FIM Superbike World Championship Kyalami, France May 17, 2009 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098 F09), 24 laps, 39:45.027 2. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F09), -0.322 second 3. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), -8.936 seconds 4. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), -10.561 5. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -10.767 6. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), -12.413 7. Shinya NAKANO (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -12.616 8. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -14.878 9. Tom SYKES (Yamaha YZF-R1), -16.225 10. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), -18.197 11. Sheridan MORAIS (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -20.629 12. Gregorio LAVILLA (Ducati 1098R), -24.320 13. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), -24.564 14. Broc PARKES (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -38.747 15. Fonsi NIETO (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -50.045 16. David SALOM (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -57.999 17. Tommy HILL (Honda CBR1000RR), -65.973 18. Steve MARTIN (BMW S1000 RR), -88.685 19. Shaun WHYTE (Yamaha YZF-R1), -1 lap 20. Luca SCASSA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -10 laps, DNF, crash 21. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 22. Ben SPIES (Yamaha YZF-R1), -22 laps, DNF, mechanical 23. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), -22 Laps, DNF, crash 24. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -23 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 28 races): 1. Haga, 250 points 2. Fabrizio, 165 3. Spies, 162 4. Haslam, 116 5. Rea, 106 6. TIE, Biaggi/Sykes, 103 8. Laconi, 77 9. Max Neukirchner, 75 10. Carlos Checa, 73 11. Kiyonari, 72 12. Kagayama, 68 13. Smrz, 64 14. Nakano, 52 15. Byrne, 48 16. Xaus, 40 17. Corser, 35 18. Parkes, 20 19. TIE, Lavilla/John Hopkins, 9 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea scored his debut World Superbike podium in race two of the sixth round at Kyalami in South Africa today. It was also the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team’s first visit to the rostrum this season. Both of today’s 24-lap races at the 4.24km circuit near Johannesburg were won by Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga, with Rea also taking an impressive fourth place in race one, absorbing pressure all the way from Aprilia rider, Max Biaggi. In race two, Rea got another good start from fifth place on the grid and ran in second place behind Haga before the Japanese rider’s team-mate, Michel Fabrizio slid past. In the latter stages of the race, Rea held off the attentions of fellow Honda CBR1000RR-mounted Leon Haslam before crossing the line for his first podium in his rookie WSBK season. Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Carlos Checa, put in two solid performances today for a pair of sixth place finishes. Starting from seventh on the grid, the Spaniard battled rear grip problems and chatter to record his best overall results of the season thus far. Jonathan Rea 4th and 3rd This feels really good and I was hoping it might have come sooner but we had a pretty slow start to the season. In fact, you could say the season started three rounds before we did. But the development is going really well now and I’d like to thank the whole team for working so hard to move things in the right direction. I’d also like to apologise to all their wives for the late nights they’ve been putting in at the workshop. The crew were giving me great signals through the second race and I knew I was coming under a bit of pressure. I actually knocked the pace off a bit to keep Haslam and Biaggi behind me so that I had a bit in reserve in the last few laps. It’s a great feeling and the first of many, I hope. Carlos Checa 6th and 6th It’s not easy seeing your team-mates getting this success Kiyo in Monza last week and Jonathan today. But I must say that this is probably the most positive weekend we have had this season. We’re now a bit closer to something we can work with to move in the right direction, which is back to the front. It’s good timing for Miller in the US where we go next and I have some good memories of winning there last year. Today’s results are, of course, really positive for the team and congratulations to Johnny who rode very well today. Ronald ten Kate team manager It’s nothing new to say that we’ve had a rough and tough start to the season. The route we have taken since Valencia has taken a few rounds to dial in but it’s clear to see that we’re on the up again. Today’s podium for Johnny is a big bonus and reward for the whole team effort. On a twisty and bumpy track like Kyalami, it shows the great work of everyone involved. Big compliments to Johnny, who rode very intelligently today. Carlos is definitely moving forward again, too, and hopefully the steps we’ve made will give him a good confidence boost as we head to Miller where we have good memories from last year. More, from a press release issued by Stiggy Racing Honda: Haslam fourth in Kyalami race After an unfortunate crash in the first race, Stiggy Racing Honda’s Leon Haslam mounted another fresh charge at a top position in the second race, and took a well earned fourth place at the South African track of Kyalami today. Haslam had firmly placed himself in the top 5 of the timing sheets throughout the qualifying session at the 4.246m Kyalami track. Despite his misfortune in the first race, Haslam made a competitive performance in the second Superbike race while out on his second bike. Haslam came through the first lap in seventh place from his tenth position on the grid, and quickly made a pass on Carlos Checa, before moving up another place as Spies took and early retirement from the race due to a technical problem. Biaggi tried to close the door in front of Haslam, but struggled to keep him off his tail, and found the fast Englishman flying passed him in the second half of the race. Unfortunately, further progress to the front of the field, and a place on the rostrum was halted by fellow Honda rider Johnny Rea, and a worn of