FIM Superbike World Championship Phillip Island, Australia February 26, 2012 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Carlos Checa, Spain”ƒ(Ducati 1098R), 22 laps,”ƒ34:26.728 2. Max Biaggi, Italy”ƒ(Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -5.707 seconds, ran off track 3. Tom Sykes, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -12.521 4. Jonathan Rea, Great Britain”ƒ(Honda CBR1000RR), -12.655 5. Leon Haslam, Great Britain”ƒ(BMW S1000RR), -18.179 6. Marco Melandri, Italy”ƒ(BMW S1000RR), -18.831 7. Maxime Berger, France”ƒ(Ducati 1098R), -18.939 8. Eugene Laverty, Ireland”ƒ(Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -19.478 9. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan”ƒ(Honda CBR1000RR), -19.554 10. Niccolò Canepa, Italy”ƒ(Ducati 1098R), -26.289 11. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic”ƒ(Ducati 1098R), -26.479, ran off track 12. Leon Camier, Great Britain”ƒ(Suzuki GSX-R1000), -29.145 13. Davide Giugliano, Italy”ƒ(Ducati 1098R), -36.482 14. Lorenzo Zanetti,”ƒItaly (Ducati 1098R), -38.113 15. Joshua Brookes, Australia”ƒ(Suzuki GSX-R1000), -43.234 16. Bryan Staring, Australia”ƒ(Kawasaki ZX-10R), -43.526 17. Raffaele De Rosa, Italy”ƒ(Honda CBR1000RR), -53.929 18. Ayrton Badovini, Italy”ƒ(BMW S1000RR), -11 laps, DNF, retired 19. Joan Lascorz, Spain”ƒ(Kawasaki ZX-10R), -12 laps, DNF, crash 20. Sylvain Guintoli, France”ƒ(Ducati 1098R), -13 laps, DNF, crash 21. David Salom, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -14 laps, DNF, retired 22. Michel Fabrizio, Italy”ƒ(BMW S1000RR), -18 laps, DNF, crash 23. David Johnson, Australia”ƒ(BMW S1000RR),”ƒ-18 laps, DNF, retired 24. Mark Aitchison, Australia”ƒ(BMW S1000RR), -21 laps, DNF, crash 25. Chaz Davies, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 2 of 28 races): 1. Biaggi, 45 points 2. Melandri, 30 3. Sykes, 29 4. Checa, 25 5. Rea, 22 6. TIE, Guintoli/Smrz 16 8. TIE, Haslam/Aoyama, 15 10. Berger, 12 11. TIE, Fabrizio/Giugliano, 10 13. Laverty, 8 14. Zanetti, 7 15. TIE, Canepa/Staring, 6 17. Camier, 4 18. Salom, 2 19. TIE, Brookes/Lascorz, 1 More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Biaggi and Checa share wins as opening day provides thrills aplenty Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 26 February 2012 A truly remarkable day of racing at the opening round of the FIM Superbike World Championship season saw two former World Champions win races, four manufacturers propel their machines onto the podium and the 4.445km Australian circuit provide some classic moments for the 64,500 strong weekend crowd as the championship begins its 25th Anniversary celebrations in earnest. 2010 champion Max Biaggi Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) and 2011 title winner Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) were the two dominant figures in each 22-lap race, but each had dramatic moments in the other races, one more costly than the other. Biaggi leaves as the points leader after fighting back from last in race two to second place, finding himself five points shy of perfection on the opening weekend. Despite some troubled times in recent testing Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) punched above his pre-race weight to jump onto the podium in race one, while pole winner Tom Sykes carried on his strong testing and qualifying form with a podium place in race two. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) put his 2011 Phillip Island nightmare raceday behind him with a particularly sweet third in the opener, finishing right on Melandri’s tail. In the championship standings, Melandri is 15 points behind Biaggi’s total of 45, and one point ahead of Sykes, who has 29 points. Checa is fourth with 25 points. Race 1 Biaggi won the first encounter by seven seconds from Melandri and third was a closely following Sylvian Guintoli after a dramatic contest on many levels. Checa crashed out of the race while leading, suffering a fast high-side fall on the final corner early in the race. He was uninjured but bruised and took no points. Spots of rain appeared on the riders’ visors and TV camera lenses at two separate stages of the race but to no real effect for the majority of the riders and it continued as a dry race. Sykes took fourth place after leading early on, with Jakub Smrz fifth on his Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) was sixth, from a fading Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team). Biaggi set a new lap record of 1 minute 31.785 seconds, finally beating Troy Corser’s previous raceday best, which was set way back in 2007. Max Biaggi: “It was a very nice race, at the start with Carlos battling for the lead. Then suddenly he high-sided. When I was behind him a big stone hit my windscreen and then it started to do a little shower in one corner. So I had to stayed focused towards the end and with three laps to go my front tyre was sliding. But it’s a great result, it’s a new team with new people, my motivation is very high, the team did a great job.” Marco Melandri: “I’m so happy with the result and happy to give BMW their best result. I didn’t think it was possible before the race. I knew we were struggling more in practice than in the race but I have never made a long-run so far in the season so I wasn’t sure. The team have been working awesome and in the race the rear tyre did a really good job.” Sylvain Guintoli: “I didn’t even think about what happened to me last year here. In the race I knew I had the bike set-up to get a podium. I sort of stepped back a bit in the early part to save the tyres then when I saw Tom was slowing down I thought now’s the time to push hard. He was very hard to overtake. In the last two laps I was sliding all over the place but I really enjoyed that race.” Results: 1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34’13.963 (171,397 kph); 2. Melandri M. (ITA)BMW S1000 RR 7.104; 3. