FIM Superbike World Championship Monza, Italy May 11, 2008 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Noriyuki HAGA (Yam YZF-R1), 18 laps, 32:07.576 2. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), -0.009 second 3. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon CBR1000RR), -0.051 4. Fonsi NIETO (Suz GSX-R1000), -4.489 seconds 5. Michel FABRIZIO (Duc 1098 F08), -10.272 6. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Hon CBR1000RR), -10.376 7. Ruben XAUS (Duc 1098 RS08), -10.496 8. Troy CORSER (Yam YZF-R1), -12.498 9. Ayrton BADOVINI (Kaw ZX-10R), -19.429 10. Gregorio LAVILLA (Hon CBR1000RR), -26.373 11. Lorenzo LANZI (Duc 1098 RS08), -26.544 12. Shinichi NAKATOMI (Yam YZF-R1), -26.895 13. Russell HOLLAND (Hon CBR1000RR), -27.761 14. Sebastin GIMBERT (Yam YZF-R1), -29.661 15. Michael BECK (Yam YZF-R1), -89.001 16. Shuhei AOYAMA (Hon CBR1000RR), -3 laps, pitted 17. Makoto TAMADA (Kaw ZX-10R), -1 lap, DNF, retired 18. Max BIAGGI (Duc 1098 RS08), -3 laps, DNF, crash 19. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 1098 RS08), -3 laps, DNF, crash 20. Carlos CHECA (Hon CBR1000RR), -9 laps, DNF, crash 21. Loic NAPOLEONE (Yam YZF-R1), -9 laps, DNF, retired 22. Troy BAYLISS (Duc 1098 F08), -10 laps, DNF, mechanical 23. Regis LACONI (Kaw ZX-10R), -12 laps, DNF, crash 24. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), -14 laps, DNF, crash 25. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Kaw ZX-10R), -15 laps, DNF, retired 26. Luca MORELLI (Hon CBR1000RR), -17 laps, DNF, crash Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 28 races): 1. Bayliss, 194 points 2. Carlos Checa, 116 3. Haga, 112 4. Neukirchner, 111 5. Nieto, 107 6. Corser, 101 7. Xaus, 90 8. TIE, Biaggi/Kiyonari, 65 10. Lavilla, 59 11. Fabrizio, 55 12. Kagayama, 54 13. Lanzi, 49 14. Smrz, 41 15. Muggeridge, 35 16. Tamada, 28 17. Kenan Sofuoglu, 26 18. Laconi, 21 19. Roberto Rolfo, 20 20. Nakatomi, 16 21. Holland, 13 22. Badovini, 10 23. Gimbert, 6 24. David Checa, 5 25. Beck, 1 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: TOP FIVE FINISHES FOR TROY BAYLISS AND MICHEL FABRIZIO IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD AT MONZA Monza (Italy) Sunday 11th May 2008: As Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) himself predicted yesterday, today’s races consisted of hard fought battles. Despite a DNF in Race 2, a third place finish in Race 1 means that Troy and his Ducati 1098 F08 have nonetheless further increased the championship lead. Michel Fabrizio rode hard in both races to take ninth and fifth position finishes, and hence 18 extremely important championship points. Troy Bayliss (Race 1 – 3rd, Race 2 – DNF) Race 1 saw Bayliss caught up in a fight against Max Neukirchner and Noriyuki Haga, a closely contested race from the start right down to the finish line, in which Max eventually prevailed and Bayliss crossed the line in third. In Race 2 Bayliss’ 1098 F08 suffered a technical fault, an engine problem that resulted in oil leaking, and which unfortunately led subsequently to his retirement from the race. “I knew today’s races would be hard and that proved to be the case. In Race 1 I felt the bike was missing a couple of things and struggling on the long corners but in the end I was happy to take a third place in Race 1. My compliments to Max who takes his first Superbike win, both him and Nori rode a great race and there was nothing I could do to get past them. Race 2? Let’s just say I’m happy to leave Monza with a bigger points lead than I had when I arrived.” Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – 9th, Race 2 – 5th) In Race 1 Michel Fabrizio was able to make up several positions, having started thirteenth on the grid and took home valuable points from his ninth place finish. Race 2 panned out in a similar way and the young Italian rode even harder to pass several strong rivals, taking away 11 useful points from a solid fifth place finish. “I’m very happy at the end of the day. There was some real racing going on out there today, and I had to fight hard to make up the places that I did. I needed to take points away this weekend and I did that, and in front of my home crowd too, so I can say that I’m pretty satisfied really.” RESULTS: Race 1 – 1 Neukirchner (Suzuki); 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) Race 2 – 1. Haga (Yamaha); 2. Neukirchner (Suzuki); 3. Kiyonari (Honda) CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: Riders – 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 194 ; 2. Checa (Honda) 116 ; 3. Haga (Yamaha) 112; 4. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 111; 5. Nieto (Suzuki) 107; 6. Corser (Yamaha) 101 ……. 11. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 55. Manufacturers – Ducati 217; Yamaha 171; Suzuki 158; Honda 135; Kawasaki 44 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree: Neukirchner and Haga rule at Monza There were two victors at the fifth round of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship at Monza, Italy today as Max Neukirchner and Noriyuki Haga took the top spot in races one and two respectively. Despite current championship leader Troy Bayliss’ superb start from the line in the first race, Neukirchner had slotted nicely into position at the front of the pack by the fourth lap. The German then dominated the remainder of the 18-lap race, leading Haga and Bayliss to the chequered flag, and adding a well-earned 25 points to his championship tally. At the start of the second leg, Bayliss, Neukirchner and Haga were again among the frontrunners, all determined to score the second victory at Monza. However, Australian Bayliss was forced to retire on the seventh lap due to technical problems, and could do nothing but watch from the pits as rivals Haga and Neukirchner swapped and changed positions at the front of the field. Although it was Haga who came out on top, his advantage over second-placed Neukirchner was only 0.009s at the chequered flag. Meanwhile it was a day of mixed fortunes for the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team. Double British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari scored a superb fourth place finish in the first race, but went one better in the second leg by clinching his maiden podium of the season. The 25-year-old Japanese rider showed true grit and determination in race two, dicing with the frontrunners and even leading Haga and Neukirchner on the final lap. However, he was unable to maintain his advantage at the front of the pack, losing two positions by the chequered flag. Kiyonari’s fourth and third place finishes add 26 points to his tally, propelling him from 12th to ninth position in the overall standings. Kiyo’s team-mate Carlos Checa had a poor start in the first race and had to work hard for his eventual eighth place finish. He made a better start in the second race and even avoided a coming together with Troy Corser on the eighth lap. However, the 35-year-old Spaniard crashed out of contention on lap nine. The third HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu was unable to participate in the Italian event, due to a loss in his family. The 23-year-old returned to Turkey on Friday, but hopes to join the Superbike contingent at Salt Lake City for the sixth round of the championship. HANNspree Honda Althea’s Roberto Rolfo was also unable to complete the Monza event his home round. The 28-year-old Italian broke his left collarbone in a mountain biking accident while training. He hopes to return to the championship for round six. Round five, Monza race one result 1 Neukirchner M. 32’02.851 2 Haga N. +0.058 3 Bayliss T. +0.672 4 Kagayama Y. +0.771 5 Biaggi M. +3.869 6 Kiyonari R. +5.995 7 Nieto F. +8.788 8 Checa C. +9.374 9 Fabrizio M. +10.667 10 Smrz J. +10.771 Round five, Monza race two result 1 Haga N. 32’07.576 2 Neukirchner M. +0.009 3 Kiyonari R. +0.051 4 Nieto F. +4.489 5 Fabrizio M. +10.272 6 Muggeridge K. +10.376 7 Xaus R. +10.496 8 Corser T. +12.498 9 Badovini A. +19.429 10 Lavilla G. +26.373 DNF Checa C. Championship standings after five rounds 1. T. Bayliss 194 2. C. Checa 116 3. N. Haga 112 4. M. Neukirchner 111 5. F. Nieto 107 6. T. Corser 101 7. R. Xaus 90 8. M. Biaggi 65 9. R. Kiyonari 65 10. G. Lavilla 59 More, from a press release issued by Honda: World Superbike and World Supersport race report Crowd: 112,000 claimed all weekend Temperature Air: 22 to 21 Temperature Ground: 36 to 40 KIYONARI TAKES FIRST WORLD SUPERBIKE PODIUM Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) secured his first ever WSB podium finish today, taking third in race two, after a contest that he could have won. He led the last lap but was passed by eventual winner Noriyuki Haga, who then pushed Kiyonari onto a tight line exiting the Parabolica, preventing him from re-passing. The following rider, Max Neukirchner, therefore took second from Kiyo also, with the time difference from Haga to Kiyonari in third only 0.051 seconds. Neukirchner had won the first race, from Haga and Troy Bayliss, with Kiyonari sixth. Front row qualifier Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) had to fight through to finish eight, after being dropped off the start to 19th on lap one. Checa would crash out of race two, having already run off the track after an earlier incident at the first chicane. He is still second in the championship rankings, but lost points on overall leader Bayliss. Bayliss has 194 to Checa’s 116, while race two winner Haga is now third, on 112. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda Jnr CBR1000RR) had to withdraw from the Monza race after the first day of qualifying after his brother Sinan was killed in a racing accident at home in Turkey. The whole WSB paddock and all Kenan’s racing friends send their condolences to Kenan and his family. Gregorio Lavilla (Vent Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) was 11th, in race one, despite running out of fuel towards the end, and Russell Holland (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was just out of the points in 16th. Lavilla had to start the second leg from pitlane but made up ground, in a race littered by crashes, to secure a top ten finish. Lavilla is now 10th overall, on 59 points. Karl Muggeridge (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) did not finish the first race after his machine suffered a technical problem. He made genuine progress in race two, running in the top ten throughout and finishing sixth, equalling his season best. His machine was trapped at over 200mph in qualifying. Honda’s hopes of more points at Monza were dealt a blow when regular rider Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR) was injured in a training accident, and his eventual replacement, Giovanni Bussei, qualified 27th but had to rule himself out after the effect of his own arm recent injury began to make themselves felt. Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR rider Shuhei Aoyama rode strongly for periods of each race, but dropped off the pace to finish 18th in race one and 16th in race two, having to pit in race two to repair his machine. Luca Morelli (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) was 17th in race one and a non-finisher in race two. Checa said: “In the first race I had a problem when I touched with another rider off the start and I was way down the field. I had a good pace but I was so far back I could only recover a few places. In the second race I was in a better position but then another rider hit me at the entrance to the first chicane, under braking, and that maybe bent something at the back of the bike. I fell at the Parabolica but I still don’t know why, maybe something to do with the earlier collision.” Kiyonari, now ninth on 65 points, said: “I was too slow at the start of race one so in race two I concentrated on getting a good start and pushed hard, right from the beginning. I was able to catch Neukirchner and Haga, although they were riding really well. At one stage I thought I could win, but I knew I had to brake late into the Parabolica and I nearly lost the front, which made me run wide on the entry. But I’m really happy with my first podium.” Lavilla said: “I lost two positions in race one because the bike was running out of fuel. I was ninth and trying to pass Checa at the time. Our bike didn’t start on the grid before race two and I had to take my second bike and start from pitlane. Your second bike never works like the first but I pushed hard and I knew that some riders would not finish. Even if I scored a single point, that was something. At the end of the day I got tenth, which was pretty good.” Muggeridge said: “In the first race I was a bit nervous off the start, because we have to run such a long first gear here. I bogged it off the start and was about 20th, then got trapped by the Ducatis. Race two was good, that is more our real level, and I know we can do even better than that. Just starting from so far back is a handicap. In race two, our bike was pretty good.” Holland said; “it feels much better fighting in with everyone else than running on your own. We had good speed from the bike this weekend, and we really made some progress.” Aoyama said: “During race one I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and we didn’t make a good race. We had problems with the rear tyre and almost did not finish the race because of a lack of fuel. We made some changes for race two and I made a good start. I started 13th then I tried to follow the other riders. We had an electrical problem and had to pull in but because so many riders crashed out we carried on, hoping to score a point. But we just missed out.” The World Superbike series moves to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, USA, for round six on June 1. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki: SUPERB DEBUT WIN FOR MAX! Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner took a superb maiden victory at Monza and also went into the record books for being the first German to win a World Superbike Championship race. Ever since Valencia, when he was cruelly robbed of victory on the last lap, Max has been ready to win and today he emphatically showed that he is a force to be reckoned with this year. Max was a race-long contender for a win in the second race, but was beaten to the line in a photo-finish with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). At the end, he was deprived of victory (and a remarkable double!) by just nine thousandths of a second! Haga took second place in race one, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) third and Suzuki Alstare riders Yukio Kagayama and Fonsi Nieto fourth and seventh places respectively. Behind Haga and Neukirchner in race two, was Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) in third, followed by Fonsi Nieto. Yukio suffered a dramatic crash in the Ascari chicane after just four laps, hurting his ribs and right knee in the process. Max – Race 1: 1, Race 2: 2nd I am so happy to win my first ever World Superbike race and proud and happy to be the first German rider to do so. It’s a great feeling and I’m sure that there’ll be much more interest in Germany now. Although I was a bit nervous before the race, I was not nervous in it or at the end. It was easy to be in front in race one and my bike felt very fast on the straights and good in the corners. I knew exactly where Haga was and knew what I had to do to beat him. I used the same bike and set up for race two, but Haga was a bit quicker in the corners. I was behind him when I suddenly saw a big cloud of smoke coming from his bike. I thought his engine had blown up and waited for him to slow down or pull over, but he kept on going! After half a lap or so, there was no more smoke. I attacked him hard in the last couple of laps, but he just about managed to outdrag me to the line and take the win. Yukio – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: DNF I am very sore after my race two crash! I don’t know why I crashed because it happened so quickly and I had no chance of saving it. Maybe there was some dirt and gravel on the side of the track and I hit it and that caused the bike to change direction so violently. It was a big shame because I was thinking of maybe a podium and to end up in the Clinica Mobile was not my idea of how to finish the race. I had some brake problems in race one and that me go straight on in the chicanes sometimes, but I did not want to give up, so I kept pushing as hard as I dared. I hope my injuries are not serious, but I know I’m going to be very sore tomorrow morning. Fonsi – Race 1: 7th, Race 2: 4th I am not at all happy in race one because I was hit by Checa and the impact broke my seat. Because of that, I lost a little top speed and once I had lost touch with the leaders it was not possible to catch up again. Race two was quite good. I felt very comfortable on the bike and, as the race wore on, I was able to be more confident in one corner that had been causing me a little problem. I was behind Haga, when smoke suddenly appeared from the rear end of his bike. I thought that his engine had gone, so I slowed down because I was worried that oil was coming out. It even smelled a bit like oil, but half a lap later the smoke disappeared. By then I was too far away to challenge for a top spot and so I decided to keep my place and take fourth. Race 1:1 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki) 32.02.851, 2 Haga (J-Yamaha) 32.02.909, 3 Bayliss (AUS-Ducati) 32.03.523, 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) 32.03.622, 5 Biaggi (I-Ducati) 32.06.720, 6 Kiyonari (J-Honda) 32.08.846, 7 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare) 32.11.639, 8 Checa (E-Honda) 32.12.225, 9 Fabrizio (I-Ducati) 32.13.518, 10 Smrz (CZ-Ducati) 32.13.622, Race 2: 1 Haga (J-Yamaha) 32.07.576, 2 Max Neukirchner 32.07.585, (D-Alstare Suzuki) 3 Kiyonari (J-Honda) 32.07.627, 4 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare) 32.12.065, 5 Fabrizio (I-Ducati) 32.17.848, 6 Muggeridge (AUS-Honda) 32.17.952, 7 Xaus (E-Ducati) 32.18.072, 8 Corser (AUS-Yamaha) 32.20.074, 9 Badovini (I-Kawasaki) 32.27.005, 10 Lavilla (E-Honda) 32.33.949, Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) DNF, Points: 1 Bayliss 194, 2 Checa 116, 3 Haga 112, 4 Max Neukirchner 111, 5 Fonsi Nieto 107, 6 Corser 101, 7 Xaus 90, 8 Biaggi, Kiyonari 65, 10 Lavilla 59, More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Haga takes win number two Noriyuki Haga overcame some early weekend set-up issues to power his way to a superb race two win for his Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team at their home track of Monza. Having already scored second in the first race this was Haga’s best weekend of the year so far and pushed him further up the championship table. He now sits third overall, on 112 points. In the first race Haga pushed hard in the