rear-tyre. Haslam took no further risks and passed the checkered flag in fourth place, taking 13 valuable championship points home. Ducati team mates Haga and Fabrizio produced a carbon copy of their first Kyalami finish, pulling away from the rest of the field to take first and second place respectively, twice over today. Haslam leaves the sixth round of the Superbike World Championship with 116 points to his name, and currently sits best Honda at fourth place in the Standings. Leon Haslam, Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 4th: ” It was a bit of a gamble to go out on my second bike today after crashing my number one bike in the first race. My first race was really strange, I don’t know whether is was a dodgy front tyre, but from the first lap in the first race I kept losing the front, resulting in a crash. The second bike has a totally different gearbox and suspension set-up to the other bike, but it worked straight away. I was a lot happier now that I could battle with the front group, but for whatever reason there was nothing left in my rear tyre, it felt like a piece of jelly towards the end of the race, and I couldn’t fight with Johnny [Rea] for third. I’m glad I managed to hold on till the end on that tyre, and bring the bike back home safely in fourth place “. Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager: ” Leon’s performance was unbelievable today. He suffered a big crash in the first race, and completely destroyed his bike, but managed to come back in the second race while out on hi second bike. He had not been riding that bike all weekend, and then to set a results like this is just amazing. It goes to show what a class rider and fighter he is. We are all very happy with him setting such a good result here for the team today. It feels good to leave Kyalami with a fourth place in our pocket, and prepare for the next overseas race in America “. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: DREAM DAY FOR DUCATI XEROX. A DOUBLE ONE-TWO FOR HAGA AND FABRIZIO AT KYALAMI TODAY Kyalami (South Africa) Sunday 17th May 2008: A dream finish to the Kyalami weekend for the Ducati Xerox Team, with Haga scoring a double win in today’s races followed across the line by team-mate Fabrizio. The two Ducati Xerox riders on their 1198 machines got away to a cracking start in the first race and held first and second place for almost the entire race distance. For the first eleven laps it was Michel in the lead just ahead of Noriyuki and Ben Spies, until the Italian made a very small error and gave his team-mate Noriyuki the opportunity to pass. Lap by lap, Noriyuki then gradually built up a gap, leaving Michel and Spies to battle it out for second. Michel, the most consistently fast rider in the practice and qualifying sessions, finished a worthy second and also recorded the fastest lap of the race in the process with a 1m38.548. In Race 2 Noriyuki again took off from the start line and led the 24-lap race from the offset. Michel meanwhile had to contend with Rea and then Spies in the opening laps before Spies suffered a technical failure, allowing the Italian to move into second position. The two Ducati Xerox riders then continued to increase their lead over the chasing pack, consisting of Rea, Haslam and Biaggi, who battled it out between themselves but were unable to make up what was by the end of the race an 8 second gap. Noriyuki took the win as well as the fastest lap of this second race (1m38.577) just a fraction of a second off Fabrizio’s fastest lap in Race 1. Noriyuki’s arm injury, sustained last week in Monza’s second race, did not prove to be a problem at Kyalami today. Today’s points boost moves Fabrizio up into second place in the classification, 85 points behind championship leader Haga (now holding 250 points) and 3 ahead of third-placed rider Spies. Ducati now holds 275 points in the constructors classification, leading the championship by 72 points over Yamaha. Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 winner, Race 2 – winner) “In the first race, having had some suspension problems during Friday and Saturday, I have to say I didn’t expect to be able to keep pace with Michel and Ben. But I made a good start and tried to stick with Michel and then when he appeared to have a small problem, I made my move. My arm was not a problem at all during the racing. I must say I was very glad to see there are less birds here at Kyalami than at Monza! In Race 2 we made a small change to the setting of my bike and I felt more comfortable on it but I knew that Michel was close behind me and in the last laps my braking was suffering, so I had to hold on and am very happy to take another 50 points away with me today and again increase my advantage in the standings.” Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 2nd, Race 2 2nd) “Race 1 turned into a great battle between myself and Ben, it’s just a pity that the battle was for second and not first place. Once Nori got past us, he started to build a small gap and was going faster than me in the first split, which meant I couldn’t catch him again. Then maybe I made a mistake telling Nori that I was going strong in the third split because in Race 2 that’s where he really pushed hard and although I was giving it my all right until the end, it was Nori who took the win in the end but we had fun battling it out together. I’ve moved into second place with today’s results though so this leaves me extremely satisfied and I look forward to the next race in Salt Lake.” More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: After his double podium last weekend at Monza in Italy, Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari was frustrated to finish in 12th and 13th place in today’s two sixth round World Superbike championship races at Kyalami in South Africa. The two races were won by series leader Noriyuki Haga, but, starting from 12th place on the grid, Kiyonari never settled into a comfortable rhythm on his Honda Genuine Accessories-backed CBR1000RR Fireblade. The Japanese ace struggled to find a comfortable setting during the championship’s first visit to Kyalami in seven years, despite testing at the 4.24km circuit near Johannesburg with the rest of the Ten Kate team