Fry sizzles in Misano heat Continuing where he left off only two weeks previous, Darren Fry took maximum points from Round 3 of the Ducati 848 Challenge at a sun-baked Misano circuit in Italy. In very contrasting weather conditions to the previous round at Assen, the Italian track played host to the second of two ‘away’ rounds for the 848 Challenge which coincided with World Ducati Week, a festival of all things Ducati attended by over 60,000 dedicated fans from across the globe. Fry and Buildbase/JHP Racing team-mate Leon Morris were split by less than a second after Saturday’s qualifying on a track that none of the 848 riders had visited before. Following on from his strong showing at Assen, Mark Cheetham qualified third on the Shorrock Motorcycles bike, with Ben Garner and Barry Poll fourth and fifth. Behind them on the grid was Stuart Poyser who put in an assured performace having taken late delivery of his 848 the previous day after it was delayed on the 1000-mile journey to Misano. Peter Hasler on the AOR/Boast Plumbing bike qualified seventh, two seconds ahead of guest rider Tony Hoare of Bike magazine who had only thirty minutes of previous experience on the Ducati UK-sponsored VIP bike, having ridden it in free practice the day before. Completing the 848 Challenge grid was Alan Walker and Sean Hourigan, back from an ankle injury that forced him to miss the Assen round. In early Sunday afternoon temperatures reaching almost 30 degrees, and in front of a huge, enthusiastic crowd of Ducati fans, the 848 Challenge riders took to the mixed Ducati Italy Superstock grid on race day in need of shade during a brief pause for cameras and last-minute preperation. When the grid cleared and the race finally got underway, it was Fry who got the better start over team-mate Morris and managed to put an Italian bike between them on his way into the first corner; a gap which he would build on for the remainder of the race. As Fry pressed home his advantage and Cheetham held onto third place behind Morris, the real battles were taking place further down the grid. Garner on the Ducati Manchester/Green Thumb bike held off Poll while battling through the mid-pack Italian bikes, and just behind them Hasler made up over two seconds on lap 4 to overtake Poyser, only for the two to swap places on the very next lap. Hourigan, in only his second ever race, kept the pressure on Walker at the back of the pack, although the pair were some distance behind Hoare who was embroiled in his own battle with two other Italian bikes. On the penultimate lap Hasler once again got the better of Poyser with both bikes starting the last lap with less than a 10th second between them. Fry had by this time opened up a 14 second gap over Morris who had to continually battle the larger capacity Italian machines to keep pace with his team mate, and so it was Fry who again finished in first place, with Morris in second and Cheetham third. Garner crossed the line fourth, Poll fifth, and having had the better last lap it was Hasler who came home sixth ahead of Poyser. Hoare posted an 8th place in his guest appearance in the 848 Challenge series to cap off successful weekend, and Walker and Hourigan completed the race to ensure all 848 Challenge bikes came home safely. Immediately after the exhausting race Fry revealed part of his race strategy “Because it was so, so hot, we had a plan that I would ride to an agreed gap. With three laps to go I focussed on simply keeping that gap between me and Leon”. On finishing third, an elated Cheetham commented “Misano is just awesome. Some of the corners are just like the TT. You just keep it pinned in sixth through that right-hand kink out the back…it’s unbelievable!” After three rounds Fry now leads the Ducati 848 Challenge with 125 points, Cheetham on 88 points, and Morris on 76 points. The series now heads for Snetterton on 10 & 11 July where the temperature is certain to be cooler but the racing no less exciting. For further details of the Ducati 848 Challenge see the series website, www.ducati848challenge.co.uk, and become a fan of the series on www.facebook.com/ducati848challenge More, from a press release issued by KTM: KTM RC8R riders celebrate win and third place in IDM Superbike Championship KTM Superbike Team Germany celebrated a win by RC8R rider Martin Bauer and a third place by teammate Stefan Nebel on Germany’s Sachsenring this weekend at the International German Superbike Championships (IDM). The Austrian Bauer registered the team’s second victory of the season in the second race after he had a DNF in the first. German teammate Nebel registered a third and a fourth place on a weekend that also saw KTM vault to the front of the leader board in the Manufacturer’s Standings, 12 points ahead of Honda. The two riders tackled the challenging 3.7 km, extremely curvy circuit that is both a challenge for riding skills and tires. KTM’s approx. 