WSBK- Miller Motorsports Park

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American Dream for BMW Motorrad Motorsport at Miller Motorsports Park

With six rounds of the 2010 Superbike World Championship already complete, the series enters its halfway point and makes the final ?long-haul? journey of the year to the United States for its only appearance in North America, before returning to the European circuits for the remaining six rounds.

This year, the world's most competitive motorcycle racing series will be making its third appearance at Utah's Miller Motorsports Park over Memorial Day Weekend (May 29-31), which means that fans will see Superpole qualifying on the Sunday and race day on the Monday.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport only scored a single point at last year?s corresponding round at the.4.907-km American circuit, but a year is a long time in World Superbikes and both riders are hungry for success on the S 1000 RR in 2010. Troy Corser has already scored 105 points after just six rounds ? nine more than he scored during the entire 2009 season ? and is ready for some action on his return to the long, tricky circuit where a perfect set-up and race-long grip is vital for success.

?We have some areas to work on to ensure consistent performance over a race distance,? said the Australian who is currently seventh in the points standings. ?At the moment we have the S 1000 RR working really well but once the grip levels drop we struggle to maintain a consistent pace in relation to the front runners. I have some ideas and so do the technicians, so I am relatively confident that we can go to Miller Motorsports Park and perform well. We struggled there last year but we have made dramatic improvements since then so we will have to wait and see what happens, but for sure I am really looking forward to it.?

Having only raced at Miller Motorsports Park twice, Ruben Xaus knows that this circuit will be a challenge, especially as the team hasn?t tested there, although they do have data from last year?s races. He?ll be looking forward to performing in front of many American BMW fans who will be taking advantage of a special race hospitality package provided by BMW Motorrad USA.

?Miller Motorsports Park is a very similar track to Kyalami,? said Ruben. ?The altitude is again very high which will affect the S 1000 RR?s performance, but this is the same for everybody. The track is also similar because it is very bumpy; therefore we need to find a good set-up to work with the bumps and use the information we gained in Kyalami. The team and I are learning all the time and we are adapting to new situations well. I am really looking forward to going to America and making that next step forward.?

Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Berti Hauser is also looking forwards to competing again in the USA and continuing the team?s progression in this highly-competitive series.

?After the highs of Monza and the team?s first podium finish, it was back to business in South Africa,? said Hauser. ?We?re continually improving, but then so is everyone else, which makes life difficult sometimes! However, the challenges remain high and that?s why we love going racing. Every race this year has been packed with excitement and drama, and predicting winners has been almost impossible ? unlike most other race series. One thing is for sure, the fans are the winners this year so we hope to give them something to be proud of at Miller Motorsports Park.?

 

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United States Latest SBK News: Round 7 - Miller Motorsports - 26/05/2010
USA
Land of opportunity for Honda riders at unique event at Miller Motorsport, USA

Everyone in the Superbike and Supersport World Championship circus is about to start a new adventure together as they head to Miller Motorsport Park in Utah for round seven of the 13 round series. This is the first time that the feature races will be held on a Monday, as opposed to the traditional Sunday.

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea, a product of the British Superbike Championship in his earlier career, has raced on Bank Holiday Mondays in the UK many times but this time around it is the American Memorial Day holiday that means racing will get underway on Monday 31st May, with first practice on Saturday 29th and Superpole qualifying on Sunday 30th.

A podium finish in the previous round at Kyalami has helped Jonathan to maintain his third place overall in the championship after six of 13 rounds have been completed. His second place in South Africa was his fourth podium of the year, two of which were wins at the Assen circuit in the Netherlands. Championship leader Leon Haslam (Suzuki) now has 222 points, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) has 207 and Rea is on the same 141 total as Carlos Checa (Ducati). Because he has outscored the Spanish rider on wins, Rea is credited with third.

Hannspree Ten Kate Superbike rider Max Neukirchner is looking to podium memories of Miller from the 2008 season to get himself back to his best after a tough first half of the year. Honda riders have a good record at Miller, with Carlos Checa winning the double for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda first time out in 2008 before he and Rea each took one podium apiece last year, when they were riding in Hannspree Ten Kate Honda colours.

ECHO CRS Honda's Broc Parkes believes this will be the first race in which his lingering pre-season leg injury will play no part of his overall effort, but he also hopes for improvements in machine set-up to allow him to compete for the better points scores.

Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image Honda rider Vittorio Iannuzzo will once again miss a round of the Superbike series.

After the final extra-European race of the year, Misano beckons for round eight, on Sunday 27th June.

WSBK Rider Comments

Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR:
"I feel optimistic about the races at Miller. Our bike has typically gone well there in the past. That's not necessarily the case year-to-year, but I am just looking forward to having a strong Saturday morning, getting a good base setting on the bike and working towards two podiums. We are at that midway point of the year where we need to start putting races together every weekend and get working towards the championship again. I am just looking forward to it now."

Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR:
"I like Salt Lake, it is a nice track. In 2008 I was fourth in one race and then second, so it is a good place with good memories for me. We learned a little bit more about the bike in South Africa and we want to try the chassis like we had it set in race two at Assen, when we finished inside the top ten."

Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR:
"I have been trying as much as I can to prepare myself for the American races. I have been working hard on my fitness at home in Andorra and I think my injured leg should be 100% better by Miller. It is a big, fast, open track; it's unreal. I qualified well at Miller last year and it was a good track for me, so hopefully I can restart my season there."

 

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Toseland and Crutchlow get set for Salt Lake City

Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland are gearing up for the U.S round of the World Superbike Championship this coming Monday at the Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City. Last year the team saw a double victory here at the hands of rider Ben Spies, success they will be looking to repeat in 2010 with British riders Crutchlow and Toseland.

The Salt Lake City round is the seventh of the 2010 Championship, with six rounds now remaining before the finale in Magny Cours in October. Toseland heads into this weekend in fifth place in the championship on 125 points, 16 points behind Carlos Checa in fourth. Team mate Crutchlow sits in ninth with 86 points, nine points behind Michele Fabrizio in eighth.

"I'm really looking forward to Salt Lake City," said James Toseland. "It's a brand new track for me. I got to drive a couple of laps in one of the Miller Racing School's Mustang's this week which has given me an idea of the track layout, but there's nothing like actually riding it on a bike to understand it. I've always enjoyed coming to American tracks to race, I love Laguna Seca and Indianapolis so I'm looking forward to the challenge of learning this one and getting up to speed as quickly as possible. I hope we don't have the grip level problems as we did in Kyalami."

"It's great to be back here again," said Cal Crutchlow. "I loved racing here last year on the Supersport bike; it's a great track so I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into it on the R1. I know the bike works well here, so I'm confident we can get up there and fight to be at the front to finish the weekend on the podium."

Miller technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief
"Kyalami proved to be a tough weekend for the team, but James gained some valuable points towards the championship. Miller is a new track for James, so the key will be for him to do as many laps as possible in the first few sessions and learn the track. The second day we will work hard on the setting so that James can again fight for the top three places. Miller racetrack is very different to Kyalami and has hardly any change of elevations. We will work hard on making sure we can also maintain good grip levels for the whole race, as this is a key factor for us. We have some good data from last year and we will use this to our advantage to work towards an optimum set up as quickly as possible."

Miller technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief
"The circuit has two or three different characters, and at least two different tarmac surfaces to deal with. You have the fast flowing part and then the last part which is more twisty with a different tarmac surface so we have to see what the grip situation is and what our level of traction is. We will start with one bike on our base set up and the second bike we will try something new. We want to have more dynamic transfer on the bike so we will adjust the bike to achieve this which will hopefully give us more traction without compromising steering. We will also try a new clutch to see if we can improve on our starts."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"Miller Motorsports circuit seems to be one of the good circuits for us, last year we ran very well here with no problems so we're preparing for the weekend with confidence and determination, we believe we can achieve good results. After South Africa we haven't worked on our bikes as they came directly from Kyalami to here but we are ready with a good base set up to begin on Saturday with the first session."

The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team riders will be looking to build on the current run of victories by both the R1 and the R6 in the USA national championships. Team Graves Yamaha R1 rider Josh Hayes took double AMA Superbike wins in California two weeks ago, with fellow Yamaha Pat Clark Motorsports R1 rider Ben Bostrom taking two second places behind him to make it a double Yamaha one-two on the podium. The R6 was also dominating the AMA weekend, with podiums by Tommy Aquino, Josh Herrin and Dane Westby. In AMA ProSupersport, the Saturday saw five of the top six places taken by the R6 whilst Sunday saw it take the chequered flag.

*Please note that this Weekend's World Superbike races at Salt Lake City will take place on the Monday, not the Sunday. First qualifying sessions will be Saturday and second qualifying and Superpole on Sunday.

 

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Rea and Neukirchner seek States success

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner, have arrived in America for this weekend?s seventh round World Superbike championship event at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City in Utah.

The 4.907km Miller circuit?s fast and flowing layout suits the engine and handling characteristics of the team?s Honda CBR1000RRs and the two riders are eager to get back on track on Saturday. In a break with World Superbike tradition, the race will take place on Monday, which is Memorial Day and a public holiday in the US.

Rea heads into the weekend, which marks the halfway point in the 2010 season, in third place in the series after his fourth podium finish of the year last time out at Kyalami in South Africa.

The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland took fifth and third place finishes in the two 2009 races at Miller and is confident that the base setting which he and his crew have been fine tuning in rece nt rounds will stand him in good stead for this weekend?s encounters.

