Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge rode to top ten finishes in the opening race of the World Superbike championship at Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The race was won by Troy Corser after a two-part race, the first part having been red-flagged on lap 12 as a further rain shower reduced grip on the 5.38km circuit, forcing a restart over nine laps.As the surface rapidly dried, Vermeulen switched to his spare CBR1000RR for the restart while his Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Muggeridge, battled the after-effects of a flu virus to improve on his eighteenth qualifying position. The Australian pairing finished the second part of the 18-lap race in seventh and eighth place respectively.

Ronald ten Kate team manager:
After the difficulties and frustrations of the last few weeks and the lack of track time we have had, I guess that two top ten finishes are reasonably satisfying. We’ll have to look at the data to see if we can make any improvements for race two but we definintely need to be finishing higher in order to make an ongoing challenge for the championship.

Chris Vermeulen eighth place
I didn’t get the start I needed from the second row and had to swap to the spare bike for the second half of the race because I couldn’t really get the number one bike to turn how I wanted. It felt better for the second part but I still could get off the line quick enough and ended up battling with Karl. We’ll hope for even better in race two.

Karl Muggeridge ninth place
I’m still struggling for energy and began to feel really drained for the last three laps of the first part of the race. The result is certainly better than I was expecting from 18th on the grid but I’ve got to do it again in race two. Hopefully, I’ll leave here with a handful of points to start the season and just concentrate on getting fitter for round two.

More, from another press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda:

Chris Vermeulen finished just off a podium placing in the second of today’s two World Superbike races at the opening event of the 2005 season at the 5.38km Losail circuit in Qatar. His Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Karl Muggeridge crashed out of the race unhurt on lap 10 after starting the 18-lapper from pit lane. The race was won by Yukio Kagayama.

The chain adjuster on Muggeridge’s CBR1000RR broke on the warm-up lap, forcing the 30-year-old Australian to start from the very back of the field. Although he had moved up to 17th place before crashing, he was unable to re-start his machine and forced to retire. Meanwhile, Vermeulen, 22, saved his best laps until last, moving from his ninth place start to fourth at the flag.

Ronald ten Kate team manager:
Karl has had a tough time this week and the problem with the bike, followed by the crash has been typical of his bad luck. However, I was pleased with the way he rode considering how bad he’s still feeling. Without the crash, I think he would have finished in the points again, which would have been a good result after his start. I’m surprised by Chris’s result because he just got faster as the race progressed eventually lapping faster than anyone else on the circuit. I think it just goes to show that he needed some more laps around here to get everything working properly. We’ll learn from these results and take them to our next test at Valencia in two weeks. And I’m sure we’ll see better things in the next round at Phillip Island.

Chris Vermeulen fourth
The bike was so much better in that race. We changed the rear shock to try and get the front working a bit better because we’re still getting used to the new front forks. As the race went on, I just got more and more comfortable and I can only think that, as the fuel load got lighter, the ride height went up a bit. With a couple more laps I could have been on the podium and with more time to test properly”¦who knows? We just needed that time we lost last weekend, but at least I’ve got some points in the bag and another test before the next round.

Karl Muggeridge DNF
It’s been a week to forget really! No time on the bike and then a small thing breaks on it, meaning I have to start that second race from pit lane. The bike felt more comfortable for that race and I was happy with the way I was riding, even though I’m still lacking any energy. But at least I got a few points in the first race and I know I’m with a great team. I’ll just take some time to get fit and treat the next round at home in Australia as the beginning of my season.

More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Carl Fogarty is confident that his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team can build on the foundations laid at the first round of the Superbike World Championship at the Losail circuit in Qatar. Steve Martin was denied a double points-scoring weekend when an engine failure on the penultimate lap of the second race denied him the chance to repeat his first race position of 15th.Team-mate Garry McCoy also narrowly missed out on the points in both races, following up his first race 17th position with 16th place in the afternoon race.

Steve had worked his way up from a grid position of 20th to lie 16th when the rain brought out the red flag after ten laps of the first race. But a poor start to the second section of the race hindered further significant progress. Garry, however, took advantage of the restart to make ground and finish the final eight laps in 14th position, but 17th on the aggregate times.

