FIM Superbike World Championship Misano, San Marino June 12 Race Two, Part One Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 10 laps, 16:14.446 2. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -0.938 second 3. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), -7.688 seconds, crash 4. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (BMW S1000RR), -8.031 5. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -8.470 6. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), -9.410 7. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -9.747 8. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Yamaha YZF-R1), -10.473 9. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), -11.422 10. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -13.224 11. Noriyuki HAGA, Japan (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -13.529 12. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -13.947, crash 13. Ruben XAUS, Spain (Honda CBR1000RR), -15.010 14. Joan LASCORZ, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -16.040 15. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), -17.142 16. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -18.584 17. Chris VERMEULEN, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -19.371 18. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -20.074 19. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -22.218 20. Alessandro POLITA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -6 laps, DNF, crash 21. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -6 laps, DNF, crash 22. Jonathan REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), DNS RED FLAG Race Two, Part Two/Final Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1098R), 14 laps, 22:44.117 2. Max BIAGGI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -1.484 seconds 3. Noriyuki HAGA, Japan (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -7.772 4. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -7.856 5. Leon HASLAM, Great Britain (BMW S1000RR), -9.714 6. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -10.777 7. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Ducati 1098R), -10.875 8. Ruben XAUS, Spain (Honda CBR1000RR), -13.483 9. Joan LASCORZ, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -13.576 10. Chris VERMEULEN, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -17.962 11. Lorenzo LANZI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -22.768 12. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -24.535 13. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Yamaha YZF-R1), -51.895, crash 14. Tom SYKES, Great Britain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -64.134, crash 15. Maxime BERGER, France (Ducati 1098R), -6 laps, DNF, retired 16. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Ducati 1098R), -9 laps, DNF, crash 17. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati 1098R), -11 laps, DNF, crash 18. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), DNS 19. Leon CAMIER, Great Britain (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), DNS 20. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), DNS 21. Alessandro POLITA, Italy (Ducati 1098R), DNS 22. Jonathan REA, Great Britain (Honda CBR1000RR), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 26 races): 1. Checa, 245 points 2. Biaggi, 173 3. Melandri, 150 4. Laverty, 123 5. Haslam, 106 6. Camier, 101 7. Fabrizio, 95 8. Rea, 94 9. Smrz, 83 10. TIE, Guintoli/Badovini, 72 12. Haga, 70 13. Sykes, 65 14. Lascorz, 53 15. Corser, 49 16. Xaus, 44 17. Rolfo, 19 18. Berger, 19 19. Aitchison, 9 20. TIE, Vermeulen/Josh Waters, 8 More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: No trouble for another Carlos double Misano (Italy), Sunday 12 June 2011 A sun-kissed 61,000-strong Misano crowd witnessed the 2011 phenomenon that is Carlos Checa as he took an imperious double win for his Althea Racing Ducati team at the San Marino Round. This was his third double win of 2011, on a day when he had to compete in three races to win two of them. The first 24-lap Superbike took place as planned but the second race at Misano was halted and then restarted, over 14 laps, after Marco Melandri’s bike lay across the track and another rider fell off directly behind, prompting fears of an oil leak. The first running of race two is now disregarded, with full points going to all riders who scored in the second running. Behind Carlos, Max Biaggi overcame a highly disturbed practice and Tissot Superpole contest on Saturday to take two second places and at least stick in the slipstream of Checa in the points standings. It was a bad day for Melandri, even if he scored third in race one, as his inability to restart in race two means he leaves his second home race of the year with only 16 points compared to Checa’s 50 and Biaggi’s Misano haul of 40. Kawasaki had its best single race of the year so far when Tom Sykes took the Ninja ZX-10R to fourth in race one, and he was on target for a similar finish in the originally scheduled race two, until the red flag came out. Eugene Laverty had one good and one not so good race, running his Yamaha World Superbike Team machine to fifth, but then 13th, after he fell from a potential podium placing. Haslam had another gritty and hard-fought day of racing on his BMW Motorrad Motorsport machine, falling in race one and defending his places hard in race two, to finish fifth. He is also fifth in the championship. Leon Camier was up and down at Misano as well, as the Aprilia Alitalia rider scored sixth in race one, but fell behind Melandri in race two. He is sixth in the rankings, one up on Michel Fabrizio, who had a mirror image reflection of Camier’s day, finishing sixth in race two, but falling to a no-score in race one. Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was unable to race at Misano, as he had a fast crash in warm-up, which caused a clean break on his right wrist, ruling him out of any further action. Race 1 Checa took the race win, his seventh of the year, as he dominated the second half of the first race at Misano, heading long time race leader Biaggi by 0.9 seconds. Third was Melandri who slowed in the final lap but still took a clear third. Behind, Sykes took his best finish of the year in fourth, after a last corner sort-out with fifth place rider Laverty. Carlos Checa: “We were a little bit in trouble at the beginning, with a few riders between me and Max, he was strong. I was able to get second slowly, catching Max. I could overtake him, and then put some gap between me and him. At the end the result was very good.” Max Biaggi: “We should have done two races with ten laps each, then I would have been OK! Really it has been tough, a very hard weekend. I did my best, trying to push but Carlos had some lead and it was very difficult to get closer. That’s the best I could do, no better than second.” Marco Melandri: “I didn’t have a good start so I had to push very hard to catch those guys at the beginning. After three laps I didn’t have the right combination of rear and front tyre so I couldn’t brake well. It was impossible to catch the front guys so I controlled the gap with those behind”. Results: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 39’03.132 (155,828 kph); 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 0.984; 3. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 17.124; 4. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 18.652; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 18.929; 6. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 21.003; 7. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 22.942; 8. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 23.117; etc. Race 2 Checa took his second win of the day, and his eighth of the year, to extend his championship lead over second place race finisher Biaggi. The first running of the race was nullified when Melandri crashed and his machine lay in a dangerous position on the racetrack, leading to 14-lap race, which determined all the places and full points. Third place was fought over to the last possible moment, with Noriyuki Haga (Pata Aprilia) and Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike) third and fourth respectively. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) kept his machine upright to take fifth. Carlos Checa: “It was a fantastic weekend, we expected to be competitive but not at this level. We took the best at this track, and the team worked so well. In the second race we had different tyres, because it was hotter, and we made the right decision because the bike gave me an even better finish! After the race the chain broke while I was celebrating but it’s better than breaking in the race!” Max Biaggi: “I think I did my best, pushing and pushing. I made a mistake because the bike was locking into the corner. I saved it but I lost quite a bit of time, then I was able to follow but not come close because Carlos had more speed. Maybe we didn’t have the same equipment as before, but I hope that in the future there will be some improvements. Two times second so we must be satisfied. The points gap between me and Carlos is a lot, but we now need a bit more.” Noriyuki Haga: “Finally I’m back on the podium and I’m very happy to be here for the first time since last year. Today was very tough, before my bike wasn’t competitive, but we changed some settings. Half-way through I still had problems but for sure I really wanted a better finish. Badovini was very competitive today, I think he made a mistake at the last corner so that was lucky for me.” Results: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 22’44.117 (156,138 kph); 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1.484; 3. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.772; 4. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 7.856; 5. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 9.714; 6. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 10.777; 7. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 10.875; 8. Xaus R. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 13.483; etc. Points (after 6 of 13 rounds): 1. Checa 245; 2. Biaggi 173; 3. Melandri 150; 4. Laverty 123; 5. Haslam 106; 6. Camier 101; 7. Fabrizio 95; 8. Rea 94; 9. Smrz 83; 10. Guintoli 72; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 252; 2. Aprilia 212; 3. Yamaha 190; 4. BMW 138; 5. Honda 111; 6. Suzuki 99; 7. Kawasaki 89. World Supersport Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com) took his first win of the year in fine style, taking the lead from Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO), who would eventually finish sixth today. A spirited second in the 22-lap race was former Misano race winner, Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) with Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) blasting his way to third, ahead of David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) and long term second place runner, Ilario Dionisi (Honda Italia Improve FG). In the championship standings, Parkes now leads Davies by five points, 85 to 80, with Davies’ team-mate Luca Scassa third on an unchanged 70 points. Foret has 56 points, Salom 55. Results: 1. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 37’00.851 (150,708 kph); 2. Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1.933; 3. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2.890; 4. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 3.262; 5. Dionisi I. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 4.976; 6. Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 7.024; 7. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 7.344; 8. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 16.093; etc. Points (after 5 rounds of 12): 1. Parkes 85; 2. Davies 80; 3. Scassa 70; 4. Foret 56; 5. Salom 55; 6. Harms 51; 7. Lowes 43; 8. Marino 31; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha 110; 2. Honda 88; 3. Kawasaki 85; 4. Triumph 14. Superstock 1000 Roman rider Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) scored a popular win and a new lap record of 1 minute 38.825 seconds at Misano, with the race finally red flagged with just over three laps to go and the results counted back to lap 10. Pole man Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Team Ducati) was second, 3.1 seconds behind Giugliano, and Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) was third, 5.2 seconds back. Sylvain Barrier, Niccolo Canepa and Michele Magnoni were next up, in an almost overwhelming day for riders of Italian origin. Results: 1. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 16’36.317 (152,698 kph); 2. Petrucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 3.180; 3. Zanetti L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 5.253; 4. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 10.668; 5. Canepa N. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 11.559; 6. Magnoni M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 14.552; 7. Massei F. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 15.413; 8. La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 16.063; etc. Points (after 3 rounds of 10): 1. Giugliano 70; 2. Petrucci 53; 3. Zanetti 48; 4. Barrier 29; 5. Magnoni 26; 6. Canepa 24; 7. Massei 20; 8. Antonelli 18. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 70; 2. BMW 57; 3. Kawasaki 31; 4. Honda 26; 5. Yamaha 4. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Sunny. Temperature: Air: 24 25 °C, Track: 37 41 °C Number of riders participating: 22/21 from 13 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:36.660 min Fastest lap Race 2: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:36.520 min Sunday in Misano (ITA), the sixth round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship, ended for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport with the consolation of fifth place for works rider, Leon Haslam (GBR), in race two. But it was a more than difficult day for the team. In race one, Leon had a good start and took the lead on the first lap. Then he was battling in the leading group, but it all ended on lap ten. In turn 3, Leon had a huge highsider and crashed heavily. He suffered several injuries, but defied the pain in race two. There he again took an early lead and was with the front runners when the race was red flagged on lap ten due to an accident. Leon restarted from third and finished fifth. His team mate Troy Corser (AUS) was determined to race in spite of the injuries he suffered when crashing on Friday. The Australian has severe bruising and a cracked rib. Despite that he made a brave effort in yesterday’s Superpole securing sixth on the grid. But in today’s first race he had to return to the pit after five laps because his injuries were hindering his performance too much. He didn’t start the second heat in order to rest and recover for the next race weekend in Motorland Aragón (ESP). In the riders’ championship Leon Haslam is fifth with 106 points, Troy lies in 15th position (49 points). In the manufacturers’ standings BMW is fourth with 138 points. BMW Motorrad congratulates the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team for a strong fourth place in race two. Its rider Ayrton Badovini (ITA) missed the podium by less than a tenth of a second. Both races were won by Carlos Checa. This weekend the team had prominent supporters in its garage: Bobsleigh World Champion and World Cup Winner Manuel Machata and his pusher Andreas Bredau (GER). Being motorcycle enthusiasts, they will ride back to Germany on BMW S 1000 RRs. Leon Haslam: Result Race 1: DNF / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:37.428 min Result Race 2: 5th / Gap to 1st: 00:09.714 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:37.230 min “I was quite disappointed that the race was red flagged and ultimately restarted. We went out on the harder tyre so we could go the full distance, it felt stable and I was feeling comfortable. Sadly the race was stopped and the number of laps reduced so we went for the softer tyre to get more grip, and it really affected the characteristics of the bike. We couldn’t seem to improve despite the increase in grip. I was having a lot of issues with the front tyre and came so close to crashing on a number of occasions. I was happy to see out the race to the end. The crash in race one was my fault, I was pushing too hard and had a huge highsider. I have broken a toe on my right foot and hurt my hand but nothing too serious.” Troy Corser: Result Race 1: DNF / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:38.390 min Result Race 2: DNS “I tried to start and did some laps, but due to the bruising on my hip I couldn’t move properly on the bike. Yesterday it was not so bad, but bruising really comes out on the second day. It would not have made sense to continue and risk to cause an accident or have another needless crash. But I am pretty confident for the next race weekend in Aragón. The swelling on my hip is already gone, and I think I should be okay after nearly a week of rest and recovery.” Bernhard Gobmeier (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director): “On the whole it was a very difficult weekend. In the practices and the Superpole we were doing quite well. In the first race, Troy was struggling to match the pace due to his injuries. So we called him in. Leon had a very unfortunate highsider, falling precisely on the injuries he suffered in Monza. Obviously he was quite handicapped by this, but in the second race he really gave his best. So the fifth place is a consolation for us – as is the result of Ayrton Badovini who missed the podium by a whisker. This weekend all BMW riders showed an absolute commitment and a determination that you can only wish for. Now we travel to Aragón and hope for a better weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda: Rea breaks arm in Misano warm-up crash Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to sit out today’s two sixth round World Superbike races at Misano in Italy after a high-speed crash during warm-up left him with fractures to his right arm and left collarbone. Both 24-lap races around the 4.226km Misano circuit were won by Spain’s Carlos Checa as Rea’s Castrol Honda team-mate, Ruben Xaus, brought his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade home in 11th and eighth place finishes. Rea had been searching for an improvement in his machine’s setting after issues in qualifying left him in 11th place after yesterday’s final Superpole session. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland was pushing hard in warm-up before he crashed at approximately 230kph at Misano’s fast turn 11. Rea was transferred to Ospedale Bufalini in Cesena where the fracture to his right radius and left clavicle were confirmed. With a number of other bumps and bruises, it is doubtful whether he will be able to line up for next weekend’s seventh round races at Aragon in Spain. Xaus battled hard in race one but was able to improve his machine’s set-up in race-two, which was run over two parts after a turn one crash left two bikes on the track. The 14-lap re-run allowed Xaus to run a lighter fuel load and softer rear tyre, which helped to improve his overall performance. Ruben Xaus 11th and 8th It’s been a weekend of progress actually, as the results suggest, even though we still have some things to work on for next weekend. In race one, my bike jumped out of gear a couple of times on the first lap, which put me back in a group I found very hard to get away from until the last few laps. The stoppage in race two was good and bad for us bad because I was in a rhythm and that got broken, but good because we were able to use the softer tyre, which normally wouldn’t last the race, and that made a big difference. I’m going to take this better feeling and rhythm to Aragon next week and try to keep this progress going. But what’s more important is that Johnny gets better soon. It was a big crash that he had this morning and we need him back here as soon as possible. I send him all my best wishes and hope he will be OK again very fast. Jonathan Rea did not start Well, the weekend just went from bad to worse really I had a crash yesterday which needed some stitches in my arm and then a 230kph crash this morning at one of the fastest corners on the calendar. Of course, I’m frustrated and I have some injuries that I want to take time to heal properly. We’ll have to miss Aragon next week, unfortunately, but Brno is a month off and the doctors tell me that the break in my arm would normally keep someone off work for three weeks. I’ll try to come back for Brno at 100% as it’s a circuit that suits me and the bike. I got my first world championship win there and we went 1-2 last year. Thanks to everyone for all the messages of support, it really means a lot and I’m sure it’ll speed up the recovery. Ronald ten Kate team manager: Yesterday evening, after all the problems that we had, I asked myself if things could get much worse and then, this morning, I got my answer. Jonathan had a very big crash at the fastest corner on the track. I was very relieved that he was able to walk away but, of course, his injuries will need time to heal. Aragon most likely will not be in the picture but we hope he can be back at Brno, and that that will mark an end to our misery. Ruben was actually enjoying a better weekend apart from the small crash in Superpole, which forced him to start near the back of the grid. In race two he was getting to grips with the bike and the direction he has for developing it seems quite clear. He is constantly improving himself so we’re looking forward to Aragon where hopefully the Spanish crowd will lift him even higher. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: MICHEL TAKES SIXTH DESPITE INJURY Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio bounced back from a heavy fall in the first race to take a fighting sixth in the the second despite riding with a suspected broken scaphoid. Michel had pushed a little too hard on the opening lap of today’s first race and was highsided exiting turn three and landed heavily on his right arm. He went to the Medical Centre and was diagnosed with a suspected fracture in his right arm. Despite that, Michel started race two in determined fashion and was carving his way up through the field from the third row of the grid when the race was red-flagged after 11 laps. Race two then became a 14 lapper and Michel charged his way up the field on his way to a fighting sixth place. Series leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) consolidated his hold on the championship with another double victory today – his third of the season. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) was runner-up in both races, with Marco Melandri (Yamaha) third in race one and Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) third in race two. Michel – Race 1: DNF (1 lap), Race 2: 6th Actually I feel a bit disappointed this weekend – and not because of my injury really. The wet weather ruined my Superpole and any chances of a good grid position. I had been third in regular qualifying and then 13th in Superpole and that meant I was way down the grid and needed binoculars to see the lights! In race one, I charged off the line as hard as I could because I didn’t want the leaders to open a big gap straightaway, but I pushed a bit too hard and highsided in turn three, hurting my right arm in the process. I went to the Clinica Mobile and was told that I had probably broken my right scaphoid, but that it would take a day or two to confirm it. I thought that I might as well try and start race two and that’s what I did. I fought my way up and passed quite a few riders and was in about seventh place, I think, when the race was stopped. Race two then became a 14-lap race and although I tried my best, I just didn’t have the strength to keep the throttle at full gas when I wanted to . I lost out a lot on acceleration as a result and that’s what prevented me from progressing further up the field – that and the fact that I ran out of laps. I would have preferred a straight 24-lap race because that would’ve given me time to do lots of overtaking. Without the injury I think I could’ve mounted a podium challenge – even with my grid position. But really, yesterday’s rain ruined everything and toady’s crash in race one didn’t help. I will go and see a specialist on Tuesday and further X-rays will be taken. For me, it doesn’t really matter if I have broken my scaphoid or not, because I will be racing at Aragon next weekend for sure. If I have to have some sort of protective cast on my arm to race, then that’s what I’ll do. But one thing is for sure, I will be on track again next weekend. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: TWO FANTASTIC RACE WINS, TWO FAST LAPS AND A NEW LAP RECORD FOR ALTHEA RACING AND CARLOS CHECA AT HOME TRACK MISANO! Misano Adriatico (Italy), Sunday 12th June 2011: in a repeat of the recent performance at Miller Motorsports Park, the Althea Racing team and rider Carlos Checa were able to celebrate two race wins, two fast laps and also a new lap record this afternoon at the Misano World Circuit. A result made even sweeter by the fact that is was obtained at the team’s home track, in front of the Italian public. In Race 1, starting from second position, Carlos found himself fourth at the end of lap one, behind Biaggi, Haslam and Sykes. After only a few laps, Checa had got past both Sykes and Haslam and went after Biaggi who had already built a one second gap. On lap five Carlos made the quickest lap of the race overall (1m36.660) and on the eleventh he passed Max to take command of the race. From that point on, his rhythm was relentless and his riding impeccable right to the finish line. Carlos won the first race 0.9 of a second ahead of Biaggi and an impressive 17.1 seconds ahead of Melandri in third. In race two Carlos managed to take the lead after just two laps and by lap nine he had a one second advantage over Biaggi who followed him in second. Unfortunately for Checa, a crash for Melandri left oil on the track and this caused the race to be interrupted with a red flag. According to new 2011 regulations, the results of the two phases of Race 2 are not combined and Carlos thus lost the advantage gained in the first phase. Restarting part two of the race from pole position (according to the order