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 7.378; 4. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 12.189; 5. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 16.424; 6. Fabrizio M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 20.200; 7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 20.223; 8. Aoyama H. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 24.108; 9. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 28.072; 10. Staring B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34.232; 11. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 34.450; 12 Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 35.648; 13. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 36.392; 14. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 41.500; 15. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 42.086; etc. Race 2 Checa recovered from his big race one crash to post his first win of the year but arguably an even greater performance came from second place man Biaggi. Checa hit the front early on but Biaggi had run off track on lap one, kept his bike upright and rejoined last. He then fought through to take a second place and a clear championship lead. Sykes overhauled a slowing Rea in a breathtaking final lap to get his first dry weather Kawasaki podium, after Rea’s tyres had been used up. Race two was held in track conditions twelve degrees hotter than race one. The injured Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) put in a gritty ride to secure fifth place while his team-mate Melandri was one place behind. Carlos Checa: “I’m really satisfied, even more so after the crash in race 1. I’m OK now after winning, I think it’s the best anti-inflammatory I can take today! The team worked hard many days in Australia preparing for the race and to leave this country and track with a crash was not the best result. It wasn’t easy in race 2, I was pushing hard but I did not know where Biaggi was and I knew he had a strong pace to catch me. Shame about the crash but we are happy here to be winning!” Max Biaggi: “I’m very happy, we did so much hard work to get into the top 5. When you are down in 15th or 16th position your bike is moving around all over the place. Once again we are first and second, we did a good job. Tom is a difficult man to pass! He touched my brake lever, which turned up so lucky I stayed on the bike. I cut all the way through turn 1, jumped into turn 2 and said ‘OK, let’s go!’. I was very motivated and did a good result.” Tom Sykes: “Let’s be honest, Kawasaki have done a fantastic job over the winter and the ZX-10R has worked well during testing and over the full race weekend. Unfortunately today the high winds definitely affected us more than the other guys but other than that it’s a very strong weekend for myself and Kawasaki to come away with a third and fourth at what is not one of our best circuits. It’s all very promising, now we’re looking forward to Europe and hopefully I can stay strong there.” Results: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 34’26.728 (170,339 kph); 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 5.707; 3. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 12.521; 4. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR; 12.655; 5. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 18.179; 6. Melandri M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 18.831;7. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 18.939; 8.Laverty E. (IRL) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 19.478; 9. Aoyama H. (JPN); Honda CBR1000RR 19.554; 10. Canepa N. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 26.289;11. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 26.479; 12. Camier L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 29.145; 13. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 36.482; 14. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 38.113; 15. Brookes J. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 43.234; etc. Points (after 1 of 14 rounds): 1. Biaggi 40; 2. Melandri 30; 3. Sykes 29; 4. Checa 25; 5. Rea 22; 6. Guintoli 16; 7. Smrz 16; 8. Haslam 15; 9. Aoyama 15; 10. Berger 12; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 45; 2. Ducati 41; 3. BMW 31; 4. Kawasaki 29; 5. Honda 22; 6. Suzuki 4. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: CHECA AND THE ALTHEA RACING TEAM SCORE FIRST SBK WIN OF THE 2012 SEASON TODAY AT PHILLIP ISLAND! Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 26th February 2012: the first races of the 2012 World Superbike Championship took place this afternoon at the Australian track of Phillip Island and for Carlos Checa and the Althea Racing team it was a day of mixed fortunes; after a crash in race 1 Carlos bounced back, dominating race 2 on board his Ducati 1198 to win with an advantage of almost six seconds! A solid performance also for rookie Davide Giugliano who earned his first championship points by closing the day’s races in ninth and thirteenth position respectively. Race 1- Checa, starting from third on the grid, was already second after the first corners, right behind Sykes. On the very next lap he was able to pass the Kawasaki rider to take the lead. Unfortunately he did not have the chance to conclude what would have been a great race due to a bad crash on the sixth lap; the Spanish rider lost the rear of his Ducati 1198, highsiding and finishing in the gravel. Although Carlos was unhurt, he was unable to rejoin the race. Checa’s team-mate Giugliano made a good start, holding fourteenth position through the opening lap. After a few