Carl said: “I thought it would be a struggle to gain points here as the boys haven’t had too much time on the bike and because of the new depth to the championship. It was a bit of a dampener for Steve to break down because to have scored points in both races would have been okay, although it’s not where I want us to be. We now have a lot of good things to test at Valencia and Phillip Island and I am looking forward to the next round. I was also pleased to see Troy win the first race, although it was no real surprise.”

Steve said: “It was a shame not to finish the second race as I really earned that point but I am really happy with the way the bike is handling. I can’t really say that it has been a bad weekend and I am really looking forward to our next two tests. I got a great start and was carving through people on the first lap of the second race. I got into a good rhythm and was then fending them off for the whole race. At the restart of the first race I got behind a train of guys and was then stuck behind Nieto, who made it very difficult for me to get past. Once I passed him I was able to close the others down but not able to get past Garry.”

Garry said: “I am pretty happy because at least we got to finish both races and gather as much information as possible. I am sure we will have a forward direction on the bike with the new things that we have to test in Valencia. It’s hard to get a good start with so many guys in front of you and I pretty much sat where I was after that in the second race. I still had a little bit of a clutch problem and that upsets the chassis. The first part of the first race was really difficult. The clutch was slipping way too much and I had to brake without any engine braking. I went in a different direction for the restart and knew I would have too much grab, which tends to lock up the rear wheel. I also suffered chatter at the front and couldn’t really keep any corner speed. But it was good to go out and mix it with the guys and find all these things from pushing harder.”

More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati:

Losail (Qatar), Saturday 26 February: Régis Laconi scored two podium finishes today, a third and a second place, at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar in the first round of what promises to be an exciting World Superbike championship. Team-mate James Toseland got the defence of his world title underway with two sixth place finishes as he was still feeling the effects of last weekend’s crash.

RACE 1:
Laconi finished runner-up in both parts of race 1, which was interrupted for rain just after half distance. The Frenchman was then unable to make up the deficit to part 2 leader Kagayama and eventual winner Corser and had to settle for the final podium slot.

“I made a so-so start and just tried to pass the guys in front of me immediately because I was fourth on the first lap. It feels tough to finish second in both races and end up third overall but those are the regulations and I am just happy to be on the podium”.

Toseland started from thirteenth on the grid but had a particularly good final few laps to finish in sixth position.

“I got two good starts and we hung in there. I was two-tenths off getting fifth in the aggregate but considering everything that’s happened this week, it’s a solid start. The confidence is coming again, I needed some dry time and I can only get that in the races”.

RACE 2:
Laconi took 10 laps to get past Corser into second place, but he was unable to do anything about Kagayama, who claimed his maiden World Superbike win.

“I tried to catch Yukio in the final laps but it wasn’t easy and when I saw it was easy to slide I told myself to just ride and settle for second and that’s what I did. I did the best that I could do today and it was important for me to start the championship with two results, unlike last year, and get my season off to a good start”.

Toseland was caught up in a seven-rider battle for fourth place for much of the race, but he eventually passed Pitt, Abe (Yamaha) and Neukirchner (Honda) to clinch his second sixth place finish of the day in a photo-finish with Chili.

“Two sixths from thirteenth place is OK, as far as the championship goes I’m joint fifth, which is not what I wanted but at least it’s solid. Towards the end of the race I was lapping as quick as the leaders. After Sunday’s crash I needed some dry time and I just didn’t get it. We haven’t been able to try everything we wanted and that made the whole weekend difficult for me. I’m disappointed but I know I could have been out for a couple of rounds with last week’s crash, so I’ll take these results any day”.

More, from a press release issued by Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki:

The opening round of this year’s Superbike World Championship saw a dream start for Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama – the ‘Dream Team’. And it was also the scene of a bit of World Superbike history- because it was the first time ever that Suzuki had won both races on the same day!

Troy won the first race (which was a two part affair after rain fell after ten laps) and Yukio won the second. Yukio’s win in race two followed his runner-up spot in the first race and so puts on top of the championship standings with a total of forty-five points.

Troy took third spot in race two, so he is second in the standings, just four points behind Yukio. Regis Laconi (Ducati) was the only other rider on the podium today, with a third in race one and a second in race two.