Max Neukirchner missed last year?s races through injury but performed strongly in the inaugural WSBK meeting at Miller in 2008, when he finished second and fourth. The 26-year-old German has struggled to find his best form so far this year and is looking to Miller to help him turn his season around.

Jonathan Rea

I?ve had a good few days acclimatising in America ? staying with my manager Chuck Aksland in a town called Copperopolis, near San Francisco. It?s in Copper Valley, so you can probably imagine what they mined here. I?ve been playing some golf and watched the AMA Motocross at Hangtown last weekend. Now it?s time to get back to business at Miller which quite I?m optimistic about. We know the bike works well there and I really enjoy riding at the circuit, so we?re going with the intention of at l east two podium finishes. We lost our way a bit on the Saturday at Kyalami but still managed to grind out two decent results. We?ll keep working around the good base setting that we?ve found this year, which is the one we usually end up going back to, but I definitely need to qualify well at Miller to ensure that I get away near the front in Monday?s races.

Max Neukirchner

After the promise of Assen the races at both Monza and Kyalami were disappointing. But after South Africa we had a good meeting and the team told me not to spend too long thinking about things and that I should try to relax and refresh a little. I know the guys have got a plan together for Miller, which we will go through on Friday at the circuit and then we will try to find a good base set-up ? I?ll just concentrate and work as hard as I can through the weekend. I finished second and fourth at Miller two years ago but I missed l ast year?s races. I?ll try to get up to speed again as quickly as possible, while working on the new style that focuses on corner exit and getting on the throttle as quickly as possible. I?m actually feeling really optimistic, though, and looking forward to the weekend very much.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

The bikes went immediately to America from Kyalami so most of the guys have had some time off over the last week. We?ve had a good look at all the data from Kyalami, however, and we know that Miller has been good for us over the last couple of years. In fact, America has been pretty good generally, because we had quite some success at Laguna Seca before. Of course, results from the past don?t mean much for this weekend, but we?re certainly confident that Jonathan can be fighting up at the front again. We also have a plan of attack to get Max back on the rails and will start him wi th two clear settings. Once we?ve found that base, he?ll hopefully be no more than a couple of clicks away. But at least Miller?s grippy surface and characteristics are very different to the bumps of Kyalami.

Sofuoglu targets top step again at Miller

2010 World Supersport championship leader, Kenan Sofuoglu, has said that only victory will do this weekend as the series reaches its halfway point at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.

Sofuoglu heads to the 4.907km circuit near Salt Lake City hoping to repeat his stunning win in the corresponding race last season when the Turkish ace?s two bold manoeuvres past Cal Crutchlow and Eugene Laverty produced one of the most memorable last laps in World Supersport history.

However, with a slender one-point lead over Laverty in the 2010 standings, Sofuoglu knows that another victory on his Honda CBR600RR is important to maintain his challenge to win back the Supersport crown he last wore in 2007.

Sofuoglu?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, has delivered two solid fourth place finishes in the last two races at Monza and Kyalami and the Italian will be looking to the Miller race to add to his solitary podium, which w as achieved at the Portimao round in March.

Kenan Sofuoglu

I am really looking forward to going back to America where I had one of the best races of my career last year. But last year, the CBR was still on the old suspension so we will have a big job to find a good setting with Andreani?s Ohlins suspension that we are using now. The bike is certainly a lot better than last year and Laverty and Lascorz are both very strong. We need to improve the bike after Kyalami, too, so we have a lot of work to do. Up to now I have been fighting for points and have been on the podium in every race. Now, it?s time to win again and there will be no better place to win again than at Miller.

Michele Pirro

The crash that I had on Friday at Kyalami caused me more problems than I first thought and my shoulder gave me some trouble during the race. But I?m feeling fit now and, looking back to Monza and Kyalami, it was important to finish the races after two crashes before. To get those results was a big satisfaction for me but now I am ready to push for podium finishes once more. I am looking forward to racing in America very much. We know that the bike is strong after Kenan?s amazing win last season. I was in the race and finished eighth, but I like the circuit very much ? it has a very long straight and fast corners. I hope to keep improving by results now and will try my best for a good one this weekend.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

Last year was the maiden Supersport race at Miller, where the whole team enjoyed Kenan?s very hard fought win. The bike is certainly better now than it was last year and we have two riders who are up to speed, so our aim will be to get them both on the podium. Or even better! We have some new software in the electronics package to try on the track after we have tested it on the dyno. We hope it will be another step forward this weekend.

 

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Tough US opener for Rea and Neukirchner

Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner both had a difficult opening day in round seven of the 2010 World Superbike championship at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City in the USA, finishing in 11th and 16th places respectively.

Provisional pole position was taken by Jakub Smrz of the Czech Republic after the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo were unable to find an ideal set-up for a fast lap around the 4.907km Miller circuit.

Rea has no issues with his settings for Monday’s two 21-lap races, expressing confidence in his CBR1000RR’s ability to extract the best out of its tyres towards the end of the race. However, the 23-year-old Northern Irishman will seek more of a compromise tomorrow to find enough pace for a good qualifying lap.