laps he was able to find a good rhythm, passing a couple of riders to position himself tenth by the seventh lap. Five laps from the end he passed Camier, and Aoyama in the final phase, to cross the line in ninth position, earning his first championship points of the season. Race 2 From third position Carlos was again up in second place through the first corners. He battled for the lead with both Sykes and Rea, before securing command definitively on the fourth lap. Two laps later 2011 SBK champion Checa recorded the fastest lap of the race (1m32.8). By mid-race, he had an advantage of almost three seconds over Rea in second and in the final laps Carlos worked hard to increase his lead and assure himself of race victory! He crossed the line first, 5.7 seconds ahead of Biaggi, second. Giugliano got away very quickly this time and was up into eighth position by the end of the first lap. He held that position, following Melandri closely for the first half of the race. Unfortunately, five laps from the end of the race, Davide began to suffer pain in his right arm which meant he couldn’t’ continue to push as he had been doing. Losing a few positions in the final minutes, the young Italian closed the race in thirteenth position, collecting three more championship points along the way. At the end of the opening round, Checa lies in fourth position in the championship standings, with 25 points, while Giugliano’s 10 points place him twelfth. Ducati attained 41 points today and is thus second to Aprilia in the manufacturer’s classification. Carlos Checa: “In race one I had the worst crash that I’ve ever had with the Ducati. I was under pressure and pushed a little too hard. It’s extremely difficult to find the exact limit with the bike, the track, and with myself and today I exceeded that limit and fell. The team made a fantastic job of preparing a bike that allowed me to win in race two. In that race, I started strong and when I saw that Max had gone off track, I pushed hard to get ahead and win the race. Max made a good recovery but I was able to maintain a strong pace and bring home what is a very important win for me and for the team.” Davide Giugliano: “Race 1 I used to gain experience, not knowing exactly how it would go. It went quite well and I was able to use what I learned in this race to go on the attack in the second. I started strong in the second race and was up with the front group. I was able to pass those a little slower than me and was, I think, seventh. I planned to race behind Melandri and Haslam and conserve the tyres as best I could and that seemed to be working but unfortunately, five laps from the end, I started to suffer pain in my left arm and had to slow down in the final laps. It was a pity because if it hadn’t been for that, I could have finished in the front group which wouldn’t have been at all bad! I have to solve this problem before Imola where I am sure I can do better.” Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea Racing: “After the crash in race 1, we were worried that Carlos may be hurt but thankfully he wasn’t and was able to concentrate on the second race. I was disappointed to see that there are riders that can start from last position and finish second, while we are penalized with six extra kilos of weight. It will be hard to overcome this difficulty this season, even with a rider, a champion, of Carlos’ caliber. As far as Davide is concerned, after completing his ‘apprenticeship’ in race 1, he was able to demonstrate his potential in the second race. We’re going to check his physical condition of course it is worrying and we must sort that out. I want to underline though that he completed a race at a very high level, staying close to experienced riders such as Melandri and Haslam. Once we resolve any physical problems, we can be protagonists with Davide too.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Overcast at noon, sunny in the afternoon. Temperature: Air: 31 34 °C, Track: 42 54 °C Number of riders participating: 24 from 14 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) 1:31.785 min Fastest lap Race 2: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:32.846 min It has been a historic day for BMW Motorrad: Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport celebrated its best ever result in the FIM Superbike World Championship. Factory rider Marco Melandri (ITA) finished second in the first race of the 2012 season opener at Phillip Island (AUS), despite only starting 13th on the grid after Saturday’s Superpole qualifying had to be canceled, preventing the chance to challenge for a better grid position. In race two he came in sixth. His team-mate, Leon Haslam (GBR), also put in a strong performance. Only four days after an operation to insert two screws to fix his fractured right tibia, Leon bravely fought the pain barrier, scoring a 12th and a strong fifth place. Overall, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport collected 45 points this weekend, more than ever before. In his first ever race on the BMW S 1000 RR, Marco gained several positions in the first corners, working his way further up the field as the race went on. On lap 18 he had improved to second, and defended this position against Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) right to the finish line. Leon had finished 12th in the two qualifying sessions. In race one, despite his injuries, he was fighting for the top ten until the very last lap. At the start of race two Leon catapulted himself up to third, and fought for the top positions over the next laps. Marco meanwhile had a steady start, but improved his position lap by lap. Halfway through the race he found himself directly behind Leon in fifth. From then on, the two factory riders had