FIM Superbike World Championship Brno, Czech Republic July 11, 2010 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), 20 laps, 40:12.236 2. Jonathan REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), -4.627 seconds 3. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Ducati 1098F10), -13.600 4. James TOSELAND, Great Britain (Yamaha YZF-R1), -16.372 5. Noriyuki HAGA, Japan (Ducati 1098F10), -17.530 6. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), -21.704 7. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -23.769 8. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -25.875 9. Shane BYRNE, Great Britain (Ducati 1098R), -30.374 10. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -34.002 11. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -34.691 12. Broc PARKES, Australia (Honda CBR1000RR), -49.270 13. Roger HAYDEN, USA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -63.258 14. Cal CRUTCHLOW, Great Britain (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1 lap, pitted 15. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1 lap, pitted 16. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -5 laps, DNF, crash 17. Ruben XAUS, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -6 laps, DNF, crash 18. Chris VERMEULEN, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -18 laps, DNF, retired 19. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -20 laps, DNF, crash 20. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (Honda CBR1000RR), -20 laps, DNF, crash 21. Luca SCASSA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 26 races): 1. Biaggi, 352 points 2. Haslam, 284 3. Rea, 203 4. Checa, 189 5. Haga, 172 6. Toseland, 160 7. Troy Corser, 149 8. Fabrizio, 147 9. TIE, Camier/Crutchlow/Guintoli, 138 12. Byrne, 108 13. Xaus, 64 14. Smrz, 61 15. Scassa, 53 16. Sykes, 48 17. Lanzi, 44 18. Neukirchner, 35 19. Vermeulen, 10 20. Parkes, 9 21. Hayden, 7 22. TIE, Sheridan Morais/Baiocco/Andrew Pitt, 3 25. Josh Brookes, 2 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: FABRIZIO (DUCATI XEROX) WORKS HARD TO TAKE PODIUM IN RACE 2 AT BRNO TODAY Brno (Czech Republic), Sunday 11th July: a day of mixed fortunes for Michel Fabrizio and the Ducati Xerox Team on the Czech circuit of Brno today; a technical problem forced the Italian to retire in race 1 but he fought back to take a well deserved podium in race 2, after battling against Ruben Xaus (BMW). Noriyuki Haga on the other hand, starting from fifteenth on the grid, rode two strong races and made up many positions to close sixth and fifth. Noriyuki Haga made a great start in the first race, carving his way through the field to move up from fifteenth on the grid to sixth by the end of the first lap. He chased Sylvain Guintoli for the first few laps and then Ruben Xaus but, although he got close, he was unable to pass the BMW. In the last part of the race he started to suffer from tyre wear and fought to the line to maintain sixth position, just ahead of James Toseland. Michel Fabrizio found himself caught up in traffic at the first corner and was in thirteenth position on the opening lap. Over the next five laps he made a good recovery as far as eighth place but unfortunately, as he was beginning to gain on Toseland, he suffered a mechanical problem with the engine and, finding he could not change gear, he was obliged to retire to the garage during the twelfth lap. Race 2 took place on a much hotter track (60°C) and this time both Ducati Xerox riders made strong starts, particularly Noriyuki who by the second lap had already made up nine positions. Michel got past Xaus on lap five to take third place, leaving Ruben fourth ahead of Noriyuki in fifth. The Roman rider continued to fight against Xaus who pushed hard to get ahead once more in lap nine but on the fifteenth lap the Spanish rider made a mistake and fell, putting paid to his podium chances. Fabrizio, already too far behind race leaders Max Biaggi and Jonathan Rea, did not give up and continued to push to ensure himself of a podium spot after the disappointment of race 1. Noriyuki, who changed to the a r A type rear tyre for race 2 (a softer tyre than the C used in race 1), was doing everything he could to hold fourth place but two laps from the end Toseland got by, and the Japanese rider closed fifth. After this ninth World Superbike round, Haga continues to lie in fifth position, holding 172 points, while his team-mate Fabrizio is eighth with 147 points. Ducati is third in the manufacturers standings with 276 points. Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 6th, Race 2 5th) “I made a strong start in Race 1 but it was difficult to catch Xaus. My tyres were not bad during the first half of the race but nevertheless I couldn’t push as I wanted to and Xaus remained there in front of me. In the second race we changed the tyre but maybe it doesn’t suit my riding style because I didn’t feel so stable and it didn’t give me enough feeling. Having said that, I was able to make up several positions and fifth, even though I hoped to do much better, wasn’t bad considering my grid position.” Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 DNF , Race 2 3rd) “In Race 1 I realised straight away that I had a problem because I wasn’t able to push and then the bike started to vibrate a great deal. At a certain point I wasn’t able to put the bike into gear and so had to come back to the box. It’s a shame because I was gaining on Toseland and thought I could run a good race, maybe even reaching the podium. Race 2 went much better. I defended myself and am satisfied with the result, though I was sorry for Xaus of course.” More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Rea and Biaggi share wins at superheated Brno Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) moved an impressive 68 points clear of his nearest challenger after two 20-lap races held in hot and steamy conditions in front of 64,000 fans at Brno. Max has now won ten races at Brno in all classes of competition, but today he had to share top billing with race one winner Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). The British rider added to his Assen double with a virtual flag-to-flag win, to take his victory tally for 2010 to three. Biaggi could not do his usual double today but was peerless in race two, after changing his set-up between races and capitalizing when the track temperature jumped up by almost ten degrees. The other podium places were shared by Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), but in the championship fight itself, the fate of Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) in each race had the most effect. Eighth in race one and tenth in race two for Leon put him on 284 points to Biaggi’s class-leading 352. Rea is now third on 203, Checa (Althea Ducati) is fourth on 189, after finishing ninth and sixth today. Race 1 Rea ground out a great win, by 2.5 seconds from Biaggi’s Aprilia, putting himself back into the spotlight after some tough races in the past few weeks. His last podium before this had been at Kyalami, back in May. Rea had been third on the grid, with Biaggi second and pole man Crutchlow rode hard and well to take third place. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) equalled his best race finish of fourth, while Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) had his best result yet on his German machine, fifth. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), fast in early qualifying but 15th after Superpole, recovered well to go sixth, holding off James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) who has been suffering from a chest infection at this race. Jonathan Rea: “At the start I didn’t really know what was going on but I ended up going to the front. This race win I’d like to dedicate to my team boss, Ronald ten Kate, who is not here with us this weekend. Today it was like out there on the bike I could do nothing wrong, now I’ll go back to the guys and prepare a better bike for race 2 and see what we can do. I just had to capitalize on Max’s weaknesses in some corners, it was a really difficult race out there and very hot. Max Biaggi: “We came here on Friday and we didn’t really have the same feeling as I had last year so we tried to set up the bike as close as last year’s machine. Basically we improved, but my feeling was not great. Unfortunately this weekend has been like this, but we will make some modifications for race 2 and hopefully there will be some surprises.” Cal Crutchlow: “To say I’m disappointed is probably an understatement. I went into the race with high hopes, the grip yesterday was really good for us and in the heat but as you saw we were struggling with rear grip from the start. Johnny rode fantastic and rode away from me, and also Max. I tried my best and that’s all I can do.” Results (with Pirelli Race Tyre Selection, Front/Rear): 1. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 40’16.037 (161,014 kph) (B/A); 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2.518 (B/A); 3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 4.071 (B/A); 4. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 7.160 (B/A); 5. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 8.602 (B/A); 6. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 11.379 (B/B); 7. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 11.513 (B/A); 8. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 16.487 (B/B); 9. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 20.829 (B/A); 10. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 25.164 (A/A); 11. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 32.602 (B/A); 12.Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 36.748 (B/A); 13. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 39.183 (B/A); 14. Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 59.889 (B/A); 15. Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’05.329 (B/A) Race 2 Biaggi found the last one percent of speed he was missing in race one to record his ninth win of the season, giving him a 50% win ratio so far. Rea was an early leader but finally finished a clear second, 4.6 seconds behind the Italian, after Max eased past, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) third, the only Ducati podium spot of the day. Two-times champion Toseland made a great recovery from 12th on lap one to fourth, catching and passing Haga with one lap to go. Checa was sixth, Guintoli seventh and Biaggi’s team-mate Leon Camier eighth. Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) got ninth, one place up on the luckless Haslam, who now goes to his home race of Silverstone to try and claw back points from Biaggi. Cal Crutchlow pitted to change a rear tyre in race two, and when he went back out he set a new lap record in race conditions, with a 1’59.291. Max Biaggi: “Knowing the track quite well here and the passion of the fans in the Czech Republic, we tried something really special and made some changes on the bike, weight distribution and gearbox and the result was very good so I’m happy. For me it’s the tenth victory here, and this is my second home country. I love this place!” Jonathan Rea: “Max did an unbelievable pace, I know how hard it was to hold on to second and he was going away from us, but anyway it’s been a good weekend with a 1-2 today. Thanks for all my team for digging deep this weekend and giving me a package that I could race with.” Michel Fabrizio: “I hope I can continue this way for the rest of the season, we did a very good result in race 2 especially after the problem I had in the first race. I had to defend my position of course in the battle with Xaus but I’m pleased to be back on the podium again.” Results: 1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38’58.149 (156,16 kph); 2. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 4.095; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 4.631; 4. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 5.014; 5. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 6.256; 6. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 7.677; 7. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 10.144; 8. Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 10.942; 9. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 13.640; 10. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 16.279; 11. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 17.799; 12. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 22.793; 13. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 24.131; 14. Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 28.212; 15. Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 36.551; 16. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 49.636; 17. Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 50.041; 18. Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 51.246; 19. Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 58.174; 20. Sandi F. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 1’10.588 Pirelli Race Tyre Selection (Front/Rear): All riders on same solutions as race 1 with the exception of Haslam and Haga who changed to the “A” rear for Race 2. Points (after 9 rounds of 13): 1. Biaggi 307; 2. Hslam 270; 3. Checa 172; 4. Rea 158; 5. Haga 151; 6. Corser 149; 7. Toseland 138; 8. Fabrizio 131; 9. Camier 130 70; 10. Crutchlow 120. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 313; 2. Suzuki 283; 3. Ducati 250; 4. Yamaha 177; 5. Honda 169; 6. BMW 152; 7. Kawasaki 47 World Supersport A fabulous win for Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) saw him hold off long time race leader Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) by only 0.124 seconds after 18 laps of close action, conducted in hot temperatures. With Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) not finishing, Sofuoglu now has 183 points, Lascorz 168 and Laverty 161. Third today was ParkinGO Triumph BE-1 rider, Chaz Davies, with Gino Rea (Intermoto Czech Honda) fourth, with each of those two riders suffering technical issues that held back their final race times. Results: 1. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 37’25.108 (155,946 kph); 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.124; 3. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 7.153; 4.Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 7.813; 5. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 14.268; 6. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 24.832; 7. Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 30.907; 8. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 30.985; 9. Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675 32.463; 10. Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 38.232; 11. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 40.343; 12. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 40.762; 13. Bukowski D. (POL) Honda CBR600RR 58.901; 14. Palumbo A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’02.708; 15. Holubec T. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 1’05.089; 16. Cerny J. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 1’19.704; 17. Skubic B. (SLO) Yamaha YZF R6 1’36.598; 18. Blokhin E. (RUS) Yamaha YZF R6 1’54.374; 19. Toth I. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR Points (after 9 rounds of 13): 1. Sofuoglu 183; 2. Lascorz 168; 3. Laverty161; 4. Davies 113; 5. Salom 72; 6.Harms 61; 7. Rea 67; 8. Fujiwara 59; 9. Pirro 58; 10. Lagrive 56. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 220; 2. Kawasaki 168; 3. Triumph 123; 4. Yamaha 11. Superstock 1000 Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) had to work until the very last corner of the 12-lap Superstock race but he still took his sixth win in six races to lead the championship on a perfect 150 points. He was hit from behind early in the race by Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Junior Race Honda) but held on to win by only 0.286 seconds from Ducati rider Lorenzo Zanetti (SS Lazio Motorsport) who was competing in his first full status Superstock FIM Cup race. Andrea Antonelli”ƒ(Team Lorini Honda)”ƒwas third after Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Racing BMW) fell near the end. Results: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 25’02.800 (155,317 Km/h); 2. Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 0.286; 3. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 4.060; 4. Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S 1000 RR 6.201; 5. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 7.926; 6. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 8.391; 7. Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 12.551; 8. Sembera M. (CZE) BMW S1000 RR 17.653; 9. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 20.919; 10. Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 27.915; 11. Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 36.078; 12. Vivarelli N. (ITA) KTM 1190 RC8 R 36.154; 13. Svitok T. (SVK) Honda CBR1000RR 36.261; 14. Leeson C. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 40.077; 15. Thiriet P. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 54.271; 16. Andric D. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 57.048 Points (after 6 rounds of 10): 1. Badovini 150; 2. Magnoni 73; 3. Berger 66; 4.Antonelli 57; 5. Giugliano 53; 6. Barrier 47; 6. Antonelli 41; 7.Baz 44; 8. Bussolotti 37; 9. Petrucci 36; 10. Beretta 34. Manufacturers: 1. BMW 150; 2. Honda 109; 3. Suzuki 69; 4. Ducati 46; 5. Yamaha 46; 6. Kawasaki 38; 7.KTM 29; 8. Aprilia 18 More, from a press release issued by Honda: Czech Republic World Superbike at Brno Sunday July 11 2010 World Superbike and World Supersport race report 5.403km circuit – attendance 64,000 all weekend – claimed Weather: Dry, hot, sunny Temperature 29 to 31 ambient, 48 to 57 track REA BOUNCES BACK WITH A WIN AND MOVES UP THE RANKINGS Jonathan Rea from the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team made a fabulous recovery from a short run of disappointing results in recent WSBK rounds to take his third win of the season, and move up to third in the overall standings after nine rounds. He followed his race one victory, his first WSBK win at Brno, with a strong second in race two, starting from third on the grid each time. He beat Max Biaggi in race one and was second to him in race two, with Cal Crutchlow and Michel Fabrizio taking the final podium places on offer. Rea’s haul of 45 points today propelled him back to third place overall. Biaggi leads with 352, Leon Haslam has 284, Jonathan 203 and Carlos Checa is now fourth, on 189. In the first race Rea took the lead with an audacious lap one move around the outside of Biaggi on the exit of the final chicane and was never headed for the lead in all 20 laps. Jonathan’s team-mate was not so fortunate, as 11th fastest Superpole qualifier Max Neukirchner touched with another rider on lap one and fell, being unable to restart. In race two Rea started aggressively, leading for six laps but when Biaggi went past Jonathan could not quite go at the same pace. Rea was almost ten seconds ahead of third place rider Fabrizio, in what was a great weekend for his overall championship position. Neukirchner’s weekend ended in the gravel, as he collided with another rider in race two, they both fell, and both had to retire. Echo CRS Honda rider Broc Parkes rode strongly and went 13th in race one, scoring three points, then followed that up with 12th in race two, making this his most successful weekend of the season. Broc, who was 21st on the grid, is now 20th in the rankings, on nine points. Sofuoglu Overcomes Injury to Take Brno Win and the Series Lead An outstanding race from Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) saw him re-take the championship lead after his main rival Eugene Laverty from the Parkalgar Honda team was forced to stop with a technical problem. Sofuoglu was lucky to be racing at all, as he fell from his paddock scooter a few days ago and cut his left elbow very badly, threatening his overall fitness to race. He had no problems with his injury when it really mattered, and was the strongest rider after 18 gruelling laps of the 5.403km Czech circuit. Laverty led for four laps until he slowed and then retired in the pits, leaving pole man Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) to lead until Sofuoglu passed him, for a time. The pair fought for every advantage until the final few corners, then a solid pass by Sofuoglu gave him just enough advantage to hold on for his third win of the season, by 0.124 seconds. In the championship fight, Sofuoglu has 183 points, Lascorz 168 and Laverty 161, with four rounds remaining. Laverty had been third on the grid at Brno, Sofuoglu fifth. Rookie WSS rider Gino Rea, from the Intermoto Czech Honda team, was riding in front of his team’s home crowd at Brno and he was disappointed to finish fourth, despite this being his best ever result in this class. Starting from seventh place on the grid he was just behind the Triumph of Chaz Davies in the race, despite his machine suffering an electronics problem from the start. Gino made great use of track knowledge gathered in a two-day trackday test at Brno a few days ago. A career best seventh for Laverty’s team-mate Miguel Praia came after a hot race for the Portuguese rider, fighting front end set-up issues in the chicanes but winning a four rider duel after 18-laps. He had been tenth on the grid. Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Michele Pirro was taken to hospital with a broken nose and a fractured right scaphoid after a heavy crash on lap three, having qualified sixth on Saturday. Massimo Roccoli (Intermoto Czech Honda) was desperately unlucky to be run off track while trying to avoid another rider, and finished 12th in the race after rejoining. He had qualified 14th. In the Manufacturers’ Standings, Honda now leads Kawasaki by 52 points, with four rounds to go. The tenth round takes place in the UK, at Silverstone, between July 30 and August 1. WSBK Rider Quotes Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 1st and 2nd – 3rd overall. “In the first few laps I went to the front and managed to hold on for the win in race one. It felt so nice to win a race again I’d kind of forgotten what that felt like. Max did a great job in race two and I had absolutely nothing left to catch him. But I am so happy to leave here with a 1-2 and go third in the championship again, because we had a disaster in the last round at Misano. We will try to keep this kind of pace up for the rest of the season.” Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: DNF and DNF – 18th overall. “I had crashes in each race which is very disappointing. In race two, into the double right, the other rider’s bike was very slow and I came from outside, passed him and then when I was already on the throttle we touched in the next right hand corner and went down.” Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda: 13th and 12th – 20th overall. “We got two lots of decent points which is a good result because we had some issues with one of our bikes at the start of the weekend and lost some track time. In race one we were pretty happy because we finished the closest we have all year to first position and battled with some guys who are usually ahead of us. We struggled a bit with the higher temperatures in race two but we took some positives from this weekend for sure.” WSS Rider Comments Kenan Sofuoglu, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 1st – 1st overall. “We improved the bike a lot today because in the first two days we had some problems. This win was very important for me. I had a problem with a big injury in my left arm. Even on Friday I was unsure if I would be able to ride the bike or not and I asked the Clinica Mobile to help me. They fixed my injury well for the race and I want to dedicate my win to them and to my team boss Ronald Ten Kate.” Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda: DNF – 3rd overall. “Things started well but it started to lose power going into turn one. I have finished every World Supersport race until now so I have been fortunate in some ways. I just have to win some more races now because Sofuoglu has got a bit of a gap on us. There are still four races and that is enough. I have had a bad run this year, Lascorz also, and Kenan may have one too.” Gino Rea, Intermoto Czech Honda: 4th – 7th overall. “This was my best finish in Supersport but really I am frustrated because my electronics were not working properly from the start and had to relearn how to ride the bike in some ways. I felt that I could have got by Chaz but he was very late on the brakes and hard to pass.” Michele Pirro, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: DNF – 9th overall. Rider injured and in hospital, unable to comment. Miguel Praia, Parkalgar Honda: 7th – 12th overall. “This is my best race finish in the Supersport World Championship so far. My start was good so I was quite comfortable in my first lap with the other riders. In the chicanes my front end was pumping, however, and I almost crashed three or four times and lost a bit to the group in front. I had to slow my pace a little but I stayed with the group and got to the front at the end of the race.” Massimo Roccoli, Czech Intermoto Honda: 12th – 13th overall. “We have had so much bad luck again, I do not know why. Two crashes in qualifying yesterday and so we tried another set-up. I did not have such a bad race pace, because it was possible stay with Salom and Lagrive. My start was OK, ninth into the first corner, but then Lundh arrived directly in front of my front tyre and I had to lift the bike, run off track and dropped to about 20th position. I pushed hard but did not have such a good feeling but I got back to 12th.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Crutchlow takes hard fought podium in eventful WSB Brno weekend Race one at the Brno circuit saw Yamaha Sterilgarda rider Cal Crutchlow made a strong start, taking race favourite Max Biaggi on the second lap for second place. He then set about chasing down race leader Johnny Rea, and was gradually closing in on him when his grip started to drop after several laps. Despite the difficulty Crutchlow kept his focus and managed to hold off the advances of Biaggi until just four laps from the end, initially rebuffing the Italian’s attempts to pass before finally surrendering second. He crossed the line in third just four seconds from the lead, and took the fastest lap of the race award, scoring a 1’59.964 on his third lap. Team mate James Toseland fought hard from his tenth place grid start, working his way through to seventh to start chasing down Noriyuki Haga for sixth. Despite also suffering a lack of grip Toseland managed to bring the gap between him and Haga down to 0.1 seconds by the final lap but ran out of time for the pass. Race two and disaster struck for Crutchlow. A defective rear tyre saw the British rider gradually drop back to seventh before pulling in to avoid a crash. The tyre was changed and Crutchlow rejoined, delivering yet again the fastest lap of the race with an incredible 1’59.291, making up a couple of places to finish in 14th. Team mate Toseland had an electronic issue on the start line, relegating him to last at the first corner, 22 places from the front. The British rider then put in an astounding performance, making up 12 places in the next lap and going on to fight his way right through to fourth at the line, taking an amazing 18 places in his fight to regain position. Toseland leaves Brno after the mixed weekend having climbed up a place to sixth in the standings with 160 points. Team mate Crutchlow remains in tenth position on 138 points. The team now head to the riders home race at Silverstone in the UK at the beginning of August. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (3rd, 14th) “I’m disappointed to be honest, I knew we had the pace this weekend to win. The first race didn’t go too much to plan, we had a bit of a problem with rear grip so we made a change for the second race which I thought was going to be really good. I did 12 laps on the rear tyre and to be honest I was just about to crash so I had to pull into change it. The tyre looked brand new after 12 laps where it should have looked worn. We did the last eight laps on a brand new tyre, I did the fastest lap of the race and the tyre looked perfect. I’m disappointed I couldn’t take it to the front guys but that’s racing, we’ll go to Silverstone now and make up for it.” James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (7th, 4th) “Race one I had a problem with the electronics which weren’t working as they should do so I couldn’t get the exit speed I needed. I was surprised to finish seventh. It was the same system we ran the day before so we couldn’t put our finger on why it changed so much. Race two my launch control didn’t engage, so I bogged on the line to start and I was last going into turn one. I thought I wasn’t prepared to have next week off feeling miserable so I rode hard and the bike worked really well. I dug deep and went for it and managed to get past 12 guys in the next lap and then keep on pushing towards the front.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager “We had an up and down weekend, it’s been frustrating again that we’ve had the speed and pace to achieve great results but issues outside of our control have prevented us. Today during race one Cal didn’t have the confidence to find the same speed as yesterday but still a podium was still good. Race two was a very different situation where James after a really bad start did a really great job, going from last position to fourth at the end. Cal had a problem with a defective rear tyre and he had to stop to change the tyre. He then proved that he was probably the fastest man there.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Hot, sunny. Temperature: Air: 27 – 31 °C, Track: 33 – 57 °C Number of riders participating: 22 from 13 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 1:59.964 min Fastest lap Race 2: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 1:59.291 min There were mixed emotions in the garage of Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport after an eventful FIM Superbike World Championship race weekend in Brno (CZE): After securing his best qualifying result with the young team on Saturday, Ruben Xaus (ESP) scored his best race result with the propeller on his chest on Sunday. The Catalan rider finished the first race fifth, and was in third in the second race when he crashed in the first corner on lap 15. Ruben’s team mate, Troy Corser (AUS), did not start in Brno due to his heavy crash in Friday’s Qualifying Practice session. In the championship standings, Ruben has moved up to 13th with 64 points. Troy is 7th with 149 points. In the manufacturers’ standings, BMW is sixth (163 points). Ruben Xaus: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Result Race 1: 5th , Gap to 1st: 00:08.602 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 2:00.139 min Result Race 2: DNF “Overall this weekend has been a really positive one for me. I have been running consistently at the front. In the first race I scored my best ever result on the BMW S 1000 RR so far. The second race was a different story: I crashed in turn one at quite high speed. The impact was heavy, and I am happy I am okay. It was clearly my fault. I was fighting for third for a long time, and I absolutely wanted to achieve my first podium with BMW. I was holding a consistent gap over Fabrizio for most of the race, but the lap before I crashed I saw he was gaining on me and I simply pushed too hard. The bike is working really well now, and I want to thank my entire crew.” Troy Corser: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR Result Race 1: DNS Result Race 2: DNS “Congratulations to Ruben and his crew for their best BMW result so far. I would have loved to race today, but it was obviously the right decision not to ride the bike this weekend. I am feeling worse, but I am feeling better at the same time. The bruise is aching, but it is only a question of time. I hope by the end of next week to be able to do some light training for the top half of my body. We plan to test at Mugello on Tuesday before Silverstone for a final check to make sure I am physically strong enough. I am looking forward to the next races.” Berthold Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director): “Overall we can rate this weekend as positive. Although Troy crashed on Friday and could not start today, Ruben proved he and the BMW S 1000 RR are competitive. He finished the first race fifth, which is his best result with Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport to date. In the second race he was on course for a podium finish when he unfortunately crashed while battling with Michel Fabrizio. But that’s racing. We are glad he is okay, and also Troy seems to be on the way to recovery. We are now looking forward to Silverstone.” In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, Team BMW Motorrad Italia STK rider Ayrton Badovini (ITA) maintains his clean record: In an action-packed race, Ayrton lost ground after the start, but fought back to the top spot in the sixth lap and later won the race. Six wins in six races means a maximum possible of 150 points for Ayrton in the riders’ standings and for BMW in the manufacturers’ standings. Team mate and fellow countryman, Daniele Beretta, finished fourth, scoring his second best result of the season. More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea scorched his way to a stunning race one victory at Brno in the Czech Republic today in round nine of the 2010 World Superbike championship. In temperatures of more than 30°C, the Northern Irishman followed up his third victory of the season with an impressive second place in race two. His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, was disappointed to crash out of both 20-lap races around the 5.403km Brno circuit. Fortunately, the 27-year-old German rider sustained only a slight injury to the inside of his right elbow and some bruising. Starting race one from the front row of the grid, Rea rode around the outside of race two winner, Max Biaggi, at turn 11 on the opening lap and was never headed, eventually finishing the race 2.5s ahead of Biaggi and Britain’s Cal Crutchlow, who was third. Biaggi turned the tables on Rea in race two, but not until the 23-year-old had led for the opening six laps. Rea ha d made no changes to his Honda CBR1000RR between races, other