YUKIO – Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 1st
Today I am a very happy man. I did not dream that I would win a World Superbike race so soon or that I would be leading the championship after the opening round. I want to thank all my team for all their help and support and this win is for all of us. I was happy to be on the podium in the first race, so after the win in the second I am twice as happy! I think I was a bit lucky in the first race when it was stopped, because for the re-start I was able to made some small adjustments and my GSX R1000 felt much better.

In race two, the track temperature was lower and I felt that my bike would work better – and it did! When Troy ran wide, I passed under him and took the lead and from then on I was able to pull out an advantage. Troy had gone wide because of some oil on the track and nearly lost control and I also felt a bit of a slide, but I carried on OK. At the end I just had to watch my pit-board and keep steady for the win. I am so happy!

TROY – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 3rd
I found it pretty easy in the first race and felt relaxed and comfortable up front. The bike was working great and the only problem was when it started raining. I knew that we would have to stop, because we were all on slicks, so I put my hand up and the race was red-flagged. By the time we got going on, the track was dry again, so I think we were all on slicks once more. Yukio made the break and I just hung with Regis (Laconi) knowing that I didn’t have to beat him to take the win. It’s been a long time (2001) since my last win, but I hadn’t forgotten the winning feeling.

In the second race I was leading and then the oil flags came out on the approach to turn one, so I ran a bit wide and eased off the throttle. I still nearly crashed, but Yukio dived underneath. I tried to catch him straightaway, but he’d pulled out a bit of a gap. My front was a bit chewed up and I knew I couldn’t stay ahead of Regis, so I let him past. But, it’s great to win, it’s great to be on the podium and a perfect start for our team – a 1-2. The only thing that would have been better is if I had won both races! But my favourite circuit Phillip Island is next, so maybe I can do a double there.

More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group:

FIRST EVER DOUBLE WIN FOR SUZUKI IN WORLD SUPERBIKE

Suzuki Riders the Big Winners:
After leading pre-season testing and most of qualifying, Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki riders Tory Corser and Yukio Kagayama took a race win each, the first time Suzuki pilots have headed both podiums in World Superbike. With a second place and win to his credit, class new boy Kagayama leads the championship with an almost immaculate 45 points, from his team-mate Corser, who secured a win and a third place. Xerox Ducati rider Regis Laconi, with a third and a second place, earned third overall, with 36 points to Corser’s 41.

Race One:
The return of the rains, which have uncharacteristically appeared in these past few days, cause the first race to be held in two parts. With ten laps completed, the rain brought out the red flags, to stop the contest on safety grounds. With the race one fight now determined on aggregate time, clear first section leader Troy Corser only had to keep a safe gap behind second section leader Yukio Kagayama to take the win. Kagayama was aggregate second, with Ducati rider, Regis Laconi, third.

Race Two:
Top Three: In a dry race two, Kagayama and Corser had a tough race in the early laps, but as time wore on Kagayama extended a lead to finish ahead of Laconi by over two seconds. Corser, on a different choice of a harder rear Pirelli tyre than the other top runners, was third. A huge fight for fourth place, which featured eight riders at one stage, went the way of Honda rider Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate), making him the best Honda finisher on the first day of the new season.

Leading Lights:
Yamaha Motor France IPONE runner and front row qualifier Sebastien Gimbert left the Losail circuit with the new lap record to his credit, 2:01.852. Being knocked off by another rider in race one, and experiencing a slipping clutch in race two, held his results down, however, to a solitary tenth. Top Yamaha riders thus proved to be Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) in fourth place in race one and his team mate Noriyuki Haga, one place behind in the interrupted opener.

World Champion James Toseland (Xerox Ducati) had to fight hard for a pair of sixth places, experiencing many set-up problems on his machine. In race two he could not quite re-pass Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda) for fifth place, and had his work cut out to fend off SBK new boy Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) and outstanding class debutant, Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda), who was to finish an eventual eighth after being fifth for long periods of the contest.

One Up:
With a host of riders only taking one finish, due to a rash of crashes and some unexpected mechanical gremlins (Chili was a retirement on the warm up lap in race one, for example), the championship table from ninth place features some riders many expected to shine after their qualifying showings.

Jose Luis Cardoso (DFX Sterilgarda Yamaha) had an electrical contact problem stop his R1 on the warm up of race one, while a crash in race two, with another Yamaha rider, put him out of contention.