an exciting inter-team battle, changing positions several times. In the end, Leon was able to hold on and finished fifth in front of Marco. BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team’s rider Michel Fabrizio (ITA) came home sixth in race one, but wasn’t able to finish race two. His team mate, Ayrton Badovini (ITA), had to retire in both heats. The races were won by Max Biaggi (ITA) and Carlos Checa (ESP). In the riders’ championship, Marco lies in second with 30 points. Leon is eighth with 15 points. In the manufacturers’ standings BMW is third with 31 points. Marco Melandri: Result Race 1: 2nd / Gap to 1st: 00:07.104 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:32.224 min Result Race 2: 6th / Gap to 1st: 00:18.831 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:33.379 min “I am really happy! Giving BMW its best ever result in only my first race on the RR is awesome. I still cannot believe that. The guys at the circuit and in the factory are working really hard, and they have done a great job. We didn’t quite know how we would perform in the race as we hadn’t done any long runs in pre-season testing. During the race I just tried to keep my rhythm and tried not to override as I knew I would have to look after the tyres. I had to wait for the right moment to pass Tom Sykes and Sylvain Guintoli. In the final two laps Sylvain was pushing very hard again, but I kept focused on my race and defended my position. Race two was very difficult. It was warmer, so I had to push harder to catch the guys in front of me, and it was not easy. But we finished the first weekend second in the championship, and that is better than expected. Now we have one month to analyse the data and try to make even more improvements. We will go testing in Spain and all the guys are working hard. We all have the same goal and I very happy to see the motivation is high. Last, I want to send my sympathy to the family of Oscar McIntyre who we lost yesterday.” Leon Haslam: Result Race 1: 12th / Gap to 1st: 00:35.648 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:33.127 min Result Race 2: 5th / Gap to 1st: 00:18.179 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:33.432 min “Overall I’m really happy. We had a problem in race one, which I couldn’t ride around. Even though just scoring points was the objective, I knew I could have done better. The boys worked really hard between races: They changed engines, electronics and the balance of the bike, and straightaway we were able to fight for a top five position. It’s a big credit to all the team and the medical staff who managed to get me out there in the first place! I also want to express my condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre, who died in that tragic crash yesterday.” Bernhard Gobmeier (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director): “Overall the weekend was very positive Marco’s second place means the best result for BMW Motorrad in World Superbike so far. The weekend was a bit of a roller coaster, but in the end we proved that our work over the winter paid off. Still, we are not where we want to be, and we have some areas to work on, and this is what we will do over the next couple of weeks. I am very happy about the performance of our riders: Leon having finished the second race in the top five is very impressive and makes everyone at BMW Motorrad very proud. Marco’s second place in the first race has been the best result for BMW Motorrad in this championship so far. Considering the grip issues Marco faced in race two, which unexpectedly showed up from the beginning of the race, his performance cannot be valued high enough. He did an outstanding job, demonstrated his qualities, and is now lying second in the World Championship. On behalf of the entire team and BMW Motorrad, I wish to pass my condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre, who lost his life in yesterday’s crash at Phillip Island.” More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: MAX BIAGGI CONQUERS PHILLIP ISLAND, DOMINATING RACE 1 AND MAKING AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK: FROM LAST TO SECOND PLACE IN RACE 2. THE GREAT PERFORMANCE EARNS THE PROVISIONAL LEADERSHIP FOR THE CORSAIR, WHILE EUGENE LAVERTY LEAVES AUSTRALIA WITH EIGHTH PLACE IN RACE 2. Phillip Island, 26 February 2012 Two spectacular races for Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Racing Team at Phillip Island. The first round of the 2012 world Superbike season provides the Corsair and his RSV4 with extraordinarily positive confirmation on a track which historically has not be favourable. At the start of race 1 Max shot out well from the second spot on the grid, straight away breathing down the tailpipes of Checa and Sykes. Aided by the good pace he showed during the test sessions, Max skilfully overtook the Kawasaki rider during the third lap, then putting a lap record on the boards at 1’31.785. A crash by Checa, at that point with Max bearing down hard on him, paved the way to victory, won with more than 7 seconds advantage over the closest rival. Race 2 was even more exciting and will be long remembered by the fans. Rocketing out well when the red lights went off, Max was involved in contact with Sykes on the first turn, a collision which moved the brake lever and prevented proper braking. Re-entering the track in last place, with an eight second disadvantage, the five time world champion laid down 22 breathtaking laps filled with duels, overtaking and repetition, fast laps and deadly cool concentration, coming back to second place and earning the provisional leadership in the 2012 World Championship. The emotion came through clearly in Max’s words: “After such a difficult winter this is extremely satisfying