than replacing the dash unit and putting in a new set of tyres. Neukirchner’s races ended on the opening lap of both races at turn one in the first outing and turn six in race two, both incidents involving other riders. The 27-year-old was understandably disappointed at not being able to convert a promising qualifying position and improved performance into more satisfactory results. Jonathan Rea 1st and 2nd In race one I honestly felt that someone up there was watching out for me because it was like I couldn’t do anything wrong! But it felt great to win and dedicate it to my team manager, Ronald ten Kate, who couldn’t be here this weekend because his father is very ill. It was a weird start to that race, because as I sat on the grid the only thing I could think about was how badly I needed to go to the toilet! As soon as the r ace started I went to the front instead and just kept it smooth for the remaining 19 laps. It felt so nice to win a race again I’d kind of forgotten what that felt like. Race two wasn’t so bad and fair play to Max (Biaggi), who rode really well. I tried to fight but I had nothing left in the tyre, which just didn’t feel the same as the one I had in race one. However, we worked much better as a team this weekend and made really good changes during the practice and qualifying sessions. Our bike is difficult to take from track to track, but we definitely got the best out of it this weekend. Now I’m off to Japan for the Suzuka 8 Hour, but I’m looking forward to getting back in front of my home fans in three weeks at Silverstone. Max Neukirchner DNF and DNF I am really sorry for all my fans who made the trip down here from Germany. I felt like we’d made some progress during the wee kend and qualifying didn’t go so bad. I got a difficult start in race one and then, in the first turn, someone just rode right across the front of my bike. I had to pull hard on the brake to avoid hitting them but I locked the front and that was it. In race two I got a better start but as we were into the double right-hander on the first lap I came together with someone else and that was the end of my weekend. It is very frustrating but I hope that we can build on the developments that we’ve made when we get to Silverstone for the next round. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: Brno, 11th July 2010 The ninth round of the 2010 World Superbike Championship took place today on the Czech track of Brno. The Althea Racing Team, managed by Genesio Bevilacqua, took part in the action. A top ten finish for Carlos Checa today in race 1. The Spaniard, starting from the second row thanks to the eighth fastest time set during qualifying, closed the morning’s race in ninth position while in the afternoon he just missed out on the top five, having to settle for sixth. “Yesterday, in both the qualifying and free practice sessions, we had a great level of grip while today, with the same tyre, we had more problems”, said Carlos. “This morning we tried to adapt the bike to the situation but during the race it was sliding around a lot. I tried to push to take as many championship points as possible but now my head is already focused on Silverstone, a great track, rich in history, on which we will try to race to the front.” Shane Byrne fulfilled his initial objective, made on arrival at the track, which was to finish in the top ten. Having concluded race 1 in twelfth position, “Shakey” closed the second of the day’s races in ninth place. “In race 1 we didn’t have much grip and this conditioned my result”, said Shane. “In the second race, on the other hand, I was able to improve quite a lot, lapping more than half a second faster than I did in race 1, in a race in which I think everyone had trouble making fast lap times. Now I’m banking on getting fully fit so I can be totally prepared for Silverstone. No-one has ridden on the new track yet and this could be an interesting factor as far as the races are concerned.” “Unfortunately in this heat the choice of tyre becomes a lottery and for us it turned out to be a difficult weekend”, commented Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea Racing. “We took a route that didn’t reward us and that conditioned Carlos’ race, as he risked crashing as he pushed to keep pace with the frontrunners. Shane rode well to take points in the first race and improve on that performance in race 2. To ride with one hand in these conditions is not easy and took a lot of guts. From tomorrow we will begin to work towards Silverstone where, in cooler conditions, we hope to be able to respond with two significantly stronger results.” Althea Racing’s next event is scheduled for 1st August, when the World Superbike Championship arrives at Silverstone for round ten. More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsports Kawasaki: DISSAPOINTMENT FOR THE KAWASAKI RACING DUO AT BRNO Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Tom Sykes solely added to the points tally in Brno, Czech Republic today where he continued to make his mark on the Kawasaki machine with a credible 11th place in race one but had an unfortunate DNF in race two following a collision with Neukirchner on the first lap. Ex-MotoGP star, Chris Vermeulen once again suffered from an unfortunate crash beyond his control in race one which took him out of the race in the opening lap. The Australian managed to start race two but due to severe pain in his already damaged right knee, he was unable to complete the race returning to the box on lap two. With temperatures increasing as the weekend progressed, both Sykes and Vermeulen worked tirelessly to obtain the best possible set-up in the scorching heat. Working predominantly on the balance of the Ninja machine, 24-year-old Sykes improved dramatically from 18th place on Friday to a third row start for the two 20-lap races. It was once again a challenging qualifying for Vermeulen who unfortunately was not able to move his ZX-10R machine inside row five on the 21 grid line up. The round nine Hannspree World Superbike victories were taken by Northern Irishman, Jonathan Rea and championship leader, Max Biaggi in front of the 64,000 enthusiastic Czech crowd. Sykes currently holds 16th in the Championship standings with Vermuelen in 19th. Tom Sykes: “Overall it’s been a disappointing end to the race weekend. I know we started off quite slow but we had a decent Superpole and tried a few things in the morning warm-up and got a bit better balance with the bike. We had an eleventh in race one which was nothing special as we had a few struggles which the boys managed to put right for race two, so big thanks to the their hard work. In race two the bike felt very strong and I got a good start but unfortunately we had a racing incident on the first lap which spoilt the weekend. I was looking forward to a strong ride in race two as many people dropped out so I think we could have had an eight or a ninth here. Obviously