A clash between Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) saw each man out of race two, underlining a harsh weekend for Muggeridge and robbing both he and Walker of a good finish.

Wildcard Spaniard Ivan Silva Albertola (La Glisse Yamaha) had an engine problem which sidelined him from race two, after an excellent ride in race one, taking seventh place ahead of some big SBK talents.

Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji) just missed out on a point in race one, and retired shortly before the start of race two, with a mechanical problem.

Supersport:

Winston Ten Kate Honda riders Sebastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara dominated the race, but in the most peculiar circumstances imaginable.

Charpentier led the race by a seemingly safe distance but unable to conserve his front tyre he slowly increased his lap time, just as Fujiwara made seemingly impossible progress after stalling on the line.

Michel Fabrizio (Italia Megabike Honda) was third, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) fourth and the second Megabike runner, Fabien Foret fifth, also unable to conserve his front tyre.

Top Suzuki pilot was again Javier Fores in eighth, with Gianluca Nannelli (SC Caracchi 749R) best Ducati rider in ninth.

The second round of both championships takes place at Phillip Island, on April 3, but this race is preceded by an official SBK test at Valencia, Spain, on 12th and 13th March.

More from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Qatar Race Report

26 FEBRUARY 2005

HONDA RIDERS MONOPOLISE SUPERSPORT PODIUM IN QATAR

Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) surged to a superb win at the inaugural Losail Supersport meeting, despite bogging down off the line and running almost last into the first corner. Catching the long time leader, his team mate Sebastien  Charpentier, on lap 16 ‘Fuji’ ran away and clear to record a five second margin of victory in his first race for the Ten Kate squad. Honda riders filled the first three places, with Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) third, proving the prowess of the latest version of the all-conquering CBR series at the first time of asking.

After a peerless qualifying performance from Charpentier gave him pole position in his first race for the Winston Ten Kate team, his early lead hinted at invincibility, but a worn front tyre dropped his pace and allowed
Fujiwara to catch him. Sebastien nonetheless set the new fastest lap at this new WSS venue, with a time of 2:04.686. After many changes of weather conditions, the race itself was held on a dry circuit, in warm sunshine.

In fifth place, again suffering from a worn front tyre, came Fabien Foret, Fabrizio’s team-mate. He had to exercise caution in the latter stages, but put a valuable 11 points on the board in any case. Class rookie, Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was tenth, a great performance in his rookie ride at this status of competition.

In qualifying, Charpentier had been supreme, running to an impressive best of 2:03.841, at the zenith of an all-Honda front row. All bar one of the 18 Supersport riders in Qatar set their best times in the fully dry first day session, with final qualifying proving to be unexpectedly wet. Katsuaki Fujiwara was second in training, followed by the Megabike Honda duo of Michel Fabrizio and Fabien Foret.
 
Fujiwara’s win saw him overcome odds which looked insurmountable after the first lap.

“This is my first season with the Honda and the bike is very different from my previous one. I stalled on the start line when the lights changed and I had to restart it! My front tyre was also not perfect but today we had a very well set-up bike, thanks to my crew. We made some adjustments to the bike between testing and now, and we have to remember that this is a new CBR600RR as well. First time on a Honda and we got a race win, so thank you to Honda.”

For Charpentier, second place was a disappointment, but 20 championship points were not.

“It was a little crazy because I started the race OK but then my front tyre lost some grip, and it did not have the endurance for me to push more at the end – or for sure I would crash. Maybe my choice of a soft tyre was not good but I don’t know why, because in practice I could do ten or 12 laps at a very fast pace. But after five or six it was difficult today. Finishing second this weekend is good because last year I left the first round with no points.”

Fabrizio battled hard for third, a good start to his first full season of World Supersport competition, following on from a couple of wild card rides for Megabike in 2004.

“I think I had something that the other riders had in terms of front tyres, losing the front grip. Normally you only lose this at the end. I have a very good team and we are growing up very fast, so it is good to be close to the strongest two in Supersport.”

Foret, resigned to his fate after only six laps, exercised his experience of past championship campaigns and recognised that his time will come.