last December. Ryuichi Kiyonari 12th & 13th It’s been a difficult day and a difficult weekend. We changed the tyre for race two but really we knew that this was not the problem. Kyalami is a very difficult circuit for me very bumpy and it needs a completely different riding style to Monza last week. I guess I didn’t quite find the right style. We had a lot of problems so it’s difficult for me to know which one we should really concentrate on. I can only hope Miller will be better for me it was not so good last year, but we will try hard again and hope for better things. Ronald ten Kate team manager On the Hannspree side of the garage, we have had a good result with Jonathan Rea on the podium today and, of course, Kiyo-san was there himself last week in Monza. It’s strange that on some tracks he is flying and on others he seems to struggle. We’ll regroup before travelling to the USA and everyone will work as hard as they can to give him a bike that he is comfortable with there. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: DISAPPOINTMENT FOR TEAM BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT IN KYALAMI. The sixth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship in Kyalami will not be remembered with much affection by Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The weekend had started with promise, but ended without either or Ruben or Steve scoring any points in the two twenty-four lap races. Ruben was pushed off the track twice and completed just three laps in total. Steve managed to finish both races, ending 22nd in race one and 18th in race two. Both today’s races, which took place in superb conditions, were won by Noriyuki Haga (Ducati). In race one, he was a comfortable winner, nearly a second ahead of team mate Michel Fabrizio, with Ben Spies (Yamaha) third. After taking the lead on lap three of race two, he was never headed on the way to his double. Fabrizio pushed him hard at the end, but ended just three tenths of a second behind at the flag. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took third place after holding off Leon Haslam (Honda) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) in the closing stages. Ruben – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: DNF There’s not much to say when you have only done three laps in two races and I am disappointed for myself and the whole team because we had the potential to get good results today. I am a bit angry because I know I did a good job this weekend and it’s not good getting nothing back. In race one I think I was nudged off by Smrz and I have got a funny feeling that he was also involved in the race two crash as well. In that race, I was just going into the last turn and suddenly my bike shot out from under me. I am not sure exactly what happened, but it was crash number two and a big shame because the bike is improving and I’m sure I could’ve got a couple of top ten finishes. Steve – Race 1: 22, Race 2: 18th It has been a great honour to be on the S 1000 RR this weekend. I never expected to race at the top level in WSBK again but I am very grateful to get the chance. My job this weekend was not to be Troy (Corser), but to try things the team do not normally get the chance to try during a race weekend and give us much info and feedback as possible. The team gave me 100% this weekend and helped me really enjoy the whole experience. Of course, I am not happy with the results, but I’m happy to be on the track in a WSBK race and happy to help the team. Rainer Baeumel (Team Manager-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) The dramas started yesterday in Superpole when we had the potential to be on the second or third row of the grid. When you start from the fourth or fifth row, there are always going to problems getting through the pack and it’s easy to get pushed or shoved. One of our objectives must be to qualify better and try and avoid these kind of problems. I think we are all a bit disappointed because Ruben had the potential to finish seventh,eight or ninth. Steve gave us a lot of information and feedback and it was definitely the right decision asking to him the race here this weekend. On a positive note, we’ve found some good ideas and directions to use in the next race. More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: SPIES EARNS A THIRD THEN SUFFERS DNF AT KYALAMI Broken Shifter Puts American on the Sidelines MIDRAND, South Africa (May 17, 2009) The South African round of the World Superbike Championship will be one that Yamaha’s Ben Spies will want to quickly put out of his mind. After turning in a solid third-place result in race one and leading the second leg, his weekend at Kyalami came to an abrupt end when the shifter on his machine broke forcing him into the pits. Scoring no points in the second leg also dealt a serious blow to the championship aspirations of Spies and Yamaha. After qualifying for a record-tying sixth straight pole, Spies battled valiantly with Ducati rivals Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio in the first race. While the Yamaha squad never quite found optimal settings for the new R1 at Kyalami, Spies overcame his disadvantage with unrelenting precision riding. He fell behind the Ducati duo early, but methodically closed the gap and on lap 17 actually pushed past Fabrizio into second and began closing in on Haga. Coming out of turn 5, or Yellow Pages as it’s called by local fans, on lap 20, Spies throttled up and the rear tire on his Yamaha stepped out. The bike’s hard snap threw Spies out of the saddle and sent the machine into a high-speed wobble. Spies sat up and was able to bring the bike back under control, but by then he’d lost second and was gapped by Fabrizio. “I was just struggling,” Spies said of race one. “I was trying to hang on for all I was worth. Then I had that moment and that was it. I knew I was pushing past the limits and there was nothing else I could do, so I made the only decision I could and that was to back it off and finish third.” Spies was determined to make a strong comeback in the second race. After following Haga on the first lap Spies moved into the lead. “We made some major changes to the set up for race two and I had a completely different