Jonathan Rea – P11

I’m a bit disappointed with where we ended up today after the first qualifying session, especially as everything felt pretty good afte r the first practice session this morning. The problem we have is that, at the moment, the bike is better suited to longer runs. It kind of backs up what we’ve found in recent races when I’ve been strongest towards the end of the race. We’ll look to change the balance a little tomorrow to try and put in a one lap wonder like everyone else seems to be able to do.

Max Neukirchner – P16

I seem to still be having the same problems. It’s fine in the first session, but I reach the limit very quickly and I am unable to improve afterwards. When I try to push to stay with the faster riders, I have problems on braking for corner entry and holding a line. I started with two different set-ups this morning – one with more weight on the front and the other with more on the rear. I definitely had a better feeling with the second option, so we’ll have to try and develop this some more for tomorrow.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

In spite of the position we’re in, we’re not in any kind of panic. Jonathan’s set-up on well-used race tyres is good, so now we just need to find something like a qualifying trim for him to make a couple of fast laps when he needs to. Max started with two different options this morning, but neither worked for him as we would have wanted. He’ll need to settle on something quickly tomorrow in order for him to progress into Superpole to get a decent qualifying position.

2010 World Superbike championship – round seven
Miller Motorsports Park, USA (4.907km) – first qualifying results:
1. Jakub Smrz (CZE) Ducati 1’48.517s
2. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1’48.670s
3. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1’48.682s
4. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki 1’48.734s
11. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’4 9.281s
16. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’50.121s

Provisional second row for Sofuoglu at Miller

Kenan Sofuoglu set the sixth fastest time in this afternoon’s opening qualifying session for round seven of the 2010 World Supersport championship at Miller Motorsports Park in the USA.

Provisional pole position was taken by fellow-Honda mounted rider, Eugene Laverty, as Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, was ninth fastest.

Neither Sofuoglu or Pirro was happy with this afternoon’s results, however, and both are determined to find solutions to the different problems that beset them today at the 4.907km Miller facility which lies half an hour to the west of Salt Lake City in Utah.

Kenan Sofuoglu – P6

It was a very bad qualifying session today and I am really not very happy. We tried many different things this morning but the main problem I had today was with the engine braking. There was way too much for some reason, which made corner entry very difficu lt. We will look at changing the clutch tomorrow to try to overcome this, but it is clear we have very much work to do.

Michele Pirro – P9

It was very difficult today and we were a long way from a good setting. I really hope we can find a solution tomorrow, especially to get over the problem I have with the rear sliding into the slower corners. It makes it difficult to get out of the last corner on to the very long straight. I didn’t really have a good feeling from the front either today so we’ll need to look at everything tonight.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

We are clearly not in a position that we want to be and we weren’t able to find a solution to any of the problems we experienced today. There is obviously a lot of room for improvement. Today felt a bit like a copy of this event last year, when we struggled at the beginning of the weekend but eventually turned it around. Hopefully, the turning point will be the second day this year, and not race day.

2010 World Supersport championship – round seven
Miller Motorsports Park, USA (4.907km) – first qualifying results:
1. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 1’51.652s
2. Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki 1’52.211s
3. David Salom (ESP) Triumph 1’52.310s
4. Fabien Foret (FRA) Kawasaki 1’52.328s
6. Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’52.534s
9. Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’52.732s

 

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FABRIZIO AND HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) CONFIDENT AFTER FIRST QUALIFYING AT SALT LAKE CITY

Salt Lake City (USA), Saturday 29th May: the Ducati Xerox squad is both satisfied and confident at the end of day one in Salt Lake City, with some very encouraging results in first qualifying at the Miller Motorsports Park. Factory rider Michel Fabrizio, having closed first practice in first place, continued to impress in qualifying when he finished the session in second position overall. Team-mate Noriyuki Haga, concentrating predominantly on set-up refinement, closed in twelfth position but remains confident after a positive start.

Roman rider Fabrizio made a determined start to the weekend, immediately fast in today?s first free practice session on board his 1198. Despite blustery conditions the times of all Superbike riders on track dropped by several seconds during the session but it was Michel who closed in first position, with a fastest time of 1m49.7 (only he and Carlos Checa ducked under 1m50 in this first session). Noriyuki, in the top five for the first half of the session, made some fast laps but dropped to tenth place in the final minutes. The two Althea Racing riders Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne, also riding 1198 machines, finished in second and third position respectively.

In first qualifying the two Ducati Xerox riders began to pick up the pace from mid-session onwards. Michel projected himself from 11th to 2nd position and although other riders made faster laps in the closing stages, a final fast lap by Fabrizio consolidated second place, just a tenth of a second behind Smrz on Team Pata B&G?s Ducati. Noriyuki and his team worked to optimize set-up of the 1198, with the Japanese rider thus concluding first qualifying in twelfth position yet satisfied with the times registered in the latter part of the session.