190 hp RC8R Superbike reached a top speed of 257 km/h on the 480 m start-finish straight. Stefan Nebel registered the third best training time to start in the front row while teammate Bauer, even though he was sixth fastest had to start in tenth place on the grid because he overlooked the requirement to use marked tires. The first race, won by the Australian Muggeridge saw multiple changes in leadership by a group of 10 riders at the front of the pack. Nebel was sitting in fourth place going into the final lap and slipped into third for his podium position. Bauer was forced to retire because of technical difficulties while KTM RC8 R privateer Vesa Kallio of Finland finished eleventh The second race was turbulent and punctuated by a number of crashes, including among some of the most prominent riders in the competition. Bauer started from the third row overtook one opponent after the next until he hit the front in the middle of the race and brought the KTM Superbike home in first place. Stefan Nebel looked like finishing in fourth place but was overtaken in the final lap by Werner Daemen (BMW) while Vesa Kallio had a DNF. Bauer’s victory was the team’s second this season and his and Nebel’s points have secured KTM 222 points to lead the Manufacturer’s Standing. Half way through the season Bauer is in second place in the championship standings and Nebel is fourth. Martin Bauer: DNF/ first place: “I really wanted this victory. The Sachsenring is my favorite circuit as I was very disappointed not to finish the first race. We had some problems with the setup and the tires in training and I really had to go for it to fight for the sixth place on the grid. Then I was penalized four places because the tires weren’t marked correctly. That made it an even bigger challenge because this circuit is an orgy of corners and it’s very hard to overtake. I was already up to fourth place in the first race before I had to retire. I had a good start in the second race and the RC8 R and the Dunlop tires worked perfectly. I could go at a good pace and work my way up through the order. I followed Dario Giuseppetti for a while then took the lead about half way through the race. I wasn’t really able to break away from him and when I turned to take a look in the last lap IO saw his teeth flash under his visor. So I took the precaution blocking the line so I could stay in front till the finish line. It’s great that we got the win because this circuit is really unique as is the enthusiasm of the crowd.” Stefan Nebel (3./4.): “I really enjoyed this weekend. We had made some advancement in testing and we were able to build on this here this weekend. I was already satisfied after training. I was in from for a lot of the time in the first race but Muggeridge always came back at me. Veneman and the others were also fast. It was a great battle and I don’t believe there have ever been so many changes at the front of the pack or so much overtaking. I felt great and I tried to ride with feeling and take good care of the tires. Konrad Hefele, KTM Team Boss: Martin’s victory and Stefan’s podium in the first race and fourth place in the second race showed that the team put in a great performance. We had a tough time in training to try to figure out a good setup for the tires – a compliment to the team for the hard work and for coming up with a good solution. Now we look forward to the next race at the Salzburgring. IDM 125, Race 1 Podium for KTM Youngster Finsterbusch The first 125 race on Saturday ended with a third place for KTM youngster Toni Finsterbusch who fought his way into the front of the pack after an earlier mistake only to slip by Mathew Scholz in the last lap to steal the final podium place. Damien Raemy, who led the field in the first lap had to settle for fifth while his HP Moto KTM teammate Philipp Oettl finished tenth and Daniel Kartheininger (Team Freidenberg KTM) was seventh. IDM 125, Race 2: A lot of orange in the top ten While KTM youngsters missed the podiums in race two they did feature heavily in the top ten. Finsterbusch was fourth after holding Raemy at bay while Kartheininger and Oettl finished sixth and seventh. Results: Superbike Race 1 1. Karl Muggeridge (AUS), Honda 2. Werner Daemen (BEL), BMW 3. Stefan Nebel (GER), KTM 4. Dario Giuseppetti (D), Ducati 5. Joerg Teuchert (D), Xamaha Other KTM 11. Vesa Kallio (FIN), KTM DNF: Martin Bauer (A), KTM Superbike Race 2: 1. Martin Bauer, (AT), KTM 2. Dario Giuseppetti (D), Ducati 3. Werner Daemen (BEL), BMW 4. Stefan Nebel (GER), KTM 5. Didier van Keymeulen (Bel), Yamaha Other KTM DNF: Vesa Kallio (FIN), KTM Standings after 8 of 16 races 1. Karl Muggeridge (AUS), Honda, 148 points 2. Martin Bauer (AT), KTM, 112 3. Werner Daemen (BEL), BMW, 109 4. Stefan Nebel (GER), KTM, 100 5. Barry Veneman (NL), BMW, 90 15. Vesa Kallio, (FIN), KTM, 26 IDM 125 Race 1 1. Luca Amato (Aprilia) 2. Luca Gruenwald (Seel) 3. Toni Finsterbusch (KTM) 5. Damien Raemy (KTM) 7. Daniel Kartheininger (KTM) 10. Philipp Oettl (KTM) IDM 125 Race 2 1. Mathew Scholz (Aprilia) 2. Luca Amato (Aprilia) 3. Luca Gruenwald (Seel) 4. Toni Finsterbusch (KTM) 5. Damien Raemy (KTM) 6. Daniel Kartheininger (KTM) 7. Philipp Oettl (KTM) IDM 125 Standings 1. Luca Gruenwald, (GER), Seel, 147 2. Matthew Scholtz (RSA), Aprilia, 111 3. Toni Finsterbusch (GER), KTM, 94 4. Damien Raemy, (SUI), KTM, 77 5. Daniel Kartheininger (GER), KTM, 73 6. Philipp Oettl, (GER), KTM, 69 More, from a press release issued by Birchall Brothers Racing: THIRD PLACE FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT RIJEKA After a dramatic crash in free practice on Friday, Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall rode through the pain of their injuries to record eleventh place in the short 11-lap sprint race and a fine third in the main race of the weekend, the Gold 20-lap event at Rijeka in Croatia where they were contesting round three of the FIM Sidecar world championship. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported reigning world champions were hoping to repeat their performance from last year when they took the win but it wasn’t to be. As free practice got underway the pair had only completed a couple of laps when the outfit hit the high kerb and flipped onto its roof. Tom was thrown clear but Ben was trapped underneath as the outfit slid down the tarmac. Both riders were transported to the local hospital for treatment and it was Ben that came off worse with a badly grazed back. On their return to the circuit they were unsure if they would be fit to race but decided to give it a go. They qualified in sixth place and went on to take 11th in the sprint race to pick up five championship points. Feeling better on Sunday the pair went out to try and pick up as many points as possible damage limitation. Despite the handicap of his sore back, Ben was determined to complete the gruelling 20 laps and this he did in style. Although the Mansfield pair were well down on the two leading machines they brought the outfit safely home in third place to pick up a further 16 championship points. Although they drop to third in the title race they are only one point away from Reeves in the runner up spot and 25 points adrift from Paivarinta who leads the championship. “The crash was one of those things,” said Ben. “The kerbs are quite high here and they were freshly painted. The outfit clipped the kerb and slid across the track before turning turtle with me sliding along trapped underneath. My back is very sore but I was able to qualify and take part in the races. In race one we chose the wrong tyre which slowed us right down but in the second race we were able to make the podium. I had to borrow some leathers as mine were damaged beyond repair and my helmet is very battered but its testament to the HJC helmet that saved me from further injury see attached pic)” * Oxford Products Ltd supply Ben and Tom with Ben Spies replica HJC helmets and coincidently Spies finished in third place at Silverstone on Sunday in the British round of MotoGP! Ben and Tom are scheduled to contest the Battle of Britain F1 Sidecar championship round at Oulton Park on Friday and Saturday with race one on Friday and the second and third races on Saturday. More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: FTR SUCCESS CONTINUES AT SILVERSTONE FTR MOTO suffered mixed fortunes with the five M210 machines in action at the fifth round of the Moto2 World Championship at Silverstone, GB on Sunday but Spaniard Alex Debon ensured the run of top five finishes continued for the Buckingham-based chassis manufacturer. FTR machines have taken top five finishes five times in 2010 and Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team rider Debon continued that run on the new, 3.665-mile Northamptonshire circuit home of the British MotoGP round for the next five years. Andrea Iannone the runaway winner of the fourth round at Mugello, Italy a fortnight ago battled to 12th place on his FIMMCO Speed Up Team machine while wild card rider Kev Coghlan finished 22nd on the FOGI Racing-backed FTR machine in the 18-lap race. Gabor Talmacsi in his 150th Grand Prix start crashed out of the battle for ninth place with three laps to go, escaping injury, and luckless Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham also fell, on the last lap and while chasing 14th place. Abraham suffered a wrist injury in the crash. “It’s been a frantic and tough weekend overall but Alex Debon once again proved the potential of the FTR machine with a strong finish and, in the early stages, he showed signs of being able to challenge for the win,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. Bones continued: “We’ve got three riders in the top 10 of the Championship, Kev Coghlan’s machine was fastest through the speed trap at Silverstone and the interest in the FTR Moto2 machine continues to grow so we’re all pretty happy. “We’ve got Assen and Catalunya in quick succession now and the closeness of Moto2 is evident week in, week out. With that in mind the new class is quickly becoming not just a battle of constructors but it’s also pushing the teams to the limit in terms of their technical abilities. “In the teams we’re involved with and the technical support they have we’re sure there’s a lot more excitement and success to come in 2010 for FTR.”