early laps, taking the new lap record of 1’45.882, beating his previous 2007 recordas he brought himself forward to join what had been a breakaway trio of eventual winner Max Neukirchner, Yukio Kagayama and eventual third place rider, Troy Bayliss. Haga was in contention for race two almost from the start, taking the lead over the line on lap three, and after some close action riding with Neukirchner and Ryuichi Kiyonari, he held Kiyonari off over the line, with Neukirchner second, by only 0.009 seconds. Corser had a tough weekend at Monza, starting well in race one but slowly dropping back to 12th. In race two he was in more competitive form but a close moment under braking with another rider saw him run wide at the first chicane and lose places. He finished eighth, and is now sixth overall, on 101 points. Team YZF Yamaha rider Shinichi Nakatomi was 13th in race one and 12th in race two, in two 18-lap contests with a host of non-finishers. This was also Nakatomi’s best race of the 2008 season so far. Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) scored points in each race, posting 15th and 14th places. The team’s stand in rider Michel Beck acquitted himself well, finishing race one 19th and race two 15th, scoring a point in only his second ever WSB Championship race. Noriyuki Haga (2nd and 1st – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “In the first race I tried to ride 100% but the feel was not really there. We had a team meeting and we altered the chassis settings and suspension for race two. We got a better feeling and I could push everywhere. I could not calculate for the last few laps I just knew I had to keep in front of everyone. On the last lap I tried to brake hard into the last corner and then passed Kiyonari. I am really happy today because everybody in the garage made a good job, so my thanks go to them.” Troy Corser (12th and 8th – Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “I struggled to get a good set-up today and the bike didn’t feel as fast as we hoped it would. The bike felt unbalanced so I found it difficult braking into corners, the tyre seemed to spin up more on exit making it harder to drive out. I just couldn’t get comfortable with it. The bike was better in race two but it didn’t really feel better.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) “An unbelievable win for Noriyuki. His fender was touching his wheel and that was why we saw smoke coming from his machine a couple of times. We were all worried it was something else at one stage! We made the machine shorter between races and it seemed that the tyre was rubbing, but only sometimes. Nori rode really well today and we worked well to give him a winning bike. Troy had some problems that we could not get right for raceday. A huge thank you to everyone on the Yamaha team, we worked really hard at Monza this year, I’m very proud of the team.” Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 12th – Team YZF Yamaha) “We changed the settings on the bike to make it easier. I made a mistake and lost positions in race one. In race two I had a good start but after five laps the rear tyre started to drop off. So we need to work on the electronics and the suspension to balance this.” More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY AT A LOSS! It was another difficult pair of races for Troy at Monza today. The fifth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship should have been a good one for Troy and the rest of the four cylinder riders because of Monza’s fast straights, but instead Troy ran into problems with the bike spinning and sliding a lot in the turns and was unable to challenge the leaders. Max Neukirchner became the first German to win a World Superbike race in the first 18-lap per, with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) second and Bayliss (Ducati) third. Race two was won by Haga, with Neukirchner second and Kiyonari third. Troy – Race 1: 12th, Race 2: 8th I am actually at a bit of a loss for words today and am finding a bit hard to understand what’s exactly happening to my bike. I don’t think that my bike is that much different to Nori’s but I cannot seem to get get it to go as fast and smoothly into and in the turns as I would like. It just keeps spinning and sliding and that means it’s not gripping and going forward fast enough. As far as I know, we’ve tried everything and it’s still not right for me. Today I know that if I had pushed even a little bit harder I would’ve crashed. It’s frustrating to have to ride like this just to bring the bike home, but the last thing I wanted was a couple of DNFs. I was determined to finish as high as I could in both races and that’s what I did. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Superbike World Championship Date: 11-05-08 Circuit: Round 5, Monza Superbike race 2 Kiyonari shines in Monza and takes first WSB podium HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari was one of the surprises in the second Superbike race at Monza today as he magnificently pushed his Honda to the top of the field and claimed his first ever World Superbike podium, despite the fact he had never raced the famous Italian track before. His maiden World Superbike podium was the reward for a strong race in which he worked hard to catch up with the front runners. Starting from 8th place on the grid, Kiyonari was determined to make his way forward and close the gap with the front runners. The last laps of the race saw Kiyonari closely following Haga and Neukirchner swapping the lead. He managed to overhaul the fighting dogs and grab the lead, but lost it in the final turn and finished his best race this season in third place with only 0.05 from victory. Carlos Checa, who also made his first appearance on the Monza track, had a tough time throughout the first qualifying sessions, but made up for his loss in Superpole qualifying when he grabbed a front row start. After an imperfect start in race two, he struggled to make his way forward though the field, but a close encounter with Corser saw him dropping down slowly before he lost control of the rear and send his bike down the gravel halfway through the race. With both Bayliss and Checa ending today’s second race with a DNF, Checa remains second overall in the Championship. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager; “It has been a weekend to forget for most of us, which casts a small shadow over the Kiyonari’s first podium. It was good to see him adapting so well to the new track and fight for a top finish.” “I am looking forward to bringing the bikes to the Miller track for the next rounds in the US and Germany. These tracks will be new to all riders, both Kiyonari and Checa now have a slight disadvantage on tracks were they have no previous experience.” Ryuichi Kiyonari, 3rd, + 0.05s; “I am very happy with my results, but looking back at the race, I think I missed some chances. I made some mistakes and it stopped me from taking my first win.” “I still struggled with my start in both races, but in race two my pace was good and a lot more consistent then the first one and I was able to catch up with the top group.” “I was very excited to find myself riding up front. When I overtook Neukirchner and saw Haga in front of me, I thought, will it be possible to overtake him, When I did, I made a mistake and ran wide in the exit of the last corner. Haga tried to keep the inside and I went outside and had to close the gas.” “I want to thank my mechanics and my sponsors and hope that I can win the next race for them.” Carlos Checa, DNF; “Its hasn’t been quite the weekend we had wished for. After stuggling with the set-up in the practices, I was confident after qualifying well in Superpole. We found the right pace and everything was looking good for the race today.” “I had a big problem at the start today and couldn’t place myself in a good position coming into turn one.” “When you are at the end of the fast group many things can happen, as we have seen today. When Corser hit me in the back, I dropped some positions and pushed hard to recover, but he must have hit something as I lost the feeling with the rear of the bike and crashed.” “I’m looking forward to the next round in the US and hope we can make up for today’s loss.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Ayrton Badovini brings home gold points from the Superbike World Championship round 5 at Monza. After a bad day start due to Tiberio crash and double retirements of the Superbike riders in the first race, Badovini made a fantastic start in race-2, finishing the first lap in 13th position. Then he carried on his grit game, getting the 9th position, with a gap of only 19 seconds from the winner. Badovini’s result rewards the whole team for the hard work done so far. As well Iannuzzo was the author of a great performance thanks to a constant pace in race-1 where he entered the battle for the top-15 until the gear braking forced him to retire. Unfortunately the same hitch made him retire also in the second race after only three laps. In Superstock1000, Alessio Aldronavndi took the 11th place thanks to the setting settled yesterday. He ran a recovery race, finishing only 16 seconds from the winner. VITTORIO IANNUZZO | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Retired and Retired: “Although the double retirement I’m quite satisfied with my physical conditions. After this race I feel really confident about my potential. Unfortunately