Michel Fabrizio
?We still have work to do tomorrow with regard to the set-up of my 1198 but I?d say we?ve made a good start today. I was able to make some fast laps but tomorrow we need to concentrate more on the durability of the tyres, and make a long-run to understand how the two available tyres behave. For now I?m very happy and today?s results bode well for Monday?s races.?

Noriyuki Haga
?I seem to have better feeling with the bike with respect to last year at this track, the level of absorption is better. Today we concentrated mainly on the race distance but we know what direction to take tomorrow and will of course aim to improve on times. We still have to decide which tyre to use for the races as it will depend greatly on weather conditions but I can say that I?m feeling fairly confident ahead of tomorrow and Monday?s races.?

TIMES: 1. Smrz (Ducati) 1?48.5; 2. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1?48.6, 3. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1?48.6; 4. Haslam (Suzuki) 1?48.7; 5. Checa (Ducati) 1?48.7; 6. Byrne (Ducati) 1?48.8; 7. Toseland (Yamaha) 1?48.8; 8. Scassa (Ducati) 1?48.9? 12. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1?49.3

 

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Leon on the pace. Sylvain has work to do

30/05/2010 4:08 pm

Many times this season, the two Suzuki Alstare riders have suffered mixed fortunes on the first day of qualifying and today at the Miler Motorsport Park was no exception. Leon qualified a comfortable fourth fastest, but Sylvain struggled and ended the day a lowly seventeenth.

It is Sylvain?s first visit to the very technical Miller circuit, but the Frenchman knows all too well that he should have finished higher up the leaderboard after two one hour sessions. Jakub Smrz (Ducati) set the quickest lap of qualifying, with a time of 1:48.517, three tenths of a second inside the lap record. Second today was Michel Fabrizio (Ducati), with Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) third.

Leon - 4th, 1:48.734

I think today was pretty good and I certainly got a feel for the track this morning. This afternoon we used some of the good stuff (tyres) that we?ll be racing on and I am pretty happy with how we got on. We had a bit of a chatter problem today and it was worse the more aggressive I was, but not so bad when I rode smoothly. Though when I rode very smoothly, my lap times were not so good! The general layout of this track needs a very different set-up to Kyalami in the last round and although our current set-up is not bad, we will try and improve it and the balance of the bike tomorrow. The aim tomorrow is to work on getting a good set-up and making sure that the tyres will last a race distance OK.

Sylvain - 17th, 1:50.133

Not sure what to say really, except that I have been learning the track OK and the afternoon felt a lot better than the morning. I know that doesn?t seem much, when you consider I ended 17th today, but this track is very technical and it is difficult to knock off those last fractions of a second which are so important. I think the track is good and I like it very much. I know there?s quite a bit more to come from me and tomorrow we?ll work on improving the balance of the bike and finding a good set-up. I had some brake problems today - inconsistency - and that?s another area we will have to sort out tomorrow.

Saturday qualifying

1 Smrz (CZE-Ducati) 1:48.517, 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:48.670, 3 Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 1:48.682, 4 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:48.734, 5 Checa (ESP-Ducati) 1:48.742, 6 Byrne (GBR-Ducati) 1:48.853, 17 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 1:50.133,
,

 

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QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 29/05/2010
Crutchlow and Toseland get straight onto the pace in Utah

The wide open skies of Utah provided the perfect back drop for Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland today as they got down to business in the first qualifying session of the Salt Lake City race weekend.

Crutchlow's pace was quick from the go, the rider rarely straying out of the top three and running fastest at times during the session. As the flag signalled the end of the weekend's first qualifying heat he took third with a provisional front row start, less than two tenths off provisional pole. Crutchlow's team mate Toseland put in a remarkable performance in his first riding session on the Miller Motorsports circuit. Despite no track knowledge Toseland spent a good part of the morning's free practice session in the top three riders, and continued to display consistent fast pace in the afternoon's qualifying despite a small crash near the end of the session. He ended the session in seventh position, less than four tenths of a second off provisional pole, and just two tenths off team mate Crutchlow.


Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (3rd, 1'48.682)
"It wasn't too bad today, third position is pretty good. I had some issues with the brakes and was struggling to stop in some places, making it difficult to judge when to brake. We've got some new things to try tomorrow, and I have to say it's a very different riding experience on the R1 compared to the Supersport bike last year."