“My front had started to go after only six laps. I think other riders’ styles allow them to ride around this problem more than me, so there is not that much I could do about it. I had no feeling, so I could not push any
harder or I would have crashed. It was important not to crash in the first race, and then put myself under more pressure.”

Class rookie Lauslehto regretted a cautious start but has reason to feel satisfied with a top ten finish at the first attempt.

“My start was OK, not great but not bad, but maybe I was a little too careful on lap one. I made up some places after that s for my first time in this class, especially after all the changes in weather, top ten is OK.”

World Superbike Round 1 of 12

With race one interrupted by rain, and such a competitive field in World Superbike this season, the two 18-lap Superbike contests were unpredictable right to the end. Mid race rain in the opener, did little good for the strong Honda entry, with the top finisher proving to be Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda, in eighth place. A much improved performance from the young Aussie, winner of four races for Honda last season, saw him fourth in race two, and fourth in the championship fight.

Qualifying and Superpole were peculiar periods at this track new to almost the entire SBK grid, with Superpole going to Regis Laconi (Ducati) on a 2:01.593. A wet second day meant that all riders had to rely on Superpole qualifying times set in the first session only, meaning that Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) did not quite make the top 16 cut for Superpole, mainly thanks to a raging flu, shared with his team-mate Vermeulen.

Vermeulen recovered from a late session Superpole crash to take a second row start position, eighth fastest and top Honda rider. Max Neukirchner had a remarkable fifth in regulation qualifying in his rookie Superbike race,
but on a dry-wet-dry Superpole session, run under ‘wet’ rules, he finished, 14th, with his team-mate Pierfrancesco Chili 10th. Ben Bostrom’s qualifying woes left him 28th, last man bar one on the grid.

In race one a rain shower at the mid-race point stopped the track action, but the circuit dried out again before the re-start – despite a ‘wet’ race being declared – to avoid further stoppages. The overall race result was
decided on aggregate time, and Troy Corser, four seconds in the lead after leg one, taking the win from his Suzuki team-mate Yukio Kagayama and factory Ducati rider Regis Laconi. Top Honda rider was Chris Vermeulen, in
eighth, with his Aussie compatriot and team-mate Karl Muggeridge ninth. Pierfrancesco Chili and Max Neukirchner failed to score, with Chili out on the warm-up lap and Max clashing with two other riders and falling from the restarted section. Ben Bostrom clawed his way from second last place on the grid to 16th, just missing out on points.

Race two, run in clean dry conditions, saw the first race top trio once more fight it out up front, with Kagayama, Laconi and Corser sharing the spoils this time around, while Vermeulen secured fourth place, after a
massive fight with up to seven other riders disputing fourth place. Pierfrancesco Chili, out of race one before it had properly started, battled hard and ended up at the head of a multi-rider scrap for the top ten positions. He took fifth behind Vermeulen, suffering from arm pump. Neukirchner had a brilliant showing in fifth for the early laps of the race, slowly dropping back to finish a still creditable eighth in his first
ever SBK meeting.

Muggeridge, fighting to regain a second points scoring result after his chain adjuster broke in warm-up, crashed with Chris Walker (Kawasaki) but a grim weekend for returning SBK star Bostrom culminated in a technical
retirement before race two got underway.

With Vermeulen fourth in the standings with 21, behind Kagayama (45), Corser (41) and Laconi (36) the next best rider at this early stage is Chili, ninth overall, with his precocious team-mate Neukirchner 11th. Muggeridge is 12th and Bostrom has yet to score.

For Vermeulen, day one of the season proper was an up and down affair.

“The bike was so much better in race two. We changed the rear suspension to try and get the front working a bit better because we are still getting used to the new front forks. As race two went on, I just got more and more comfortable. With a couple of more laps I could have been on the podium and with more time to test properly, who knows.”

Muggeridge, suffering from a viral infection and unexpected technical glitches on race day, was keen to get Qatar behind him.

“It’s been a week to forget. Not a lot of time on the bike and then a small component failed, making me start race two from pit lane. I was happy with the way I was riding and the bike even though I’m still lacking energy due to my illness. At least I got a few points from the first race and I’m going to treat my home race in Australia as the start of my season.”

Chili, showing that his 40-years have diminished little of his competitive strengths, found the spirit willing but the flesh finally weak at a key moment.