of arrival in part one) Althea Racing’s flagbearer was second after the first corners but immediately found strong pace, recording the race’s fastest lap, a 1m36.520, which is also a new lap record. Carlos was 0.2 of a second from Max for several laps before he managed to get past his Italian rival on lap seven. The Spaniard remained the fastest rider on track until the finish line, winning the race 1.4 seconds ahead of Biaggi. The Althea Racing team has won eight out of twelve races run so far in 2011. Thanks to these impressive results Checa today increases his championship lead and holds 245 points to Biaggi’s 173. Ducati leads the manufacturer’s championship with 252 points to Aprilia’s 212. Carlos Checa: “What a great result today! In the first race, I didn’t make a great start, losing some ground through the first corners. Max was strong at the start and it wasn’t easy to pass him but once in front, I was able to find good rhythm and build a small advantage. I’m extremely satisfied also because the tyre began to slide in the final laps and it was very hot today. We changed tyre for race 2 and it seems we made the right decision. Max was strong again in race 2 and both he and I had a strong pace, stronger than the other riders, but I perhaps had an extra couple of tenths over him. When I took the lead I managed the race well and took the second win of the day. We knew that Misano could be favourable to us, after results during testing here in May, but I didn’t expect the double win. Fantastic, and perhaps even more important that the Miller wins because we knew we could do well there while here it was far from easy and so even more special.” Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager di Althea Racing: “A fantastic day for the Althea team as we achieved our objective, and won in both the Superbike and Superstock categories. With regard to SBK, Carlos was able to make the most of that which we had prepared for him during the week; a top bike, a good tyre choice, a calm team even in the difficult moments. In all of our tyre choices, Carlos was able to demonstrate his superiority in terms of lap times and, in Race 2, when he found himself close to Biaggi, he was able to control the situation, even from behind, putting pressure on his rival. This was surely the secret to his success because once Max made a mistake Carlos had no further problems. Even though we have a good advantage in the standings, we will stay very attentive to our rivals’ inevitably strong performances in upcoming races. I would like to thank the entire team; the boys have worked night and day to obtain these results. I also thank Carlos, Ducati and all of our sponsors, especially Unibat, for their continued support.” More, from another press release issued by Althea Racing: GIUGLIANO AND THE ALTHEA RACING TEAM TRIUMPH IN TODAY’S STK 1000 RACE AT HOME TRACK MISANO Misano Adriatico (Italy), Sunday 12th June 2011: Davide Giugliano and the Althea Racing team won a convincing Superstock 1000 race today at the Misano racetrack, the team’s second win in only three races run so far this season. Giugliano got off the line fast and, from second position, moved straight into the lead after the first corners. With a race pace that no-one was able to replicate, the Althea Racing rider gradually increased his advantage over Petrucci and Zanetti behind him. By mid-race he had a solid three second advantage but then, due to Salac’s crash, a red flag cut the fourteen lap race short and the results of the eleven laps already run stood as the final race results. Davide thus won the race with a 3.1 second advantage over Petrucci in second. Althea Racing’s flagbearer also made the fastest lap of the race (1m38.825 on the fourth lap) which also becomes a new lap record. Baroni, starting from tenth position, was less fortunate and had some trouble when a rider crashed ahead of him, causing him to lose ground and contact with those ahead. Then a traction problem meant that he was unable to push as he wanted to and this disadvantage, mainly on the straights, prevented him from catching those ahead. The young Italian rider thus closed in twelfth position, obtaining four championship oints in the process. Giugliano leads the rider’s championship with 70 points to the 53 held by Petrucci in second position. Baroni is tenth with 17 points. Ducati continues to lead the manufacturer’s classification with 70 points, thanks also to Giugliano’s recent results. Davide Giugliano “I’m very happy of course; to have won two races out of three is just fantastic. At our first home track Monza we were unable to take the win but today we did it! We knew that Misano would be a friendly track for us and now we hope that all future tracks will be equally kind. Due to the red flag, the race was just eleven laps long today instead of 14 but in my opinion it was already over and a couple more laps wouldn’t have made much difference. I thank my entire team for having provided me with such a high performing bike.” Lorenzo Baroni “I was in a group of slow riders and when some ahead of me crashed I lost contact with the leaders. Then a traction issue meant that the bike was moving around a lot and I couldn’t push as I wanted to. Riders were getting past me, mainly on the straights. I hoped to do better today but it didn’t go to plan. Luckily we go striaght to Aragon where I hope to make up for things. Today’s result is a pity and I’m sorry for the team as they have worked so hard this weekend.” Genesio Bevilacqua General Manager of Althea Racing “Today demonstrated Giugliano’s determination and ability to make a difference, especially in the initial laps. He always gets away quickly and this allows him to take the lead fairly easily. Despite the fact that he is only 21 years old, he understand and knows how best to interpret the races and knowing how to do this gives him an advantage, also psychologically-speaking, over his rivals. I’m sorry for Baroni who wasn’t so fortunate today. He found himself in a group of slower riders and this made him lsoe concentration. We hope he can do better at Aragon, also because he already tested there with the Superbike over the winter. Sooner or later we will see this rider’s full potential.” More, from a press release issued by PATA Racing Team: First podium of the season for the PATA Racing Team. Nitro Nori Haga closes with a 3rd place after a thrilling race 2. Kicked off from the fifth row the japanese rider is able to go up till the 11th, when everything is reshuffled due to a red flag. A race with 14 lap to go and the riders starting from their very last positions. Haga immediately managed to gain placings over the others and on the finale was overtook by Baldovini. But Nitro Nori did a great job making the most of a the gap left by the young italian rider at the last turn. During race 1 he was forced to withdraw due to a gear breakdown. Noriyuki Haga – Aprilia RSV4R #41 – “I’m really happy about the final result on this familiar track. Is a boost of enthusiasm for me and the team. I was able to take advantage of the gap left by Badovini although the tyre was worn out. We still have to grow trying to fight constantly for the podium, but this is a good first step. Hopefully I’ll repeat my performance next week in Aragon.” Marco Borciani – team manager – “I’m so glad about this first podium with Aprilia. We did an amazing work to get it and we need to keep on this way. The red flag helped us, otherwise it would have been impossible to hit the podium starting from the 5th row.” More, from a press release issued by Effenbert Liberty Racing Team: Misano Adriatico, June 12, 2011 After the positive results obtained in the superpole, the Effenbert Liberty Racing Team riders have been called to confirm their good form and the one of the whole team. The weather, after days of uncertainty, gave to all the fans a warm sunny day, and facilitated the work of the team in finding the best setting for the bike. The day began with morning warm-up, characterized by a serious incident, unfortunately, the talented Irish rider Jonathan Rea Honda, suffered an accident that forced the organizers to stop the session and then prevented him to take part in the following races on the program during the day. As usual this year, the fastest was the leader of the world’s championship Carlos Checa, who preceded Badovini and Fabrizio. Good performance of the two Effenbert Liberty Racing riders thatplaced themselves in the fifth and sixth position with only a few hundredths of second of delay, with a race pace which confirmed the good prospects for the day. The first race was characterized by a good start of Guintoli and Smrz, who at the end of the first lap were respectively in 5th and 7th position. Initially everyone had very close lap times and for that reason the positions