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (7th, 1'48.887)
"I've never been too bad at learning circuits, but it's been pretty impressive for some of the guys including Frankie my Crew Chief as it's their first time here too. To get the bike running as well as it was today is great, fair play to them. I'm a bit annoyed with myself for the crash as I don't usually make mistakes like that, I just got a bit excited as the bike was feeling so good. I thought I could go round the corner a bit faster than the package could, I think I was 17 years old the last time my enthusiasm outmatched my talent! All in all a good day, I'm pleased with the progress and it's a great track, the bike works really well round here."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"We made a good start today. We are improving the bike all the time and we came here knowing we had good results from last year which gave us a confident start. We didn't push too hard, and hopefully tomorrow we will make another step forward. We have a technical problem with Cal's brakes which we are looking into and will resolve for tomorrow. James had a small crash at the end of qualifying but he had no injuries at all."

Circuit Length: 4905
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'48.193 (Carlos Checa, 01/06/2008)
Last Years Winner: Ben Spies
2010 WSB United States - Salt Lake City 29/05/2010
Qualifying 1
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'48.517
2 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'48.670
3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'48.682
4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'48.734
5 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'48.742
6 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'48.853
7 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'48.887
8 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1'48.945
9 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'49.040
10 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'49.191
11 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'49.281
12 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'49.386
13 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'49.443
14 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'49.748
15 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 1'49.961

 

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Dramatic qualifying session for BMW Motorrad Motorsport

2010 Superbike World Championship, round seven Superpole qualifying report, Miller Motorsports Park

BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser will start tomorrow?s two World Superbike races from the third and fourth rows of the grid after an action-packed and dramatic Superpole qualifying session at Miller Motorsports Park today.

In great weather conditions at the American circuit, both riders made it safely through Superpole 1, with Corser only needing to complete two full laps to finish in the top three, and Xaus posting his best lap of the weekend up to that point.

The remaining 16 riders set off for Superpole 2, but there was drama for Troy as he uncharacteristically crashed his BMW S 1000 RR in the early stages of the session. Grabbing a marshal?s dirt bike, Corser sped back to the pits, jumped on his spare bike and bravely headed back out on track with just four minutes of the session remaining. Despite improving his track position in the two laps he was able to complete, the Australian just didn?t have enough time to progress to Superpole 3 and will start from the fourth row of the grid tomorrow.

Ruben had waited until the dying seconds of Superpole 2 to put in his fastest lap of the weekend (1:48.141) on race tyres. This looked good enough to take him through to Superpole 3, but Noriyuki Haga?s final lap of the session was just 17 thousandths of a second quicker than Ruben?s ? knocking him out of the top eight and onto row three for tomorrow?s two 21-lap races.

Troy Corser: ?Overall I am reasonably happy because on race tyres we can run fast times. We have worked hard to get a good race setting so I am confident going into tomorrow. The crash was a real shame, I didn?t do anything different in the braking area but the front end just let go. Still I am fine and the bike is OK. It?s essential that we get a good start tomorrow so we can make up some places, but given the long straight here I think we can get up with the front guys.?

Ruben Xaus: ?I would have loved to have made it to Superpole 3, but I?m still really happy. The team have worked really hard to get a good set-up so hopefully I can maintain a good pace in the races tomorrow. I have been working a lot on my starts so I hope we can get away with the front guys and attack in the second half of the race.?

Davide Tardozzi ? Team Manager - BMW Motorrad Motorsport: ?We have seen a lot of improvements over the weekend so far. We were unlucky today with Ruben because he was so close to making Superpole 3 for the first time this year. However, both riders did their best times on race tyres so we definitely have the race pace going into tomorrow. Troy was unfortunate to crash early in Superpole 2 which compromised the session for him. Still, I am confident for tomorrow and looking forward to the races.?

 

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QUALIFYING 2 REPORT 30/05/2010
Crutchlow scores a front row start for Salt Lake City Race day

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow kept his cool in the Utah sunshine today to score a front row start on the grid for tomorrow's two World Superbike races at the Miller Motorsports circuit in Salt Lake City. Crutchlow switched to a qualifier tyre for the second heat, securing a place in the third by finishing sixth. The second qualifying tyre was used to good effect in the third heat, taking him under the 1'48 second mark to secure third on the grid with a 1'47.648.

Team mate James Toseland passed comfortably through the first Superpole heat however was unable to pass through the second. The British rider had been using a set up which had worked perfectly for a slower speed whilst learning the circuit but needed to be modified to cope with the higher speed and extra grip offered by the qualifier tyres in Superpole. He starts tomorrow's races from 14th on the grid.


Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (3rd, 1'47.648)
"Today hasn't been too bad, the pace is so fast out there for everybody. Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi have been fast all weekend, all credit to Carlos what a fantastic Superpole lap, not even I could get near it and I've been pretty good in Superpole this year! I'm looking forward to the races tomorrow, I think we've got a good chance of being top five and we've got good race pace."