I pay for the hand pain because I cannot use the clutch as I wish and it influences the gearshift. I hoper that the break before the USA round will be helpful to carry on my recovery”. AYRTON BADOVINI | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Retired e 9th classified: “This is my first final position into the top-10 and I cannot being not satisfied with it. I would like to thank all the members of the team for their passion. I’m glad to have been able to capitalize their great job. In race-2 I made a good start and I took the 11th at the second lap already. I fought with two big as Biaggi and Tamada. It was really hard to defend from the attacks of the Japanese rider, but finally I got it”. ALESSIO ALDROVANDI | Kawasaki ZX-10R | 11th classified: “These are my first points of the year and I think they could mean the real beginning of my season. We have finally found the way to fine-tune the bike, and I’m sure that I will be able to show my true potential since the next race”. YOANN TIBERIO | Kawasaki ZX-10R | Retired: “It’s a pity. Today I could fight for the victory. The bike was perfect and I was really excited. On the contrary, I’ve been involved in the strike at the first corner and I was out of the battle before its start”. More, from a press release issued by PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki: Tough Raceday For Monza WSB Duo Monza, Italy, 11 May 2008 Makoto Tamada and Régis Laconi found their early ambitions at Monza not matched by their raceday fortunes, as neither rider managed to finish a race today. Tough Raceday For Monza WSB Duo Laconi has a technical problem in race one and then had to start race two from pitlane, after his original machine developed a fault. He was running strongly and looking set for a points score, until he fell on lap seven, at the Parabolica corner. Tamada had been fourth in first qualifying at Monza, but dropped off the pace near the end, finally crashing. In race two, Tamada was forced to enter the pits and had fuel issues at the fastest track on the calendar. In the overall championship contest, Tamada is now 16th, Laconi 18th. Regis Laconi: “We had a problem with the bike in race two on the warm-up lap. I had to change the bike. This morning I broke an engine and in race two we had a problem again with the second bike. I came back to about 14th during the second leg and I tried too hard to catch the riders in front and I made mistake at the Parabolica. We can’t understand why the bike is not fast here and why we have a lack of acceleration. Our engine is normally good in this regard.” Makoto Tamada: “I had a crash in race one and a fuel problem in race two. We seemed to have lost power from Saturday to Sunday but, really, parts of this weekend have been positive in many ways. We made some real steps in qualifying, and with the general set-up of the whole bike.” The next round follows in three weeks time, at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, USA. More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda Go Eleven: Sterilgarda Go Eleven is satisfied with Alex Polita’s podium, taken at the end of a thrilling race at Monza. The young Italian rider was able to avoid the crashes at the first corner, leaving behind his rivals and taking the second provisional position. The big recovery from the forth line made him running the last laps with damaged tyres, restraining him to defend from the attacks of Smrz who passed Polita by a hair’s breadth. Less good day in Superbike for Max Biaggi, 5th in race-1, and Ruben Xaus, 7th in race-2. In race-1, the Spanish and the Italian riders finished the first lap in sixth and seventh position respectively. In the first four laps the duo got a gap of two seconds and half from the leading pack. At the end of the battle, Biaggi was able to capitalize his worth, reducing the gap and recording the same time of the first riders, sometimes lapping quicker than them. On the other hand Xaus crushed little before the half of the race. Just after few laps of race-2, Xaus ran into an engine lack of power, nevertheless he carried on his game with fantastic grit, inflaming the supporters with hazardous braking and spinning, and keeping safe his seventh position until the chequered flag. On the contrary Biaggi was victim of an incident with Smrz just three laps to the end when the Italian champion was sixth, fighting against Michel Fabrizio, Karl Muggeridge and his team-mate Xaus. That caused to Biaggi the fracture of the left little finger. RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | Retired and 7th Classified: “I would have liked to got a better result and so I’m really angry. In race-1 I slid while I was reducing the gap from the leading riders and