have crystallized After a few laps Biaggi and Checa have broken through the inertia and took command of the operations, increasing the pace. Smrz forced to keep intouch and unfortunately suffered a heel on the front of his bike and lost control being thrown away from his Ducati. Fortunately the incident had no serious consequences either fot the bike , nor for the rider, but it was in any case very dangerous as “Kuba” fell right in the middle of the track forcing other drivers to avoid him. Among the riders that had to maneuver was also his teammate Guintoli, who lost in the confusion, unfortunately, a couple of places. Sylvain has then been the author of a couple of nice overtakes, but given the little difference on the timings it was not possible to recover more. At the end he finished in seventh place, but with a small delay from the fourth position. This race was characterized by the duel between Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi, a duel that was resolved in favor of the Spanish champion.Third place for Marco Melandri. Here are the official results of the first race: 1 2 7 C. CHECA ESP Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 2 7 1 M. BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 0.984 3 33 M. MELANDRI ITA Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 17.124 4 1 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike Kawasaki ZX-10R 18.652 5 10 58 E. LAVERTY IRL Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 18.929 6 16 2 L. CAMIER GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 21.003 7 8 50 S. GUINTOLI FRA Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 22.942 8 9 86 A. BADOVINI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team BMW S1000 RR 23.117 9 12 17 J. LASCORZ ESP Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 31.729 10 14 121 M. BERGER FRA Supersonic Racing Team Ducati 1098R 34.466 11 15 111 R. XAUS ESP Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR 36.683 12 18 15 M. BAIOCCO ITA Barni Racing Team S.N.C. Ducati 1098R 37.691 13 20 53 A. POLITA ITA Barni Racing Team S.N.C. Ducati 1098R 37.984 14 22 77 C. VERMEULEN AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 41.016 15 19 57 L. LANZI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team BMW S1000 RR 43.514 During the break between the two races the team has thoroughly analyzed theresults of the first race, in order to put the riders in conditions to be the protagonists in the second race Second race that kept unchanged the leadership of Carlos Checa who has once again demonstrated its strength. Checa is increasingly embracingly his championship lead, obtained the ninth win of the season, the fourteenth of his career and the fourth double this year. Yet the start of the race saw him chasing Sykes and Haslam, followed by the lively pressing of Biaggi. The Effenbert Liberty Racing riders , Guintoli and Smrz, tryied to have a fast pace and always stayed in the points, trying to counter with its own forces the pace of those who preceded them. On lap 11, the crashes of Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike) and Leon Camier(Aprilia Alitalia) made necessary the red flag to be showned , with the marshals busy to spread the filler on the stains of oil left on the track. The restart saw 14 laps still to be run from scratch, but the trend of the race did not change,despite a print start by Guintoli that jumped into fourth place. Checa leads,Biaggi chases without a fight. Smrz, however, after the restart,has been again the victim of a fall due to problems with the bike and bitterly salutes Misano. Guintoli maintains a constant pace and closes the Grand Prix in seventh place, ahead of Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda), and the two Kawasaki riders Chris Vermeulen and Joan Lascorz. These are the official results of the second race: 1 2 7 C. CHECA ESP Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 2 7 1 M. BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1.484 3 17 41 N. HAGA JPN PATA Racing Team Aprilia Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.772 4 9 86 A. BADOVINI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia SBKTeam BMW S1000 RR 7.856 5 5 91 L. HASLAM GBR BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 9.714 6 13 84 M. FABRIZIO ITA Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 10.777 7 8 50 S. GUINTOLI FRA Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 10.875 8 15 111 R. XAUS ESP Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR 13.483 9 12 17 J. LASCORZ ESP Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 13.576 10 22 77 C. VERMEULEN AUS Kawasaki Racing TeamKawasaki ZX-10R 17.962 11 19 57 L. LANZI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team BMW S1000 RR 22.768 12 21 44 R. ROLFO ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 24.535 13 10 58 E. LAVERTY IRL Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 51.895 14 1 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’04.134 Here are the declarations of our riders: Sylvain Guintoli, after the two races, despite the two seventh positions,was visibly disappointed: “We could do more, we had a clear chance to go on the podium in both races, instead we’re commenting a race that can not fully satisfy us. In Race 1 we had a problem with the choice of the tyre compound, the heat and our analysis has made us opt for the more durable one and with hindsight we could probably do a better result by opting for the softer. In race 2 we seemed to go better than in the first, but other little problems did not have allow us to optimize the performance of the bikew. A pity concludes Guintoli we worked well during the week and now we go home with less than we expected. ” For Jakub Smrz, however, a weekend to forget: three falls, including the one in the superpole session,and a lot of bad luck. “It ‘s the worst Sunday of the season -stresses the Czech talent to cut short – We had problems with the setting of the bike in the race, we have been helped inthe superpole by the rain allowing me to qualify in front row. With the heat we had troubles with the rear wheel that lost traction and it made it difficult for me to keep the stability of the bike. My falls? They have been photocopyies of eachother – says Smrz -precisely due to this problem. Today I raced with three different tire compounds, but the result remained indifferent and we will need to analyze well the reasons of the failure of performance. We need to work to improve because the Spanish circuit of Aragon could enhance our qualities and for this reason we will start to work from tomorrow. ” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Highs and Lows for Yamaha in Misano The Misano world circuit was host to a dramatic race day today with both highs and lows for the Yamaha World Superbike Team. There were no easy points to be had on the Italian race track today for Melandri and Laverty. After initially falling back to fifth from his fourth place start on the grid in race one, Melandri hastily regained position, tucking in behind Haslam and awaiting the opportunity to push to third. Struggling to maintain the pace the Italian was unable to fight for a victory and crossed the chequered flag in third place with a much desired podium at his home race. Team-mate Laverty completed the first race of the day in fifth place, just losing out on fourth position in the final stages of the last lap as Sykes took advantage of the Irish-man’s struggle with gradual tyre wear. Race two was filled with drama as Melandri and Camier crashed out in the tenth lap, causing the race to be red flagged. Both riders were unable to re-enter the pit boxes with their machines in the time required by the regulations in order to be permitted to participate in the 14 lap second part of race two. Team-mate Eugene Laverty also experienced a tough second race. Following a perfect start off eighth place on the newly formed grid, Laverty shot into fourth place. After just one lap the Irishman overtook Haslam to take position of third place behind Checa, winner of the previous race before he unfortunately lost the front of the machine, causing him to crash out. Unhurt Laverty returned to the track and completed the race in 13th place. Following the difficult race day in Misano, Marco Melandri will head to Aragon this coming weekend sitting in third place in the World Superbike standings with 150 points, 95 points behind Checa in the lead. Laverty still occupies fourth place with a total of 123 points, 17 points ahead of Haslam in fifth. Marco Melandri Yamaha World Superbike Team – 3rd, DNS “It was a very difficult day, one to be forgotten. Not due to the crash, but mainly for the inability to compete. Even in Race two I was too slow to be as competitive as I should be. This morning I had difficulty riding the bike and struggled to get the podium. We made some changes prior to race two but that didn’t improve anything. The bike seemed to be completely lacking in grip from the beginning and I just suddenly lost the front.” Eugene Laverty Yamaha World Superbike Team – 5th, 13th “We took a gamble with the rear tyre in race one and it was ok until about four laps to go. The left side of the tyre was completely worn which is very strange considering it’s a right handling track. I was very disappointed to lose fourth position just at the end. In race two once the red flag came out, I changed tyre choice and used the same tyre as in race one and immediately had better feeling with the bike. I thought I could fight with Checa and Biaggi in the lead but most importantly I wanted to pull away from the bunch behind and get a clear third. Unfortunately I lost the front and crashed out. We just have to forget what happened and look forward to Aragon. It’s a track we tested just recently and we should be strong.” Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “A difficult race day today even if we managed to get a podium in race one with Marco and could have had the opportunity to be back on the podium again in race two before he unexpectedly crashed mid race due to possible traces of fluid on the track . It was a pity to have lost out on vital points for the Championship. Eugene, after experiencing an issue with the rear tyre in race one and the first part of race two was unable to demonstrate his potential, follow the leaders and earn a well-deserved podium. Unfortunately he lost the front of the bike and was unable to carry on as he aimed. We expected Biaggi to be strong and competitive and also Checa and Ducati who have won more than 75 per cent of the races here in the last ten years but we can expect the coming four race tracks to suit our machine better. We have to work harder than ever and be more competitive in the next round in Aragon, where we have good data from recent tests. We are leaving Misano knowing that we could have fought for a podium with both riders and with bitterness for the points lost and the further gap created with the leaders.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Nice weather condition today in Misano Adriatico for the sixth round of the Superbike world championship. Due to their difficulties yesterday in qualifying both Pedercini Superbike riders Rolfo and Aitchison lined up from the sixth row of the starting grid in the two 24 laps races. In race one Rolfo was forced to end his race after fourteenth laps due to some technical problems. Aitchison started very quick from the sixth row, fighting for the eleventh place in a group of four riders. An excellent performance for the Aussie but unfortunately an electronic problem made his effort fruitless and also Mark was forced to re-enter the box. In race two Aitchison crashed after only three laps fortunately without any physical consequences. During the tenth lap the race was red flagged because of an accident and restarted for only fourteenth laps. Rolfo’s second start was pretty good and he fought during all the race for the points zone, ending the race in twelfth position. Superbike Race one : 1) Checa (Ducati) 2) Biaggi (Aprilia) 3) Melandri (Yamaha) 4) Sykes (Kawasaki) 5) Laverty (Yamaha)”¦.. RET Rolfo (Kawasaki) – Aitchsion (Kawasaki) Superbike race two : 1) Checa (Ducati) 2) Biaggi (Aprilia) 3) Haga (Aprilia) 4) Badovini (BMW) – 5) Haslam (BMW)”¦”¦..12) Rolfo (kawasaki) “¦.RET Aitchison (Kawasaki) Roberto Rolfo : “A difficult day for us today. For race one we made a modification that proved to be a mistake and I was unable to ride the bike as I would have liked. I was losing too much time through some sections and I chose to stop. In the second race the changes brought better results and I had much better feeling with my bike. I maintained my focus and was able to obtain some points. We’re still a long way from the results we want but I will continue to work with my team until we achieve them”. Mark Aitchison :”Today has been a little bit of a frustrating day in Misano. I started my first race very well and made some passes in the first few laps and I was feeling comfortable on the bike. With around three laps remaining whilst I was in eleventh position my bike completely shut down and I was forced to retire out of the race. We found afterwards that we had a problem with one of the cables connected to our electronic system. In race two once again I got a good start and I passed a few riders in the first laps. I was feeling good on the bike and I wanted to push ahead to the group in front of me, but unfortunately I lost grip on the front tyre in the slow corner at the beginning of the lap and I had a small crash. I was hoping to rejoin but the bike was turned off and I was unable to restart. I’m sorry for this small mistake to my team as they have done a great job this weekend again” A dry track and warm temperatures for the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race. During morning warm-up all three Pedercini riders worked with their teams to make last adjustments to the bikes. A third row start for Bussolotti and Staring while Mercado lined up from the sixth. After a quick start Staring was eight while Bussolotti followed him in eleventh position. Not a good start for Mercado. The Argentinian rider closed the first lap in twenty first position but over a few laps he was able to recover a lot of positions, reaching sixteenth place. Close to the middle of the race Bussolotti obtained the ninth place while Staring make a mistake losing some positions. During the twelfth lap the race was stopped by a red flag due to a crash and a bike which remained inside the track. Ninth place for Bussolotti and eleventh for Staring while Mercado obtained an excellent fifteenth position and obtained his first point in the Superstock 1000 championship standings. Superstock 1000 race : 1) Giugliano (Ducati) 2) Petrucci (Ducati) 3) Zanetti (BMW) 4) Barrier (BMW) “¦. 9) Bussolotti (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ 11) Staring (Kawasaki) “¦. 15) Mercado (Kawasaki) Marco Bussolotti : “My start was not so bad but in the second corner of the race Antonelli crashed in front of me and I was forced to exit the track to avoid an impact with his bike. I lost a lot of positions but fortunately I soon found a good race pace reaching ninth place. Without the red flag probably my final result could have been even better, but I’m satisfied with my results today”. Brian Staring : “The start was the only positive thing today. I make a mistake after only a few laps and I lost a lot of position and also my concentration. I suffered some small problems with the bike at the beginning, but unfortunately starting from the middle of the race my bike started to slide a lot and I couldn’t really chase the riders in front of me. The only thing I could do was try and finish the race”. Leandro “Tati” Mercado : “My start was pretty good but unfortunately a rider crashed in the second corner and I was forced to brake and lost quite a few places. Starting from so far back was not easy, but the bike was working well, the engine was running perfectly and with a good race pace I reached the fifteenth place and my first Superstock 1000 championship point. I’m happy with the results obtained today and I want to thank my crew for doing such a wonderful job this weekend”. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes And Ninja ZX-10R Take Best Finish Yet WSBK, Misano, Republic of San Marino, 12 June 2011 Tom Sykes and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R took a season best for rider and manufacturer with fourth place in race one at Misano, with Joan Lascorz and Chris Vermeulen also in the points today. The first race was held over the scheduled 24-lap duration and Lascorz finished ninth, Vermeulen 14th in his comeback weekend, taking his first points of the year. Race two was a very complicated affair, run over 14 laps after the first attempt was red flagged when two riders fell at the same corner. The first running was declared null and void, and full points were awarded for the shortened race two, making it an even more intense sprint race compared to race one, and with only 17 starters. In the second race Lascorz was top Kawasaki finisher, 9th again, with Vermeulen tenth. Sykes, who had been in line for a second good finish of the day in the first halted race, found the early laps of the restart difficult and he eventually fell, but remounted to finish 14th and take points. All the official Kawasaki riders had some positives to take away to the next round at Aragon in a few days time, not least Sykes’ Superpole win and top four race finish, Lascorz’ top four in combined qualifying (before Superpole) and two points