“In the last two or three laps of race two I had a drop in power from my braking arm, or for sure I would have caught Troy. I have finished my body! In the last laps I made a mistake three times so I told myself to relax and
finish the race.”

Young German hope Neukirchner had an unfortunate first race, but a dazzling second.

“Race two was really good, but in race one I had a little crash. I had a real good start in the second and the conditions were fine. The engine cut out sensor was a problem in race one and then the other riders braked a
little earlier than usual and that caught me out, and we collided. But race two was a lot of fun.”

Bostrom was disappointed at his luck, but acknowledged that the team preparation has been, unavoidably, far from ideal.

“You could see how my weekend was from the points table. It’s a bummer. We had a small bike problem right from the start and so it was a tough weekend. But this was really like us testing at our first race so we will have two bikes and more parts at the next tests, new motors as well. We are down at the bottom this weekend but we will be accelerating up at a rapid rate from now on.”

More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

PERFECT START FOR TROY

Troy marked his Alstare Suzuki race debut with a perfect start in the opening round of this year’s Superbike World Championship in Qatar today. He was comfortably leading the race when it was red-flagged (because of rain) after ten laps. By the time it was restarted, the
track had dried out again and this time Troy ended third, behind team mate Yukio Kagayama and Regis Laconi (Ducati). But Troy was very close behind Laconi, so he knew that when the times of the two parts were aggregated, he would be the winner. It was Troy’s first SBK race win since 2001 and Suzuki’s first win since the same year. Yukio took second spot, with Laconi third. Troy led the second race and was once again
looking in control until the oil flags came out after seven laps. Troy took it cautiously at the scene of the spillage and nearly crashed, but Yukio sailed through with hardly a problem. Troy tried to attack his team mate straightway, but Yukio had pulled out a bit of an advantage and was going strongly. As the race wore on, Troy’s tyres began to wear out and he had no choice but to let Laconi past. Yukio won the race, with Laconi second and Troy took third. Troy’s first and third puts him second in the points standing, just four points behind his team mate Yukio, so all in all it was a perfect start for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra and Troy and Yukio.

TROY – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 3rd

“Well the only thing that would’ve been a better result today would’ve been if I had won both races! And, I might not have been far off doing that! But for the team, it was a perfect result with each of their riders winning one race apiece and ending the day first and second in the championship. It’s a bit of a dream start for us, but I think it’s a pretty just reward for all the work we’ve done so far. I knew we were going to be competitive straightaway and I knew that Yukio would be a threat here, because he’s one of the few riders who has ridden here before – and it showed. I felt very comfortable and relaxed in the first race and the stoppage was just a bit of hiccup. Once we restarted that one and it was dry, I knew exactly what I had to do (stay close to Regis) and take the win. I had to be reminded of my last SBK win, but I have never lost that winning feeling, believe me. I was so happy for Francis, Patricia and the rest of the team because I know what sort of effort has gone into making this all possible.
In race two, there was a chance of a double, but oil on the track and a slightly strange tyre feel kinda stopped that. If I had chased second, there was more then a good chance I would have crashed, so I settled for third instead. This is a long, hard championship, so I am happy to take a third and be just four points behind Yukio in the standings. I knew before the season’s start that he would be a threat – and he has proved he is. I think Ducati are going to get stronger and this year is going to be great for race fans everywhere. Now I’m off to Phillip Island – one of my favourite circuits and one I know very well – and there’s a chance of another couple of podiums for sure. Here’s hoping!.”

More, from a press release issued by Risla Suzuki:

Rizla Suzuki pays tribute to Yuki

RIZLA SUZUKI has paid tribute to former team member Yukio Kagayama after the popular Japanese rider finished second and first in today’s opening races of the World Superbike Championship in Qatar to lead the series.

Yuki’s team mate Troy Corser from Australia won the first race, giving the all-new GSX-R1000K5 a dream start to the racing season with two wins out of two starts placing Yuki and Corser first and second in the Championship standings.

Yuki, who finished third in the British Superbike Championship in 2004 for Rizla Suzuki as he battled his way back from injury, is returning to England tomorrow to visit the Rizla Suzuki head quarters at the Crescent Performance Centre in Dorset.