James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (14th, 1'48.640)
"We went out on the standard bike set up at the beginning of the weekend at a slower pace learning the track, going from 1'51 second laps then down into the 1'50's. We then switched to a new set up which seemed to work at those speeds, but as we got down into the 1'48's it made it a lot harsher over the bumps on the track, unfortunately it was too late to change this before Superpole. So tomorrow morning we'll go back to a set up we know works well, it's just a shame as it's cost us a good grid position. Hopefully tomorrow morning we'll be able to get back down to some good lap times and get more comfortable again. In the race I'm going to need a good start and then I'm just going to get stuck in."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"The first row for Cal is great and a good starting point for the races. It's a little bit different on James's side having to start from the fourth row, for sure the race will be tougher for him. We will work tonight to make sure we understand what isn't right in the set up, I'm confident we will have a good solution tomorrow morning to give him the set up he needs to fight in the races."

Circuit Length: 4905
Weather: Sunny
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'47.081 (Carlos Checa, 31/05/2010)
Last Years Winner: Ben Spies
2010 WSB United States - Salt Lake City 30/05/2010
Superpole
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'47.081
2 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'47.414
3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'47.648
4 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'47.662
5 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'48.006
6 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'48.035
7 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'48.378
8 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'48.621
9 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 1'48.141
10 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'48.154
11 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'48.159
12 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'48.162
13 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1'48.274
14 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'48.640
15 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'48.706


Qualifying 2
Pos. Rider Nat. QUAL I QUAL II
1 Max Biaggi ITA 1'49.191 1'48.115
2 Jakub Smrz CZE 1'48.517 1'48.289
3 Troy Corser AUS 1'49.040 1'48.318
4 Carlos Checa ESP 1'48.742 1'48.358
5 Shane Byrne GBR 1'48.853 1'48.549
6 Michel Fabrizio ITA 1'48.670 1'48.571
7 Cal Crutchlow GBR 1'48.682 1'48.611
8 Leon Haslam GBR 1'48.734 1'49.149
9 Leon Camier GBR 1'49.443 1'48.741
10 James Toseland GBR 1'48.887 1'49.757
11 Luca Scassa ITA 1'48.945 1'49.011
12 Jonathan Rea GBR 1'49.281 1'48.965
13 Noriyuki Haga JPN 1'49.386 1'49.050
14 Sylvain Guintoli FRA 1'50.133 1'49.142
15 Tom Sykes GBR 1'49.748 1'49.225

 

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HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) QUALIFIES SIXTH FOR TOMORROW?S WORLD SUPERBIKE RACES AT SALT LAKE CITY

Salt Lake City (USA), Sunday 30th May : in warm but windy conditions Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio participated in a closely fought Superpole session this afternoon at the Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City. Haga and his squad were very satisfied with the sixth place finish, while Fabrizio closed today?s Superpole in tenth position.

Earlier in the day, the Superbike riders were out on track for the second qualifying session and both Michel and Noriyuki made some consistently fast laps, before improving on their best times set yesterday in the final minutes of the session. By the end of a very competitive 45-minute session, both Ducati Xerox riders had qualified easily for the afternoon?s Superpole, Michel in sixth position and Noriyuki in thirteenth.

Superpole 1: In the first of the three mini-sessions, the Ducati Xerox riders both went out on race rubber and at the end of the fourteen-minute phase, Nori lay in tenth and Michel in thirteenth place, both riders therefore passing safely to the second stage.

Superpole 2: both Fabrizio and Haga chose to use qualifiers for the second session and registered, in a first exit, the sixth and seventh fastest times respectively. When the times of other riders began to drop, the Ducati Xerox men returned to the track, both taking advantage of the second ?Q? available to them, to close in eighth (Nori) and tenth (Michel) position. Michel?s Superpole thus ended here; he will lie up on the third row of tomorrow?s grid.

Superpole 3: Noriyuki continued to ride with the qualifier used in the previous session. When Jonathan Rea crashed mid-session, a red flag stopped proceedings for a couple of minutes. Noriyuki and his team took this opportunity to substitute the used ?Q? with a race tyre and in his last exit of the afternoon, the Japanese rider improved once more on his best time, to conclude today?s Superpole with the sixth fastest time and assuring himself of a place on the second row of tomorrow? grid.

Noriyuki Haga
?I am of course very happy to have qualified on the second row for tomorrow?s races. It seems we have found a solution to one of the problems I was having, I have a better level of feeling and I have been able to turn the bike as I want to. Tomorrow morning we?ll make a few more small changes to see if we can further improve there but I?m feeling quite confident, let?s cross our fingers that tomorrow conditions allow us to make two great races.?

Michel Fabrizio
?I?m disappointed as I hoped to qualify on the front rows and it won?t be at all easy to start from the third. I was losing valuable time in the final split and didn?t manage to put together that extra fast lap that was needed. However we?ve found good race pace over these two days and, if I can make a good start, I?m confident I can make two good races; I really like this track and would like to do well here.?