finishes for returnee Vermeulen. Pedercini Team Kawasaki riders Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison were often out of luck in a home race for their team, retiring with technical issues in race one and Aitchison being one of the riders unable to restart in the re-run of race two. Rolfo retrieved points in race two, finishing 12th. Tom Sykes: “We have come away from one of our least favoured circuits with a pole position and a fourth. In race one I was feeling good. In race two, part one, I dropped a couple of positions but I felt I had the pace to get them back easily. Then the race was stopped, I do not know why because as it turned out there was no oil or anything down, certainly nothing to stop the race. We were looking strong there, and there was just Haslam between me and the podium. We were gapping the guys behind. In the ‘real’ race two, I got batting with a couple of guys and that put me out of my rhythm. It was a sprint race so some had gambled on soft tyres. I tried turning just a little bit tighter to got inside Xaus at turn three and unfortunately ran over the white line inside the track and that took the front away. I remounted and got two points. We were a lot stronger in race one for fourth and we have to be happy with the way things went this weekend, with a Superpole win and a good top four finish.” Joan Lascorz: “A strange raceday, because we were fourth in combined qualifying, but ninth in race one and race two. It gave me some points, and two top tens, so there are some positive things to take away from here. I fitted a soft tyre for the ‘second’ race two, and I had a better feeling and I could push more and more. In race one it was difficult with the rear grip and in the last laps I did not have good lap times. Overall, some positives and in qualifying we were fourth, so we know what is possible.” Chris Vermeulen: “Not too bad. Obviously it was hard to jump back into the thick of it this weekend and we had three races, not two. I am a little bit sore now, in my knee and my elbow. We managed to finish both races, and in the points, and with a little bit of luck got into the top ten in race two. So, not too bad for my first races back in a long time. In race one we had a little issue with the set-up because I was struggling to get a good feeling from the front of the bike, and get it to turn. We were able to improve that in race two. We are still learning but we are improving all the time.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: INJURY STOPS TROY IN MISANO The injury that Troy suffered when he was highsided prevented Troy from scoring any points at Misano today. Although he started race one, it was only a couple of laps before he realised that he could not finish the race and so he pulled in rather than stay out and get in anybody’s way. From then, it was obvious that race two was a no-goer and so Troy was forced to sit and watch the action instead of being part of it. Series leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) consolidated his hold on the championship with another double victory today – his third of the season. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) was runner-up in both races, with Marco Melandri (Yamaha) third in race one and Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) third in race two. Troy – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: DNS It’s never good when you crash early on in a weekend and although my hip didn’t feel too bad yesterday, it felt a lot worse today when I woke up. But, I thought I’d give it a go and so I started race one. Very soon, it became evident that the injury was preventing full movement of my right leg and that stopped me from being able to get my knee down. This track has many changes of direction and there was not enough strength in the hip to allow me to move the bike around anywhere near normal. I knew I was cooked after a few laps and managed to complete five before pulling in. If I had stayed out, I could’ve crashed and done myself more damage or worse – I could have caused somebody else to crash. Before the highside, we’d tried some different settings on the engine braking and traction control. We’d made some improvements for sure and it’s a shame that I didn’t get a chance to put them into practice. Now I need some rest and I need to get some movement back into my hip so that I’m ready for Aragon next weekend. I feel pretty confident that I’m going to be in much better shape come next weekend. More, from a press release issued by Honda: XAUS SCORES BUT REA OUT AFTER HIGH SPEED CRASH Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) left the Adriatic coastal circuit of Misano with an 11th and an eighth place finish to his credit, after one race was held over the scheduled 24-laps, but the second was cut to 14 after the attempted first running was stopped by a red flag incident. Two riders crashed and with fears of an unseen oil leak into the first chicane, race direction halted the race and declared a 14-lap rerun, with full points awarded. Ruben was a fighting eighth in race two, getting the better of his countryman Joan Lascorz in the final lap, using all his experience to keep his position. He is now 16th overall in the standings. World Championship leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) continued his run of good form, winning both races from Max Biaggi (Aprilia) with Marco Melandri (Yamaha) third in race one and privateer Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) third in the shortened race two. Leading Honda rider Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) was forced out of the Misano round after a morning warm-up crash, high siding at the fast Curvone corner and landing hard enough to be ruled out of the races. Rea had been having a tough time at Misano in both wet and dry practice sessions and finally qualified 11th in a wet Superpole on Saturday. His crash created injuries that were finally confirmed as a clean break of the right radius and other suspected injuries, which are still being examined. Unable to defend his championship position today, Jonathan is now eighth overall. In the championship, Checa now has 245 points to Biaggi’s 173 and Melandri’s 150. Jonathan has an unchanged 94 and Xaus 44. FORET AND LOWES MOVE ON UP TO PODIUM FINISHES Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) equalled his season best of second today as he came through from a bad start off the second row and an eventual 11th place at the end of the first lap to take the runner-up spot at the Misano World Circuit. Fabien, the 2002 World Champion for Honda in this class, is now the top ranked Honda rider in the points standings, in fourth place overall. Foret finished only 1.933 seconds and closing behind eventual winner and new championship leader Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) in warm conditions that contrasted sharply with the rain that had affected the second day of qualifying. The dry, then wet, then dry again practice sessions led to a lot of educated guesswork for some race day settings, to the benefit of some Honda riders and the detriment of others. Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) was very much a beneficiary at Misano, riding at near full fitness and taking a battling third place, his second podium of the year. The English rider found his machine matched the conditions better towards the end of the 22-lap race, as Lowes overtook a series of riders and held off Broc Parkes’ team-mate over the line to move up to seventh in the series rankings. Ilario Dionisi (Honda Italia Improve FG) had a great ride in the podium places for 20 of the 22 laps, but dropped back as experience told at this level and he was to finish a more than respectable fifth at his home circuit. James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) enjoyed his weekend at Misano, but was caught out by back markers as he tried to get higher up the finishing order than his eventual seventh. He made a technical breakthrough in practice and enjoyed a largely stress free weekend as a result, qualifying tenth in a field of 37 riders. Seventh place qualifier Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Team Honda) had a problem getting off the start line and with traction and grip issues on the hot and generally slippery Misano asphalt providing another challenge, he worked hard for eighth place. Harms headed up a three-rider group, which also contained Step Racing Honda rider Gino Rea, who was tenth. Rea paid a high price for losing time in practice and qualifying, but came back strongly on race day from 16th on the grid. Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) dropped back to 11th from eighth on the grid. Despite still recovering from a fractured left shoulder, Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) took a strong 12th place, having been down in 21st place after qualifying. Series regular Alexander Lundh (Cresto Guide Racing Team Honda) took the final point for 15th, Vladimir Ivanov (Step Racing Team Honda) just missed out in 16th. Balazs Nemeth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) secured 18th, while Imre Toth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) went 20th. Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka PTR Honda) crashed out of contention on lap one. In the championship itself, Parkes has 85 points, with team-mates Chaz Davies and Luca Scassa on 80 and 70 respectively. Foret is fourth on 56 points, David Salom (Kawasaki) has 56 and Harms 55. Honda rider comments: Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) Race result: DNS /DNS Championship position: 8th “Well, the weekend just went from bad to worse really I had a crash yesterday which needed some stitches in my arm and then a 230kph crash this morning at one of the fastest corners on the calendar. Of course, Im frustrated and I have some injuries that I want to take time to heal. Well have to miss Aragon next week, unfortunately, but Brno is a month off and the doctors tell me that the break in my arm would normally keep someone off work for three weeks. Ill try to come back for Brno at 100% as its a circuit that suits me and the bike. I got my first world championship win there and we went 1-2 last year. Thanks to everyone for all the messages of support, it really means a lot and Im sure itll speed up the recovery.” Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) Race result: 11th / 8th Championship position: 16th “In the second race we put in a soft tyre and I played with the bike because it was spinning. I was doing constant 1’37s, even in the last two or three laps. I saw Lascorz behind me so I just covered my line for the final lap and took eighth place. I was able to play more in race two, and it was a safe bike, and the best bike I have found so far. We are getting out of Misano with a good rhythm. The most important thing is to hope that Johnny is OK. We need him here, and he is a good motivation for me, so best wishes and all my power goes to him.” SUPERSPORT Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) Race result: 2nd. Championship position: 4th “I came from 11th on lap one. We made a little change in set-up for the race and it was great, I really had fun. In the first corner I lost some places and another rider pushed me off track at turn four. I knew then I just had to stay calm and work my way back into it. I was feeling very comfortable, but I lost some time to overtake some guys because it is not that easy at this track. I did not want to take too much risk because the start of my season was not really good I do not have any more jokers in my pack. I am really happy with the second place given what happened at the start, but I think this could have been my weekend.” Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) Race result: 3rd. Championship position: 7th “You can never be disappointed with a podium, but I felt the bike was capable of winning. I struggled a little bit at the start and got boxed in. I was fast here, but I didn’t know where to pass. It was just a bit ragged for the first ten laps. The last ten were mega, the bike came to me and we made up some ground, and I dug in. You can never moan at a podium finish, but this is the first race that I have finished at full fitness since Phillip Island and was on the podium there as well.” Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Team Honda) Race result: 8th. Championship position: 6th “I was really hoping to battle in the top five, maybe even top three today because I felt really comfortable the whole weekend. But unfortunately my clutch stalled at the beginning and then I was struggling to find grip all through the race and I never got it the way I wanted. I lost the front maybe ten times and I thought I was going to crash. When I opened the throttle hard on the last laps I just lost the grip immediately. I was fighting hard for race pace today.” Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) Race result: 11th. Championship position: 8th “I am very disappointed and I need to find a better way of working with the bike. It has been a difficult weekend and we were not able to find the right setting, so we need to find something new for next week at Aragon. The start of the race and the first two or three laps were OK the bike felt good and I felt strong but I needed to save energy for the rest of the race. When the tyre performance started to drop I had to fight with the bike and found it hard to follow. I got very tired too the race today felt even harder than my first race at Phillip Island. I definitely need to do better in my next race!” James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) Race result: 7th. Championship position: 9th “We made a small electronics change to the mapping setting for this race and we went straight back up to where we should have been in terms of pace. We got held up a bit in qualifying because of a few back markers and so on, but we knew we had a good race pace. In the race I got split from the group by two back markers, but the bike feels the best it has been, and I know I can fight up at the front.” Gino Rea (Step Racing Team Honda) Race result: 10th. Championship position: 11th “We lost a lot of set-up time with the rain and that is the key to a good race; development over the weekend, and obviously the qualifying position, from starting so far back in 16th. My start wasn’t too bad, but when I got forward I still had to learn the bike, because we had to take a gamble with the race set-up. It wasn’t bad, but when they are running at the pace they are going, I got gapped straight away. But there is no reason why we could not have run with them if we had the practice sessions we needed.” More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: TWO SECOND PLACES FOR MAX BIAGGI WHO – DESPITE THE INJURY TO HIS FOOT YESTERDAY – DID NOT GIVE UP. WEEKEND TO FORGET FOR LEON CAMIER. Misano Adriatico (Italy), June 12th 2011 – Despite the pain to his foot from a crash yesterday which caused a cartilage fracture of the left astragalus (talus bone), Max Biaggi was a key player in the San Marino Round, the sixth World Superbike round of the 2011 season, held today at the Misano circuit. Two second place finishes – both behind Carlos Checa – bear witness to the World Champion’s determination. This is an extremely positive result considering the fact that before the morning warm-up Max was not even sure he would be able to ride his RSV4 onto the track. “I pushed to the maximum the whole time – Max explained at the end of the day – even when the second place was securely locked up, and in spite of my physical conditions which were far from perfect. I took some risks but I never gave up. But Carlos is extremely strong lately. He has always ridden well here. I was able to keep up with him but not attack him.” In Race 1 Max, rocketing out well from the seventh spot on the grid, moved into second place in the first lap. Taking the lead in the second lap, he stretched the gap significantly, but didn’t break away from Carlos Checa definitively. The Spaniard recovered slowly but consistently until overtaking the World Champion at the halfway point. From that point Checa pushed, but without definitively shaking Biaggi who crossed the finish line less than a second behind the leader. In the second race, red flagged in the tenth lap due to a crash and then restarted for the remaining 14 laps, Checa and Biaggi rode their own private race again. Once again, Max held the Spaniard at bay until the halfway point. Then, immediately after the pass, he fought to stay close to Checa who finished with a 1.4 second advantage. Max also expressed his assessment of the moment and the championship rankings: “There is a large gap, but I mustn’t think about that too much. That can’t keep me from continuing to battle. At this moment this is the most we can obtain but I am certain that I can come back to victory, for me and for the team. We’re always working hard and it would be a great impulse of enthusiasm”. Leon Camier continued his difficult weekend after the double crash yesterday during Superpole which relegated him to the sixteenth position on the grid. In race 1 he came back to finish strongly in sixth place, but in Race 2 he took a slide seconds before the red flag came out (suspension in the tenth lap) losing the right to restart in the second part of the race: “A weekend to forget. I never had a good feeling, not even in Race 1, despite a result that is nothing to scoff at. I’ve never like this track. The only positive thing is that, at least for this year, we won’t be back here”.