for me. I worked without sparing myself and during the testing here at Phillip Island we truly tried a lot of things and the results prove us right. The first weekend with my new Team puts us out front and I have to thank both my guys and Aprilia for that. Race 1 was great, and the second one maybe even better. After running off the track I only thought about focusing and giving my all, because coming back from last place is always risky. We succeeded. We’re taking home two good results and now there is nothing left to do but keep the tension high to confirm our strength at Imola. I am leaving for Montecarlo so Monday I’ll be home and I’ll begin to prepare for the next round”. Eugene Laverty, who had a rough weekend, was in any case able to cross the finish line in Race 2 in eighth place after pulling out of the first. The two recent crashes left their mark, besides compromising the extremely important test sessions for a rider who is making his début on a new bike. The young Northern Irish rider is sizing up his RSV4 and feels confident for the next races. “In the end, if we think about what has happened, I’m not disappointed. I would have been happy with two placings among the first 10. It’s a shame that the bike went into neutral in the first race which forced me to run on. Race 2 was just as difficult due to my condition after the crashes, but all in all eight points can prove to be important for such a long and difficult championship”. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Crescent Fixi Suzuki raced to its first World Superbike Championship points at the 2012 WSBK season-opener at Phillip Island in Australia today. Although the results were not what they were looking for from Leon Camier and temporary stand-in Josh Brookes, the positive feedback and amount of valuable information gained will be invaluable for the next round of the series at Imola in a month’s time. Leon Camier – Race 1 – 17th, Race 2 – 12th: “I wanted better results today but we’ve gathered masses of information in the team’s first-ever WSBK race and I’m positive that we’ll see a big improvement in Imola. I can’t tell you how happy I am with the GSX-R’s chassis – for me it has the potential to win races. The bike brakes really well, is stable in mid-corner; and I’m perfectly happy with its character. If we can get a bit more power, we’ll be contenders for sure. In race one, I got pushed off the track by Giugliano and lost ground. I started chasing back to catch up, but as the race went on the tyre wore out completely and I couldn’t push any harder. “In the second race, I got hemmed-in going into turn one, lost ground and was 14th at the end of lap one. I was able to pass a lot of people on the brakes, but lost out on acceleration and top speed and again the way I had to ride to compensate destroyed the tyre at the end. This was a tough day but the potential is huge.” Josh Brookes – Race 1 – 16th, Race 2 – 15th: “I feel better about today than the rest of the weekend. For race two, we went back to front-end ride height we used yesterday plus some softer springs. The changes made a huge difference to how the front end felt and the bike braked and turned better. We turned down the traction control for race two and although I was happier with the feel of the bike, it resulted in destroying the tyres more quickly. I’d like to thank Crescent Fixi Suzuki for giving me the chance to ride the bike. I have learnt a lot this weekend and my mind has been opened as to the potential of the Suzuki I’ll be riding in the British Superbike Championship.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “Race two was much better for Leon and his lap times when he was playing catch up from 14th were excellent – good enough to run in the top four or five. We need to find a bit more power and hopefully this will come with the next-step Yoshimura GSX-R engines. I’m pleased that Josh got into the points. He has worked hard throughout the tests and this weekend and we really appreciate his efforts standing in for Hopper. Overall I am happier with the second race potential and generally we’ve gained a lot of good, useful information to take to the next round in Imola. Paul Denning – Team Principal: “Phillip Island is a brutal track if you don’t have a perfect set-up and we also missed John’s speed and experience with the Suzuki, so our backs were up against it right from the start. Leon’s results today didn’t demonstrate his potential, but his race pace in the second 22-lapper showed that he can run with the top group – but a combination of being 14th at the end of lap one and tyre-wear issues made it hard for him to get back into contention. “I’d like to thank Josh for joining the team at short notice and working as hard as he did in the tests and this weekend. I’d also like to thank Fujio, Yohei and all the guys at Yoshimura. We need their help to go forward and we’re all looking forward to the next-spec engines. This is a World Championship and it’s tough at this level but we are determined to fight for good results!” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Honda World Superbike Team harvests points in Australia Both Honda World Superbike Team riders, Jonathan Rea and Hiroshi Aoyama, took two top ten finishes in today’s opening round of the 2012 World Superbike championship at Phillip Island in Australia. With the race victories going to Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa, Rea took seventh and fourth places in the two 22-lap outings, while his team-mate Aoyama finished eighth and ninth. Starting from the outside of the second row, 25-year-old Rea enjoyed good starts to both outings. In race one, however, a lack of rear grip had dropped him back to seventh at the flag, while in race two, he held second place for much of the race after a set-up change improved grip levels. However, with just two laps to go, he slipped behind Biaggi and then lost out to fellow Brit Tom Sykes on the final straight. After problems in qualifying, World Superbike rookie Aoyama, started from 16th on the grid. Opting for the softer rear tyre in both races, the Japanese rider fought through to the top ten in race one, while a small set-up change allowed him to make it a double in his debut SBK outing. Jonathan Rea 7th and 4th We’ve still got a bagful of points to go on to Imola with but we wanted to be on the podium in both races. I honestly feel like we got a bad tyre in race one and in race two we didn’t want to run in the same situation, so we were thinking about changing the tyre, but all our logic and race runs throughout the weekend told us to keep this [harder] tyre in the heat. Directly, I had more grip OK, the temperature was even hotter, which would go against our logic but the tyre felt like it should feel and I was able to ride strong and consistent until probably five laps to go when durability fell off and I was going backwards. I felt fresh and strong in both races and the guys have worked well all weekend. We had a little crash on Saturday and the boys worked so good with the one-bike rule to get us back out there. You have to think that this circuit is a bit unique with the tyre character, how long you’re on the side and the heat generated in the tyre. Now we move on to some tracks that are good for us and there’s a lot of work to do back at base. The guys need to find some speed, so that’s on the agenda; I’ve just done a de-brief and everything feels OK. I want to say thanks to everyone for all their help this weekend it feels good to get to the start of the season fit and healthy and I’m looking forward to round two now. Hiroshi Aoyama 8th and 9th I think it’s not so bad for my first Superbike weekend. We had a not-so-easy start on Friday when I had one crash and we had a lot of problems. That didn’t help us to go much faster and we tried many things but couldn’t improve. In the races we managed to finish in the top ten with eighth and ninth and I want to say thanks to all the guys who worked for me. It was a tough weekend but ended up not too bad. I’m looking forward to the next race in Imola of course I’ve never ridden there, so it’s going to be tough for Friday. We have month to improve the bike a little bit and, if I can find a better feeling, I can push a little bit more and this is what I am looking for. Anyway, considering the situation now, it’s not so bad! More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Podium For Sykes As Both Leading Kawasaki Riders Show Good Pace WSBK, Phillip Island, Australia, 26 February 2012 Tom Sykes scored a fourth and then a strong third place at Phillip Island to go third in the championship rankings after the opening round of the 2012 championship. Sykes’ first round results, after a winter of intense testing and development, demonstrated that Kawasaki’s plans have been moving the race set-up of the Ninja ZX-10R in the right direction. It was particularly evident at PI as this track has seldom been kind to Sykes or the team in the past and Tom does not cite it as one of his favourites. In race one Tom led for the first two laps and was in a podium place for 13 laps, only dropping back in the final few circuits as the wind started to affect his machine and tyre wear took its toll. Changes to the bike set-up in race two helped Tom not only lead again and then defend his position but he was also able to run down Jonathan Rea to secure third exiting the final corner and holding it down the long straight. Sykes’ team-mate Joan Lascorz could not find a set-up to let him compete in race one, but he was well in the fight in race two, sitting behind Tom in fourth until he fell, losing the front on lap 11. He only scored in one race today but he proved that with the right set-up options on his bike he can run with the best. Pedercini Team Kawasaki regular David Salom battled against injury to go 14th in race one, but had to retire from race two due to pain and fatigue in his wrist. A great ride from stand-in Pedercini rider Bryan Staring put him tenth in race one, but the hotter temperatures in race two saw him have to fight to go 16th. Tom Sykes: “In race one I got a good start and over race distance I had been feeling really strong all week. It was a very difficult race with the wind blowing me and the bike around but to be honest I had to use my head a bit and not get sucked into too much fighting. I was just trying to manage the gap behind, but to come away with a fourth, on a track like this, using the same tyres as the guys on the podium, is a bit of a first for us. It shows the progress Kawasaki has made over the winter. To take the podium on the last lap was really satisfying and the bike has been working really well in winter testing so big thanks to the team; they were very focused. Race two was even more windy than race one but my crew chief and team changed the balance of the bike and compensated for some things. For sure we arrived at the limit but we were able to maintain a consistent pace right to the end. I had a good fight with Max for a couple of laps and a few corners. So to come away with pole position, third and fourth in the races? I am over the moon, because this circuit has never been a strong one for us in the past.” Joan Lascorz: “It was difficult with the settings in the first race. In the first part it was not so bad, then we had a lot of problems with vibration. The wind was also pushing me around in the fast corners. I eventually lost the front in race two but it was much better for the machine set-up. Congratulations to Tom, he rode a nice race, and congratulations to the team and Kawasaki too. I crashed out of race two but I think we were just unlucky, and it was good to find our true pace in race two for a few laps.” Steve Guttridge: Kawasaki Europe Race Planning Manager: “This is a fantastic weekend after all the hard work the teams have done and they pulled out all the stops. They had a very intelligent testing programme and put it all together on raceday. Kawasaki is delighted with the performance and commitment of the teams. To see Tom be able to push right until the last lap and then make a pass for his podium place on the finish straight was fantastic.