there is a few ifs and but I’ll brush myself off and look forward to my home race at Silverstone.” Chris Vermeulen: “We’ve had a real struggle here in Brno this weekend. We made up a little bit of pace during practices but like everyone else here we had problems with edge grip. Having to start on fifth row continuously makes life difficult and I got caught up in a rider tangle on turn one and was whipped out of the race. I was optimistic about starting race two but I just could not continue after two laps due to the pain in my damaged right knee. I am obviously extremely disappointed and frustrated with my knee injury which is tirelessly holding me back and where we ended up this weekend. I will have to discuss with both my team and my doctor this week on how best to move forward.” Paul Risbridger: “We started the weekend with a few set-up problems with the bike but were really pleased how we reacted to issues and improved the bike over the practice and qualifying sessions. Tom in particular put in a great performance during Superpole and really got the best he could out of the bike. Race one was a good solid finish but we are obviously very disappointed at missing out on what we saw as a definite top ten finish in race two which we lost due to the crash with Max. Chris has continued to struggle this weekend and the accident in race one further damaged his knee so we need to take some medical opinions this week to decide on what is best for Chris before Silverstone race.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: TEAM SUZUKI ALSTARE EXPERIENCE UPS AND DOWNS IN BRNO Team Suzuki Alstare’s difficult weekend continued today in Brno. Both riders hoped that solutions had been found to the problems in practice and qualifying, but while Sylvain took a superb fourth in race 1 and a seventh in race two, Leon’s struggles continued. It was never going to be easy for Leon, starting from the fourth row of the grid, but lack of grip in both races meant that he could only finish eighth in race one and tenth in race two. Both Sylvain and Leon were using the new Pirelli tyres, which seem to be causing difficulties setting up the bike. Team Suzuki Alstare were not the only ones to experience tyre problems today and they will probably try and use the older ones next time out – as they did in race 2 in Misano in the last round. Jonathan Rea (Honda) won the first race, with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) second and pole-sitter Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) third. Biaggi then comfortably won the second race, with Rea second and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third. Sylvain – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 7th I am quite happy with my results today, especially my fourth in the first race. I felt good today and I enjoyed the first race more than the second. Just like Misano, we have been struggling getting our bike to work with these new tyres. We’ve been having problems setting up the bike with these tyres, but when we use the older tyres we have much less problems. I used the new tyres in both races today, but the one in race two behaved very differently to the one in race one, even though it was the same type! After my fourth in race one, I was looking forward to giving it a real go in race two, so it was a bit disappointing that the tyre didn’t grip. It meant that I just couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to and I struggled throughout the race. Leon – Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 10th It’s hard to say how disappointed and frustrated I am today. If I thought that the problems were my fault, I’d put my hand up straightaway. We first experienced grip problems with the new tyres in Misano. Whatever we tried just didn’t seem to work. We used the new tyres in race one there and I had a poor result, so we changed to the older tyres for race two, went back to our base set-up and I finished second! We worked with the new tyres all weekend and we have struggled all weekend. We did manage to improve the bike a bit for today, but the engine is pushing in almost everywhere and the bike is not easy to ride. The new tyres have got more grip, but getting the bike to work with them is another thing. There are a few people who have got them to work, but the majority of us are struggling. The tyre in race two didn’t work at all and I almost couldn’t finish the race – it was that bad! I felt that I was going to be highsided all the time and I don’t think I’ve been passed by that many people all year! Cal (Crutchlow) obviously had a similar tyre to mine and he felt it was bad enough to pit and change it for another one. Although his second tyre was the same, it behaved completely differently and he was able to lap over a second lap quicker straightaway! I’m trying to think what positives we can take from this weekend and my comment is… none. The only thing I do know is that we will not be using these new tyres again. We’ll go back to the older tyres, a base set-up we know and I am convinced that I’ll be able to lap a lot faster and be challenging for the podium again. More, from a press release issued by Alitalia Aprilia: At Brno Max takes his ninth victory in the 2010 World SBK championship: a victory in race 2 which launches him 68 points out front of the closest competitor. A capital performance for the Corsair and the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Brno, 11 July 2010 After his second place in race 1, Max Biaggi takes back the keys to the Brno circuit with an unrepeatable show. The good start was just a prelude to a monologue: from the sixth lap on, after overtaking Rea, Max Biaggi set an infernal pace which the followers just couldn’t match. The 4.6 second final gap tell the whole story of Max’s devastating supremacy. The Corsair’s consistency was also impressive, with points earned in all eighteen rounds with nine victories including the one today. A good performance for team mate Leon Camier as well, finally comfortable on the Czech track after a weekend of searching for the right feeling. He finished in eighth place and is now eagerly awaiting the race on his home turf in Silverstone. The fifth victory in the last six races for Max Biaggi takes him to 352 points, 68 in front of Haslam, while Aprilia solidifies its lead in the manufacturer rankings with 53 points over Suzuki and 82 over Ducati. “After the second place in race 1 I was satisfied anyway comments Max Biaggi even if, to be honest, I expected the maximum on this track. And so it was in the second race: we made some changes to the rear suspension and the gearbox which, as it turns out, worked well. After being behind Rea for a while, I realised that I was faster and I overtook him. From there on, I just pushed it to the limit without thinking about tyre wear and the track proved me right. I want to thank my team. The guys support me and believe in my indications, and