motorcycle,” Spies explained. “I figured if it worked I might have a better shot at running with the Ducatis and if it didn’t I was still confident I could put it on the podium. I think we actually found something with the changes. No sooner had I gotten into the lead when I went into a turn and started hitting my normal downshifts and the shift lever broke. By the time they would have fixed it and got me back out on the track there would be really no chance to ride back up into the points, so I got off the bike and watched the rest of the race from pit lane.” It was an unfortunate and frustrating end to Spies’ day. Now the climb back to championship contention becomes Everest like. The 24-year-old World Superbike rookie sensation slipped to third in the standings (three points behind Fabrizio) and is now 88 points behind (250-162) series leader Haga as a result of the DNF. “I’ve made a couple of mistakes, but basically we’ve given away a couple races worth of points and you can’t do that and stay in the championship chase,” Spies said. “I’m going to wake up tomorrow and train just as I would if I were leading the title. We’re just going to keep going for wins like we have all season.” Spies is looking forward to his return to America to race in the U.S. round of World Superbike at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City on May 31. It will mark Spies’ only racing appearance in the U.S. this season. “It going to be good to be on a track I’m familiar with,” Spies said of Miller Motorsports Park. “It’ll be nice to go back and spend a little time at home and catch up with friends and family. I’m confident we can have a good result at Miller. I want to do what I can to win as many races as possible and see if by some miracle we can make a comeback in the series.” More, from a press release issued by InFront Motorsports: KYALAMI 6th ROUND 15TH, 16TH AND 17TH MAY 2009 Kyalami, Sunday 17th May 2009 Double triumph for Ducati Xerox at Kyalami Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio made it a triumphant day for Ducati Xerox in the sixth round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Kyalami. On the championship’s return to South Africa for the first time in seven years, 53,000 spectators witnessed two 1-2 wins for the Japanese rider and his Italian team-mate. It was a day of misfortune once again for Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike), who had to retire in race 2 after claiming a podium in the first encounter. The races also saw Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) take his first WSBK podium, while Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano gave Aprilia an overall good result with two fifths and two sevenths respectively. Race 1 Haga clinched his fifth win this year with a commanding performance in race 1. After two days in the shadows, the points leader came good in the race and from the mid-point onwards ran towards the chequered flag with ease. Fabrizio and Spies had to settle for the other two podium slots, in that order, after a mid-race battle that was decided when the American made a slight mistake, his foot slipping off the pegs. Rea and Biaggi had quite a scrap for fourth place, with the British rider getting the nod over the Italian. Biaggi once again showed he had the speed and the pace to fight for the podium, but he lost contact with the leading trio when he got stuck behind Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) for a couple of laps, the Spaniard eventually finishing sixth overall. Nakano took the second Aprilia to seventh ahead of Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare), while BMW had a difficult race, with Ruben Xaus crashing out and Steve Martin the final finisher. Noriyuki Haga: “On Friday and Saturday we had quite a big problem but we tried to fix the suspension and couldn’t find a solution. This morning we found a little better feeling but it was not perfect. My feeling was that it would be difficult to win, but in the end I am very satisfied with the victory. During the race my arm was not giving any problems, only my leg! On the last lap I saw a small bird, it looked like a pigeon and I was a bit worried because I didn’t want to see any birds here!” Michel Fabrizio: “It is a pity that the fight with Ben was for second place and not for first. Ben and I for sure lost out to Nori, because when you pass each other a few times you lose a lot of time. When Nori passed me, I lost a bit of confidence in the front so I had to settle for second place. For race 2 we’ll have to make a change to the front.” Ben Spies: “We were kind of struggling to hang in there. It was a good race for all three of us and we were all three together. I passed Michel and had bit of a go to get past Nori but made a mistake and had to settle for third. We were really strong in a couple of points of the track, but giving away too much time in a couple of corners, and I couldn’t get up there with them.” Results: 1. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 39’47.436 (153,66 kph); 2. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 0.950 ; 3. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 3.391; 4. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 8.914; 5. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 9.019; 6. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 14.812; 7. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 14.971; 8. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 15.723; 9. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 21.529; 10. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 21.795; 11. Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 29.872; 12. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 34.216; 13. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 34.275; 14. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 38.280; 15. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 40.885; 16. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 44.841 Race 2 Haga led home Fabrizio to the flag in race 2, giving the Ducati Xerox team a perfect weekend. This time round the Japanese rider led for 23 of the 24 laps and he has now pulled out a large lead in the points table. Fabrizio was again the man on his tail, the Italian livening up proceedings on the final lap with a couple of passes on his team-mate, but twice Haga came back to clinch his sixth win of the season. Lap 3 saw the demise of Spies, whose R1 machine entered the pits with a gear shift problem. The Texan has now been overtaken in the championship by Fabrizio and is 88 points behind Haga. Rea scored his first WSBK podium, the youngster from Northern Ireland ending a positive weekend in third. Rea calmly held off the pressure from fellow-Brit Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), who had crashed out of race 1 but who in turn managed to keep Biaggi at bay. The Italian RSV4 machine again showed no lack of top speed, Biaggi clocking 255 km/h in the race. Nakano picked up another seventh on the second Aprilia, behind Checa and ahead of Kagayama. A ninth place for Yamaha was earned by Tom Sykes, while South African Sheridan Morais took the leading Kawasaki to eleventh place in front of his home crowd. BMW had a another race to forget, with no points recorded by either Ruben Xaus and Steve Martin. Noriyuki Haga: “We get some good points this weekend and I really enjoyed battling with Michel in the second race. We changed a little bit the setting from the first race and that feeling was a bit better, but at some point it got worse. On the last lap I saw Michel do harder braking than me, and of course I took the wrong line but I was able to open the gas and get to the line first.” Michel Fabrizio: “It was a very good weekend. Yesterday I was second by one thousandth, today by one curve! The race was really good, I tried right until the very end. Maybe I did the wrong thing by telling Nori where I was strong in race 1 because he pushed harder than me in that sector. On the last lap, if he hadn’t been my team-mate I would have given him a push with the shoulder! But I’m happy, I’m second in the championship and that’s a good thing.” Jonathan Rea: “It’s gone really well. I have to thank all of my crew for making a big effort after the slow start to the season. They upped the development and now everything’s fallen into place. I felt very good today and when the bunch behind caught me I thought I had to get third straight away and have some reserve at the end.” Results: 1. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 39’45.027 (153,816 kph); 2. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 0.322; 3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 8.936; 4. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 10.561; 5. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 10.767; 6. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 12.413; 7. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 12.616; 8. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 14.878; 9. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 16.225; 10. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 18.197; 11. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 20.629; 12. Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 24.320; 13. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 24.564; 14. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 38.747; 15. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 50.045; 16. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 57.999 Points (after 6 of 14 rounds): Riders – 1. Haga 250; 2. Fabrizio 165; 3. Spies 162; 4. Haslam 116; 5. Rea 106; 6. Biaggi 103; 7. Sykes 103; 8. Laconi 77; 9. Neukirchner 75; 10. Checa 73. Manufacturers – 1. Ducati 275; 2. Yamaha 203; 3. Honda 170; 4. Aprilia 106; 5. Suzuki 105; 6. Bmw 59; 7. Kawasaki 27. World Supersport Eugene Laverty stormed to a third win of the year at Kyalami after a dominating performance on his Parkalgar Honda machine. The Irishman pulled out a commanding four second lead in the early laps and from that moment on could administer his advantage until the flag. With this win, Laverty managed to gain five points in the championship battle on Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport), whose lead has been cut to 13 points. Crutchlow was held up by a six-rider battle in the early laps and was unable to latch onto Laverty, then when he finally broke through he had to settle for second as the two were lapping at the same pace in the final laps. The battle for the final podium place produced a real surprise, as Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com), scrapping for third, obstructed each other at the final corner and were edged out by Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea), who got on to the Supersport podium for the first time. The race saw a number of missed opportunities as first Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) crashed out when he had third place in the bag, and then Gianluca Nannelli (ParkinGo Triumph) went down while fighting for fifth. The Triumph team had to settle for seventh with Garry McCoy, who finished behind sixth-placed Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), in difficulty in the final laps. Results: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 39’06.061 (149,855 kph); 2. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 2.546; 3. Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 17.358; 4. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 17.454; 5. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 18.221; 6. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 20.561; 7. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 33.141; 8. West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 37.326 Points (after 6 of 14 rounds): Riders – 1. Crutchlow 119; 2. Laverty 106; 3. Sofuoglu 83; 4. Pitt 64; 5. Lascorz 60; 6. West 60; 7. Aitchison 50; 8. Foret 44; 9. Pirro 40; 10. Lagrive 31. Manufacturers – 1. Honda 133; 2. Yamaha 119; 3. Kawasaki 71; 4. Triumph 36; 5. Suzuki 28 More, from a press release issued by Honda: REA ON THE PODIUM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2009 The most positive weekend of the year so far for Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) saw him take fourth place in the first race at Kyalami, then follow that up with his first podium of the 2009 season, in third place in race two. The 24-lap races at the bumpy and physical 4.246km circuit were a challenge for all riders, but Rea was in the vanguard throughout, qualifying fifth in Superpole and up as high as second in race two. He had to fight off pressure from behind, in the shape of Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR), to take his third place, riding tactically on occasion, but in doing so he went fifth in the championship table, only one place behind Leon Haslam. Leon had a crash on lap 15 of race one, simply by pushing too hard on an imperfect front set-up in an effort to recover from a starting position of tenth on the grid. In the second 24-lap contest his pace was sufficient to hold off Max Biaggi, if not quite enough to pass Rea. In taking fourth and 13 points, he is still the top ranked Honda rider in the standings, fourth, with 116 points to Rea’s 106. Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) made significant set-up changes to his machine during this race weekend and found rewards, earning seventh in Superpole and then sixth in each race. He displaced his Ten Kate team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda Racing CBR1000RR) by moving to tenth place in the championship standings, 73 points to 72. ‘Kiyo’ had a tough time at Kyalami, in qualifying as in the race, starting from12th and riding to 12th in the opener and 13th in race two, never really able to match his riding style to the peculiarities of Kyalami. Tommy Hill (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) was disappointed not to be able to make the required set-up changes he needed to be a points scoring force in either race. He was the last rider who qualified into the top 20 for Superpole, then 19th in race one and 17th in race two. Noriyuki Haga left Kyalami as the double race winner, and now he has 250 championship points to Michel Fabrizo’s 165, after the Italian rider placed second in each Kyalami race. Ben Spies was third in race one and was forced to retire in race two, and is now third overall, on 162. The next round is at Miller Motorsports Park, in Utah, USA, on May 31. WSS. Laverty’s Triple Treat Reduces Crutchlow’s Championship Lead Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) today took his third World Supersport win from the six races held to date this season, leading for all but the first of 23 laps of the 4.246km Kyalami circuit in South Africa. The race was held in dry conditions, allowing Laverty to capitalise on his third place grid slot, and the work put in by rider and team to find a strong race set-up to cope with the bumpy track conditions. He set a new lap record on the recently altered circuit near Johannesburg, a 1m 41.053s, taken on lap three as he made an escape from the frequently warring factions behind him. Laverty is still second in the championship, but made up some ground on championship leader Cal Crutchlow, who was second in the Kyalami race. Crutchlow has 119 points, Laverty 106, with eight rounds remaining. Mark Aitchison (Althea Honda CBR600RR) went from eighth in qualifying to third in the race, capitalising on a coming together on the final lap between Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Joan Lascorz to record his first podium. Sofuoglu recovered for fifth place, not the podium he was in line for, while his team-mate Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) slipped back down the order from an early second place to finish a disappointed sixth. Both Ten Kate riders had been on the front row, Sofuoglu second and Pitt fourth. A tough time in qualifying left Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) in 16th place but a battling ride took him to eighth in the race. The top ten order in today’s race was completed by 13th place qualifier Matthieu Lagrive (Althea Honda CBR600RR). Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) just missed a single point by finishing 16th; Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) was 17th in a day when all the supported Honda riders finished the race at this bumpy, intense, circuit. Behind the series top two, Sofuoglu has 83 points, Pitt 64 and West, now in sixth place overall, has 60. WSB Rider Quotes Jonathan Rea said: “This feels really good and I was hoping it might have come sooner but we had a pretty slow start to the season. In fact, you could say the season started three rounds before we did. But the development is going really well now and I’d like to thank the whole team for working so hard to move things in the right direction. I’d also like to apologise to all their wives for the late nights they’ve been putting in at the workshop. The crew were giving me great signals through the second race and I knew I was coming under a bit of pressure. I actually knocked the pace off a bit to keep Haslam and Biaggi behind me so that I had a bit in reserve in the last few laps. It’s a great feeling and the first of many, I hope.” Leon Haslam said: “It was a bit of a gamble to go out on my second bike today after crashing my number one bike in the first race. My first race was really strange, I don’t know whether is was the front tyre, but from the first lap in the first race I kept losing the front, resulting in a crash. The second bike has a totally different gearbox and suspension set-up to the other bike, but it worked straight away. I was a lot happier now that I could battle with the front group, but for whatever reason there was nothing left in my rear tyre, and I couldn’t fight with Johnny Rea for third.” Carlos Checa said: “In race two I could not use all the grip I had at the beginning because I had a bit of jumping from the rear wheel, but a few laps later I could move forward. As the grip decreased I was able to go faster, made up a lot of time on the other guys in front, and then of course Johnny pushed a lot to keep his position. Considering our year so far, I think this is our best weekend, the most positive one. But, we are not doing the best, because Johnny is in front of us. For us he is our closest reference. But this race was a good one to get our confidence back and now we will try to catch-up.” Ryuichi Kiyonari said: “It’s been a difficult day and a difficult weekend. We changed the tyre for race two but really