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Team Pedercini sends its condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre, the young Australian rider who lost his life yesterday at Phillip Island during a national Superstock 600 race. A dry track greeted the Superbike riders this morning in Phillip Island for the warm up. The Both Team Pedercini riders worked with their technicians on their bike set up so as to be ready for the start of the inaugural races of the 2012 Superbike World Championship. A fifth row start for both Bryan Staring and David Salom in today’s 22-lap races. The Spanish rider has been suffering from a fracture to his right wrist (scaphoid) and his physical condition affected his performance during the qualifying sessions. In race one Staring scored a fantastic result when, with a very fast pace and some fearless overtaking, the Aussie rider reached tenth position. An heroic Salom reached the points zone, obtaining fourteenth place despite a lot of pain in his injured wrist. In the second race Staring closed sixteenth, just missing the points zone. Because of the afternoon’s high temperatures, Bryan found that his rear tyre was losing grip during the second half of the race. After a good start, David Salom started to feel a lot of pain in his right wrist. The Spanish rider was unfortunately forced to re-enter the garage, putting a premature end to his race. Superbike race one : 1) Biaggi (Aprilia) 2) Melandri (BMW) – 3) Guintoli (Ducati) 4) Sykes (Kawasaki) 5) Smrz (Ducati) “¦”¦.10) Staring (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ 14) Salom (Kawasaki) Superbike race two : 1) Checa (Ducati) 2) Biaggi (Aprilia) 3) Sykes (Kawasaki) 4) Rea (Honda) 5) Haslam (BMW) “¦”¦. 16) Staring (Kawasaki) – Ret) Salom (Kawasaki) Bryan Staring: “All in all, I guess we had a good Sunday, meaning that we had a good first race. I found the second race very hard, I think maybe I was a little fatigued from race one and had trouble finding grip and finding my rhythm. I can’t really explain what the problem was, and I’m disappointed with that result, but I have to be happy with how race 1 went, and the fact that I earned some important points.” David Salom : “In race one my start was not so bad but I was really worried about my injured right wrist. I experienced a lot of pain, mainly because I had decided against using an anaesthetic. I don’t know how I was able to finish race one but I came home in fourteenth place, obtaining two points. In race two I again opted out of using an anaesthetic but towards the middle of the race I started to feel a lot of pain and so decided to come into the pits. Now I have one month to improve my poor physical condition in order to be ready for the next races in Imola. I want to thank my team for all of their hard work during the weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Effenbert Liberty Racing Team: First podium for Effenbert Liberty Racing Team! Sylvain Guintoli came third in first race on Phillip Island. Today was a big day for all motorcycle racing fans all over the world as the first World Superbike race of the 2012 season got under way in Australia. It was a big day for the Czech Effenbert Liberty Racing squad, whose rider Sylvain Guintoli brought his Ducati on the podium, coming third in race one, marking a great start to the season for the team! All three Liberty Racing protagonists made a good start in race one. Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrž shared 5th and 6th position respectively, while Berger was in 10th after first lap. Guintoli soon started to fight his way up and so did Berger, who was battling for 7th before going off track, coming back in 20th position. He was pushing hard and recovered to finish 13th overall. Jakub Smrž finished 5th and the team was happy with the maximum effort that everyone made, especially after bringing home their first podium. Sylvain’s pace was very good 1.33.5 with 6 laps to go – and he was happy with his third position. His battle with Tom Sykes for 2nd position was the most spectacular action on the race track. “After what happened to me here last year, this is the best reward I could get. It was hard work, but I’m very happy and would like to say thanks to the whole team,” said Guintoli. Race two saw youngster Maxime Berger take over from his more experienced teammates. He had a great pace (1.33.391 fastest) and finished the race in a fantastic 7th position, fighting with his rivals from the outset to the end. “After race one, where I was off track and had to recover, race two was much better. The team is fantastic and my guys did a great job. It was a successful weekend,” declared Maxime Berger. Sylvain Guintoli was unfortunate as he went off track on lap 9 and crashed out of the race. It was a shame since his early race pace was already very good (1.33.486). “I was confident for another podium and as I was battling with Melandri, I went wide to avoid crashing but then on the field I wasn’t able to handle the bike,” explained Guintoli and his race engineer, Luca Ferraccioli, added “Sylvain had a fantastic first race, getting