I’m sure I would have had the opportunity to fight for a place on the podium. In race 2 the power of my bike decreased, I did my best, but it was really hard for me to defend from the attacks of my rivals in the quickest part of the track “. MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 5th Classified and Retired: “I ran a good race-1 especially considering my starting position. I kept my gap from the winner just a bit beyond the three seconds, and I lapped constantly with a good pace. In race-2 I suffered the lack of grip on the rear and I lost many seconds out of the corners. Then Smrz struck my bike at three laps to the end, breaking my left little finger and causing an injury at my ring finger”. ALEX POLITA | Ducati 1098R | 3rd Classified: “Finally the podium! It’s fantastic to get back to lift a trophy in the FIM STK1000 world championship, especially after having come close to this goal several times. As well, many of my direct rivals got retired today and that makes me climb the rank to the second place”. More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsports: TOP TEN FOR LAVILLA AT MONZA DESPITE HANDICAP Vent Axia VK Honda rider Gregorio Lavilla overcame a couple of problems to post a pair of points scoring results in round five of the World Superbike Championship held at Monza in Italy yesterday. The Paul Bird Motorsport rider squeezed into Superpole in sixteenth position and was hoping for a pair of solid points scoring finishes at the historic Italian circuit. In the opening race, the 36 year old Spaniard had clawed his way up to eighth and was looking set for a good result when the machine started to run out of fuel on the final lap and he had to eventually coast in to an eleventh place finish at the end of the first 18 lap race. Lavilla, the 2005 British Superbike Champion, was hoping to make amends in the second race but whilst circulating on the warm up lap the machine developed a problem with a crank sensor which caused him to change to his spare machine and as a result start from pit lane at the back of the grid. Despite the handicap Greg fought his way through from 25th on lap one to finish in an amazing 10th at the flag and in doing so increased his World Superbike points tally and now lies in tenth place in the Championship. Lavilla is now the only rider to score in all ten races of the series so far also. Gregorio Lavilla: “I lost two positions in race one because the bike was running out of fuel. I was ninth and trying to pass Checa at the time. Our bike didn’t start on the grid before race two and I had to run to get my second bike and start from pit lane on a new tyre. The bike didn’t feel as good as my number one bike but I pushed hard and I knew that some riders would not finish. Even if I scored a single point, that was something but at the end of the day I got tenth, which was pretty good, I suppose. It is going to be a new experience to go to America but the boys now have time to work on the bike in the workshop.” Paul Bird (team owner): “It’s been unfortunate that a couple of minor problems have denied us even more points and the team is very disappointed for Greg. In the first race we knew it would be touch and go with the fuel and we didn’t quite make it and then in the second race a minor electrical problem saw Greg have to use the spare bike. I am delighted with the way that Greg is riding and for any rider to start at the back of a World Superbike grid and finish tenth is a fantastic achievement.” The team now heads to America for the sixth round of the championship at the new SBK venue of Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, on June 1. Superbike Race One Result: 1, M Neukirchner (Suzuki) 32m02.851s, 2, N Haga (Yamaha) +0.058s, 3, T Bayliss (Ducati) +0.672s, 4, Y Kagayama (Suzuki) +0.771s, 5, M Biaggi (Ducati) +3.869s, 6, R Kiyonari (Honda) +5.995s, 7, F Nieto (Suzuki) +8.788s, 8, C Checa (Honda) +9.374s, 9, M Fabrizio (Ducati) +10.667s, 10, J Smrz (Ducati) +10.771s, 11, G Lavilla (Vent Axia VK Honda) +12.180s. Superbike Race Two Result: 1, N Haga (Yamaha) 32m07.576s, 2, M Neukirchner (Suzuki) +0.009s, 3, R Kiyonari (Honda) +0.051s, 4, F Nieto (Suzuki) +4.489s, 5, M Fabrizio (Ducati) +10.272s, 6, K Muggeridge (Honda) +10.376s, 7, R Xaus (Ducati) +10.496s, 8, T Corser (Yamaha) +12.498s, 9, A Badovini (Kawsaki) +19.429s, 10, G Lavilla (Vent Axia VK Honda) +26.373s. 2008 World Superbike Championship Standings after Round 5 1, Troy Bayliss (AUS) 194pts 2, Carlos Checa (ESP) 116pts 3, Noriyuki Haga (JPN) 112pts 4, Max Neukirchner (GER) 111pts 5, Fonsi Nieto (ESP) 107pts 6, Troy Corser (AUS) 101pts 7, Ruben Xaus (ESP) 90pts 8, Max Biaggi (ITA) 65pts 9. Ryuichi Kiyonari (JPN) 65pts 10, Gregorio Lavilla (ESP) 59pts