we knew that this was not the problem. Kyalami is a very difficult circuit for me, very bumpy and it needs a completely different riding style to Monza last week. I guess I didn’t quite find the right style. We had a lot of problems so it’s difficult for me to know which one we should really concentrate on. I can only hope Miller will be better for me. It was not so good last year, but we will try hard again and hope for better things.” Tommy Hill said: “We start out OK at the beginning of weekends, even on the tracks that are all new for me, and we are around 14, 15th. But then we don’t make any progress. In race two my grip went after about ten laps and it was very difficult from then on. I am doing all I can to move forward but we don’t seem to resolve the problems.” WSS Rider Quotes Eugene Laverty said: “Thank you to my Parkalgar Honda team for giving me a bike that was simply perfect. After warm-up this morning I knew we had the capability to win and that’s down to the team effort. During the race I was aware of the gap between Cal and myself and it wasn’t as easy to maintain as it may have looked. With someone like Cal behind pushing as hard as he does, on the limit to win, you can never relax. The gap went back and forward and it was a hard race it was difficult to control because Cal had the same pace as me, if he hadn’t been held up at the start then it would have been a fight. It’s nice to keep the 50 per cent win record.” Mark Aitchison said: “It was my luck that I was able to pass Sofuoglu and Lascorz in the last lap but we actually put a couple of good laps down in the last few laps, and I was already hoping that I could bridge the gap to them. I hoped they might get in the way of each other and it worked out that way. Obviously you don’t want to get on the podium like that, but at the moment – I’ll take it.” Kenan Sofuoglu said: “Lascorz made an attack on me and before the last corner he made a mistake, he lost the corner and I looked to pass him. But he leaned towards me and I had to avoid him, taking a completely different line and I missed the podium. But for me the bigger problem was that there was quite a big gap between us and the top two riders, which is not normal. It’s just not normal to be slow like this, because nothing changed from yesterday when everything was OK.” Andrew Pitt said: “We seem to be finishing our tyres too quickly for some reason. We were pushing the front even from the early laps and I couldn’t go with Eugene’s pace. He was doing qualifying pace all race and we needed it to be a bit slower than qualifying pace, but it wasn’t. We just can’t fight the way it is at the moment and Eugene was in a class of his own today. We’ve got to somehow get to that level.” Anthony West said: “The team seems happy with my results today, but I’m rather disappointed myself. I expected to do a lot better here, and hoped to put the tough times of the last races behind me, but it didn’t really work out. Hopefully, for America we can change everything around, and start from the front again. It is a bit ridiculous finding myself in the position I am in at the moment, I can do a lot better. It’s rather embarrassing. I am happy with the work the team have put in, we are still trying and will try and find the improvement for the next race.” Matthieu Lagrive said: “I got boxed in at the start and it was impossible to break out of the group of slower riders for some time. When I got away I was immediately four tenths faster than them, and West came with me. I was surprised that he passed me but when he did he held me up a bit as well. I was slower than him in one section of the track, the last one, and I can’t understand why when I was faster everywhere else.” Miguel Praia said: “We tried many things in warm-up this morning to find an extra half-second of pace to get into the top 10, but nothing worked. We went back to yesterday’s settings and we should have been able to compete for 12th or so but mid-race, when normally we get stronger, this time we lost pace for some reason. It has been a tough weekend and now I want to forget it and move on.” Gianluca Vizziello said: “I was struggling with my tyres today. I couldn’t really control the bike sliding on the track, and had to close the gas too soon. I was rather angry with myself after the qualifying sessions, and am not very happy with the results of the race. We just couldn’t work out what was wrong and where we had to find the improvement. I hope that I can make a step forward in the next round in America.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Mixed fortunes for Yamaha riders Spies and Sykes in Kyalami The first race saw Yamaha rider Ben Spies drop back to fourth from the pole position start as they left the line. He recovered quickly and took second position back as they turned into the first corner, diving up the inside of Biaggi to tuck up behind championship rival Noriyuki Haga. Halfway round the first lap he was passed by Michele Fabrizio and settled into third position behind the two Ducatis as they battled for the lead for the majority of the race. With seven laps to go, Spies dived passed Fabrizio on the last corner coming on to the start finish straight to take second. As the lap unfolded Fabrizio passed briefly but was taken straight again by Spies as the powerful Yamaha out dragged the Ducati from the corner. An unfortunate tank slapper coming out of Clubhouse allowed Fabrizio passed again, and as the tyres had now gone off it was impossible for Spies to catch up so he settled for third and a well deserved podium. Race two saw disaster strike for Spies, having dropped to third off the start, he again passed Biaggi on the inside for the second place spot and coming round for lap three took Haga in a fantastic move for the lead. No sooner had he done this than his shit linkage broke, making it impossible to change gear and forcing him to retire from the race. Team-mate Tom Sykes had a less than perfect start to race one, dropping from his eighth position start on the grid to 16th as they headed into the first corner. With ten laps to go he’d moved up to 11th position with a steady race pace and then swiftly took Lavilla for the tenth spot. Although maintaining a good race pace he couldn’t get up to ninth so settled for 10th. Race two saw a better start, dropping initially to 10th, he worked hard to take two places and move up to the eighth spot which he held until briefly before the finish when Suzuki rider Kagayama took back the spot, relegating him to ninth. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (3rd,DNF) “We were struggling to hang in there in race one, it was a good race for all three of us up at the front. When I passed Michel I tried to reel in Nori and then unfortunately made a mistake. I was really strong in parts of the track but giving up too much time in some corners and couldn’t get in there. The second race was very unfortunate, I was feeling good and had secured an early lead, then obviously had the technical problem and had to retire, I’m really disappointed about it. I’m looking forward to going home to the USA for the next round and seeing if we can make it up.” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (10th, 9th ) “I got away badly in the first race and initially dropped down to sixteenth which was a shame as I felt I could have been more consistent. The second race I got away ok from the start and was closing in on Checa and a couple of the boys, but the last five laps or so I was really struggling. If we could have found a bit more grip it would have been better. We struggled on the power this weekend as well which was tough on this circuit. I’m looking forward to getting to Miller as I think the track will suit the R1 really well, and I want to close the gap and get up into fourth place as I think it’s possible.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “Both riders did really well in the first race as we have been having issues here with the tyres, making it hard to be consistent throughout the race. For Ben in race two we had a problem with the shift linkage so he was unable to change gear and had to retire. We knew from practice that it was going to be tough racing here but both Ben and Tom did their best. The Ducati engine was stronger here on the day. ” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Yukio Kagayama battled his way to two eighth places in the sixth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship today in Kyalami, South Africa. Despite problems with the bumpy track, Kagayama kept attacking and managed to bring his GSX-R1000 K9 home not so far from the leaders in both 24-lappers. His team mate Fonsi Nieto, standing in for the injured Max Neukirchner, has never raced at Kyalami before, but managed to finish 16th in race one and 15th in race two. Today’s races took place in superb conditions and were both won by Noriyuki Haga (Ducati). In race one, he was a comfortable winner, nearly a second ahead of team mate Michel Fabrizio with Ben Spies (Yamaha) third. After taking the lead on lap three of race two, he was never headed on the way to his double. Fabrizio pushed him hard, but ended just three-tenths-of-a-second behind at the flag. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took third place after holding off Leon Haslam (Honda) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) in the closing stages. Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 8th: “This weekend, I had trouble with the bumps at this race track and we were not able to find a good solution to make the bike easier to ride over these bumps. We tried many things, but it is not so easy to understand the character of this bike and I would like more testing time. This bike is all new this year and so we have had to start to work with it and try and understand it. If we could understand the bike completely, we could improve it quickly and that would mean that I could challenge for the podium in every race. I am hoping that the next round at Miller will be good for us and I am looking forward to fighting for the top spots again.” Fonsi Nieto – Race 1: 16th, Race 2: 15th: “I am happy to be here, but I am not happy about the results. The team has been great and it’s as if I have never been away. The bike is new to me and so is the track, but I don’t like this track because of all the bumps. This bike is not working so well with the tyres we have and if we could improve in that area, we would be able to fight for better results for sure. Now I have some time to think about the bike and talk to the team about some ideas for the next race in USA. At least I have raced at that track before, so I will not be starting with such a big disadvantage as this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda: Team Sterilgarda takes ninth place in South Africa after a great recovery by Shane Byrne in race 1. The British rider started fourteenth on the grid but at the second corner got in the eleventh position and kept it until lap 12. However, by the half of the race the back of the bike started chattering due to the tyre spinning on the wheel. He kept his cool as he managed to gain two more positions and finished the race ninth after overtaking the other English rider, Sykes but was first among the non-official riders. In race 2 the Englishman was forced to return to the pits as the accelerator wire unbelievably broke and prevented him from scoring another good result. In spite of that, the team is confident and hopes to improve in the next round when the WSBK will move to the USA, on the Miller Park track in fifteen days time. SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R | 9th, retired: “I’m satisified with race 1 although my performance was influenced by a problem I had with the back tyre that was chattering. It was completely destroyed at the end of the race!!! I did however score a good result that I could’ ve replicated in race 2. Unfortunately, another problem forced me to get back to the pits”. MARCO BORCIANI – team manager: “In this early stage of the season, it seems like we’re not lucky at all. I’ve never heard of an accelerator wire to break in the middle of the race but it did happen today and so we couldn’t finish race 2. However, Shane has proven once again he is a great rider despite the fact that he returned to the pits with a completely destroyed tyre. We did well today but we just hope to get rid of the bad luck we keep having lately”.