on the podium after a battle elbow to elbow with first Tom Sykes and then Melandri was the best way to start the new season, especially considering the bad crash he had here last year. In race two, he was pushing very hard to stay in touch with the leading group and it did not work out well for him.” Jakub Smrž was struggling at the beginning of the race as he went wide on lap 4 and lost a few positions. He pushed very hard towards the end and managed to recover to 11th place overall. “After a good first race, we decided to change a few things on the bike for race 2. I didn’t have a good start and although the bike was good, and so was my lap time and speed, I wasn’t able to recover for better than 11th place. It’s a shame, but we did a great job on the bike anyway and I’m grateful for the amazing job that my team did,” said Jakub Smrž. Everyone called the day a success. There’s always scope for improvement and first podium encouraged everyone to aim even higher. Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrž now share 6th and 7th position with 16 points each, while Maxime Berger lies in 10th with 12 points after today’s “double-header”. The team will now move back to Europe and will fight for another portion of championship points in a couple of weeks on an Italian circuit in Imola. More, from a press release issued by Pro Ride Motorsports: Phillip Island The first race of the World Superbike Championship for the Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda were crowned by a bit of unlucky and a lot of hard work to achieve a good result right from the beginning. It is clear that the level is very high and that we arrived in Australia as the only team that hadn’t had tested before and with a rookie rider. So with this context in mind we can say that today we made a great job and a good result. After a week of testing and racing we can say that it ended well. Mainly because who has experience in racing knows how much dedication and track kilometers one needs to make competitive a team. And inside the space we could occupy this weekend, the result is a team in evolution, that still needs to test a lot to be able to give to the public and to ourselves the results we are searching for. But talking about the facts, unfortunately we did not participate to Race 1 because of a handle bar bracket that broke on the grid the moment one of our technicians was taking out the front stand of the bike seconds before the warm up lap. There’s no much to say about an episode like this. Then in Race 2 he has started well, we could see he was having fun. He overtook some riders and around the middle of the race we have even arrived in the points zone, but it is true that riding in Superbike is not very much simple, it is something that one doesn’t learn in 2 days. The point is that only in the last 5-6 laps that De Rosa had problems riding the bike and unfortunately lost some seconds and he finished the race on the 17th position. For us this is a victory, to finish the race with both rider and bike that works well and produced many data to study at home to find the best electronics setting for a riding stile of a rider that had never had contact to electronics before. It was hard to ride with the quick shifter that behaves in a particular way after half race when the tires have a certain consummation. For this we need to make more track tests and working hard at home, once this is a typical characteristic of the Superbikes and an element that one must learn little by little how to cope with on the race track. We have a talented rider, and we know that it is a matter of time to make the results come. Here we learn everyday and we see today as the first one at “school” In Imola we will come stronger and ready to take the best of our CBR 1000 RR and also give the conditions to De Rosa to face races that will be funny to watch to all of us at the Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda. Raffaele de Rosa, rider: “During the first part of the race I had fun, also passed some riders. I started behind, but I felt I was strong right in the first laps. Then I overtook some riders and got more motivated with the race and the bike. From the second half of the race on I had some problems in managing the quick shifter, but until that point I was having fun. Being my first race in the Superbikes I can say it was a good one, even if honestly we are missing more track tests. Besides, I didn’t make Race 1 and I couldn’t get any experience for Race 2. So taking these things into account that was the result we were expecting. Let’s see Imola.” Eng. Marco Nicotari, Team Manager and Technical Director: “In Race 1 we had a very sui generis problem something that had never happened before: the handle bar bracket broken at the starting grid and we couldn’t start. For Race 2 we prepared the bike with the same setting we had planned for Race 1 and at the end everything was alright. We knew that the consumption of the tires was excessive here, but at the end of the race our tires were in the same conditions of the other bikes, we checked. The lap times were more or less the same of what we have done during the tests and the racing weekend. So now we have a 2 seconds gap and we evaluate that we can decrease this gap at the most to 0.8 seconds, that it is our gap from the first riders. We need to work, in order to help Raffaele to learn all the characteristics of this class that is completely different from Moto2, I mean the characteristic of the Pirelli tires, the characteristic of a bike much powerful and with electronics. And this is a lot to learn in only one race weekend. In my opinion it was a good race. While he was among other riders and overtaking them he was having fun. Now it’s time to work to Imola.”