this is confirmed by our results. There are still a lot of points at stake, so I won’t look back and I’ll continue to stay focused race after race. That is the winning philosophy.” More, from a press release issued by Team PATA/B&G Racing: Jakub Smrz’a debut in the seat of the Aprilia RSV4R was certainly not a fortunate one. After crashing in practice yesterday, which was decisive in Superpole, Smrz was hoping to redeem himself in race today. Unfortunately, the rider was hit by Neuchirkner’s bike who had crashed in the second corner. In race 2, after just a few laps, Smrz had to return to the pit box to replace the back tyre, which was spinning on the rim and used the rest of the race as a test. But a few laps later, he crashed without consequences. Lorenzo Baroni put in a good performance, finshing fifth after riding an attacking race. The Italian rider proved his maturity by dealing well with the lack of traction on the back end, an issue many riders ran into today, to score his best result this season which should boost his confidence for the next round. JAKUB SMRZ | Aprilia RSV4 | retired, retired: “I’m disappointed with my debut, but I’m happy I’m racing on an Aprilia and I really believe in this new project . However, we still have to work on improving my feeling with the front end, where most of the issues were this weekend, but I’m sure things will change for the best at Silverstone”. LORENZO BARONI | Ducati 1098R | 5th: “It was a tough race, especially at the start, when I didn’t get a good start as the back end was slipping out and lost contact with the front runners. I had to adapt to the situation and recovered a few positions to take fourth place. However, the tyres were worn off in the last three laps and I couldn’t defend from Beretta’s attacks”. MARCO BORCIANI: “Smrz’s crash in practice kind of ruined it for us, we had to start way back, which was pretty dangerous. It was not Kuba’s fault for what happened in race 1, hopefully we’ll be more lucky next round. On the other hand, Lorenzo Baroni deserves to be praised, especially for knowing how to deal with the critical phases of the race”. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes 11th In Race One At A Searing Brno WSBK, Brno, Czech Republic, 11 July 2010 Tom Sykes and Chris Vermeulen fought hard through intensely hot weather conditions this weekend in the Czech Republic, with the highpoint being a strong points scoring ride for Tom in race one. The Kawasaki Racing Team duo endured air temperatures of over 30 degrees and had to make tyre and set-up choices to match track temperatures that rose to almost 60 degrees, but only Tom was able to score points, posting 11th place in race one. Tom was involved in a collision with another rider in race two and was forced out after crashing on the first lap. Chris was looking to make up for a fifth row grid start but got tangled in a three rider crash on lap one of race one and he fell at high speed, hurting his old right knee injury. He gamely fought back to start race two, but retired on the second lap. In the overall standings, neither rider gained or lost any ground, with Sykes still 16th and Vermeulen 19th. The next round is home ground for Sykes and his British-based team, Silverstone on 1 August. Tom Sykes: “Overall it’s been a disappointing end to the race weekend. I know we started off quite slow but we had a decent Superpole then tried a few things in the morning warm-up and got a bit better balance with the bike. We had an eleventh in race one which was nothing special as we had a few struggles which the boys managed to put right for race two, so big thanks to them. In race two the bike felt very strong and I got a good start but unfortunately we had a racing incident on the first lap, which spoilt the weekend. I was looking forward to a strong ride as many people dropped out so I think we could have had an eight or a ninth here. Obviously there have been a few ifs and buts this weekend but I’ll brush myself off and look forward to my home race at Silverstone.” Chris Vermeulen: “We’ve had a real struggle here in Brno this weekend. We made up a little bit of pace during practices but like everyone else here we had problems with edge grip. Having to start on fifth row makes life difficult and I got caught up in a rider tangle on turn one and was whipped out of the race. I was optimistic about starting race two but I just could not continue after two laps due to the pain in my damaged right knee. I am obviously extremely disappointed and frustrated with my knee injury, which is holding me back. I will have to discuss with both my team and my doctor this week on how best to move forward.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: A dry track and hot weather conditions at Brno today for the ninth round of the World Superbike championship. Due to their results, achieved during the qualifying sessions and yesterday’s Superpole, Baiocco started from the fifth row and Hayden from the sixth. In both races, despite slippery track condition, both Pedercini team riders were able to enter the points zone. In race one Hayden reached the fourteenth place while Baiocco ended in fifteenth position. In race two a good race pace allowed Hayden to end in thirteenth position that’s his best result of the season. Baiocco, as for the first race, struggled with a lack of grip on his rear tire. He re-entered the box trying to solve the problem and few minutes later he rejoined the race, ending in fifteenth position. Superbike race 1: 1) Rea (Honda) 2) Biaggi (Aprilia) – 3) Crutchlow (Yamaha) 4) Guintoli (Suzuki) 5) Xaus (BMW) “¦.. 14) Hayden (Kawasaki) – 15) Baiocco (Kawasaki) Superbike race 2 : 1) Biaggi (Aprilia) 2) Rea (Honda) 3) Fabrizio (Ducati) – 4) Toseland (Yamaha) “¦.. 13) Hayden (Kawasaki) 14) Crutchlow 15) Baiocco (Kawasaki). Roger Lee Hayden :”In race one I got off to a bad start and it was difficult to match the pace of those ahead of me. Starting from the middle of the race I found a good race pace and I ended in fourteenth position. In the second race I found very soon a good rhythm and only near to the end of the race the rear tire performance dropped and I risked falling a couple of times. So I prefer to reduce my rhythm and to finish the race in thirteenth position, collecting some good points”. Matteo Baiocco :”I’m really disappointed because in both races I cannot find the same feeling with the bike that I had yesterday during the qualifying session. I reached two times the fifteenth position collecting some points for my championship standing, but in the first race, starting from the first few laps, I was forced to reduce my rhythm because the rear tire had no more grip. I suffered the same problem also in race two and I preferred to re-enter the box trying to solve the problem with my mechanics. My team made some modifications to the bike and so I decided to rejoin the race. I hope for a better luck in the next races”.