of two points leaves us a bit disappointed. Nori has had a fantastic season and in our opinion he didn’t lose” Laurens Klein Koerkamp (General Manager, Racing Division, Yamaha Motor Europe) “To get the manufacturer title is excellent – it shows the strength of the bike and the total team effort including both riders. It’s been an unbelievable challenge but the team never gave up and closed the gap. We were so close to the rider title. Of course, at the end of the season you can have many ‘what ifs’ but that’s racing and we’ve shown the ‘spirit of challenge’ attitude and passion for racing that runs through the team and Yamaha. The R1 was a new bike this year and we’ve shown what it can do. Next year we’ll go for the rider title as well, nothing less.” Shinichi Nakatomi (11th and DNF – Team Yamaha YZF) “For race one, we changed some settings and I had the best feeling for the bike of the weekend. During the last five laps I had trouble with the front tyre, though, so it was difficult to control. In race two I gained two positions before I lost the front and crashed.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager, Team Yamaha YZF) “In race one Tomi had a good race and got an excellent 11th place finish after fighting with Rolfo – only 30 seconds behind the winner. We were also in the top ten team standings. Tomi got an average start in race two but gained two positions. Unfortunately he crashed and was unable to re-start. Overall, I’m happy because we’ve shown the bike is very competitive with Yamaha’s racing kit parts. I’d like to thank the team for their professionalism. We’ll be back next year with an even stronger team.”