Rizla Suzuki team owner Paul Denning said: “I am so happy for Yuki – he’s done exactly what we knew he was capable of by winning the first round of the World Superbike Championship. I can’t wait until he comes to visit tomorrow – I’ve got the champagne ready and waiting.

“It is a real joy to see a former Rizla Suzuki racer do so well and bears testament to the strength of the British Superbike series that one of its ex-racers can win in WSB. It also proves that the all-new Suzuki GSX-R1000K5 has the performance to win and Rizla Suzuki will take heart from these results with just four weeks to go before the BSB season kicks off at Brands Hatch and we start our title defence.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Yamaha’s return to the Superbike World Championship got under way at the Losail circuit in Qatar, with Yamaha Motor Italia rider Andrew Pitt finishing fourth and ninth in today’s two races to leave the Middle East fifth in the championship standings.

Not only did the Yamaha prove to be the most popular bike on the grid, with 10 of the 29 riders using R1s, it also proved its outright speed with Sébastien Gimbert establishing the Losail superbike lap record and Pitt leading the early laps of race two. Rain throughout the race weekend meant lack of testing time to find perfect engine and chassis settings meant that performance dropped off as the race wore on.

Pitt finished fourth in an aggregate 18-lap first race. He then led race two before slipping back due to a lack of front end grip. Team-mate Noriyuki Haga finished fifth, also experiencing front end grip problems.

Race one, a rain-stopped aggregate affair with the first section comprising ten laps and the re-start of eight, was won by Troy Corser (Suzuki) from his team-mate Yukio Kagayama and Ducati rider Regis Laconi.

The Yamaha Motor France IPONE pairing of Norick Abe and Gimbert enjoyed contrasting fortunes in the first race of 24 this season, with Abe having electronic gearchange problems during warm-up on the re-start, yet finishing tenth. Gimbert ended his opening race clashing with two other riders to record a DNF after a front row start.

In the second contest of the day, run in dry and sunny conditions, Abe was top Yamaha finisher, in seventh place, after a multi-rider fight for fourth. At the end Pitt led Gimbert and Haga from ninth to 11th places, with Gimbert experiencing clutch slip after what were three race starts in a single afternoon.

After the opening two races, Kagayama leads on 45 points with team-mate Corser four adrift. Pitt lies fifth, with Haga seventh and Abe eighth.

Yamaha’s superbike teams will now travel to the Valencia circuit for an official FGSport test on the weekend of 12-13 March, with the following round held at Phillip Island three weeks later (1-3 April).

Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) – (fourth, ninth)
“Race one was good for the result but in race two my front tyre felt like it was finished too early. I fought as hard as I could to keep other riders behind me but I had a couple of big front-end pushes and I really didn’t want to crash. The speed of the bike is not too bad, pretty much on par with most other bikes. It’s a good result though. We always said that we might have to settle for solid points in the opening rounds and that’s what we achieved today.”

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) – (fifth, 11th)
“So far so good but we have some set-up difficulties. The rain interfering in race one was good for us. The front tyre did not seem so suitable in the second race, for us at least. I had a good start in both races, but I was not able to keep positions. This is only the first race so I hope to improve the set-up in the coming tests and to challenge for top positions in the next round.”

Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) – (tenth, seventh)
“I think today I did not have good luck, especially in the first race. I went fourth then the next lap it started to rain. Afterwards the electronics on the quickshifter broke and I needed to make a pitlane start. In the beginning of race two the start was not bad but the engine was not quite as fast as normal. I finally passed some other riders but if I had more speed I would have taken many more top riders.”

S̩bastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) Р(DNF, tenth)
“It’s a real shame because I got taken out by another rider in race one, and in race two I burned the clutch a bit on the start and could not use all the engine power. It was OK to ride on my own but not to pass, as I could not run out of the slipstream on my own.”

Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia)
“The only thing we can do is say that we are paying for some delays in testing, in terms of set-up. Andrew knows this bike a little bit better than Noriyuki, and the bike set-up is not yet perfect. But we had four finishes and some good points. At this track we have had some problems so we expected some difficulty today.”

Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor France IPONE)
“Sébastien made the best lap time and he said he had very good tyres and good chassis settings. We wanted to get a fine start in the first race and except for our bad luck we have had an encouraging first couple of races. We took some points and showed our power – and we have another 22 races.”