TIMES (Superpole): 1. Checa (Ducati) 1?47.0; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1?47.4; 3. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1?47.6; 4. Smrz (Ducati) 1?47.6; 5. Haslam (Suzuki) 1?48.0; 6. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1?48.0; 7. Rea (Honda) 1?48.3; 8. Camier (Aprilia) 1?48.6; 9. Xaus (BMW) 1?48.1; 10. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1?48.1

 

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Difficult Miller weekend for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda

Jonathan Rea took hard-earned 14th and eighth places finishes in today?s two seventh round World Superbike races at Miller Motorsports Park in the USA. His team-mate Max Neukirchner also struggled at the 4.907km circuit near Salt Lake City, placing 12th in the two 21-lap encounters.

Both outings were won by Max Biaggi after early leader Carlos Checa ran into electrical problems, as Rea and Neukirchner complained of handling problems with their machines.

Rea crashed at the beginning of lap three in the first race, but remounted in last place to begin a dogged fight back to 14th place at the flag and two championship points. However, changes to his front fork settings for race two did not improve his bike?s handling and the 23-year-old was forced to settle for eighth.

Neukirchner suffered similar handling issues and, starting from 16th place on the grid, the German rider struggled to make any impact on the standings. T he Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team is now looking forward to an upcoming two-day test at Assen in The Netherlands, before heading for round eight of the championship at Misano, Italy on 25-27 June.

Jonathan Rea ? 14th and 8th

It?s quite hard to take many positives out of the weekend really. We?ve had big problems all weekend and nothing we tried did anything to fix them. We made a big ? and I mean BIG ? change to the front of the bike for race two, but the characteristics were exactly the same. Unfortunately, I?m missing the first day of our test at Assen because I?m riding in the 300km race at Suzuka, but there?s plenty for Max and the team to be working through. I really hope we can get something to take to the next race at Misano, because I have some great memories of that round last year.

Max Neukirchner ? 12th and 12th

We tried something different for the second race because in the first one the bike was pitching too much ? diving too fast under the brakes and coming up too quickly under acceleration. We thought the change would work but it didn?t, so we have another two disappointing results to take away from this race. I hope we can have two really positive days at the Assen test in two weeks, because there is a lot we need to get through. It?s frustrating because I know I can do better than what my results are showing.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

There is no hiding from the fact that this has been a bad weekend for us. With the chatter that both riders experienced, they could only ride around and make laps. We now have a two-day test at Assen where we will try quite a few new bits and pieces because we have to be in better shape at Misano. Having said that, Miller is the last race this year where we didn?t have sus pension data from Ohlins. We start at Misano with at least some reference points from last year. We hope that data will yield much better results for the rest of the season.

2010 World Superbike championship ? round seven
Miller Motorsports Park, USA (4.907km ? 21 laps) ? results
Race one:
1. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia
2. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki
3. Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati
4. Leon Camier (GBR) Aprilia
12. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
14. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
Race two:
1. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia
2. Leon Camier (GBR) Aprilia
3. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha
4. Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati
8. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
12. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda

Championship points after seven of 13 rounds: 1 Biaggi 257, 2 Haslam 242, 3 Rea 151, 4 Checa 141, 5 Haga 135, 6 James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha 132

Next round: Misano, Italy ? 25-27 June

 

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Crutchlow delivers hard fought podium at Salt Lake City

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow put in a mature performance at Miller Motorsports Park today, maximising the top speed and power of his Yamaha YZF-R1 to take a hard fought podium with third in the second race. Having started from third and then initially dropping back to sixth he fought back up, chasing down a number of riders before closing in on BMW rider Troy Corser and passing him for the third spot which he held to the line. Race one proved unlucky for Crutchlow, After an initial drop off the line to seventh in race one, he put his head down and started to reel in sixth place rider Johnny Rea. As he put the pressure on, Rea crumbled, crashing out on lap three and forcing Crutchlow wide and off the track to avoid him. The Yamaha rider recovered and got back on track but had dropped to 13th, with a big gap to the riders in front. Despite the setback he put his head down, taking two positions to cross the line in 11th. Crutchlow's recovery was helped by the impressive top speed of the Yamaha YZF-R1, scoring the highest speed of any rider on the circuit with 311km/hr recorded.

Crutchlow's performance has continued to improve over the season, the rider's impressive consistent fast pace and race craft only restricted from delivering better results so far by incidents out of his control. Rea's crash today, the stone from Biaggi's wheel in Monza and the issues with grip in Kyalami have prevented him from being further up the championship standings.

Team mate James Toseland put in a solid performance today in the first of the two Miller WSB races despite being one of the few riders on the grid never to have ridden here before. Starting from a less than perfect 14th on the grid he worked his way through the pack to take a lonely seventh by lap four. The British rider was gradually closing in on sixth until a dramatic drop in tyre grip over the last few laps saw him drop to ninth at the chequered flag. Despite a strong start in the second race and again fighting from 14th up to sixth, it ended prematurely for him when he lost the front end with six laps to go after coming into a corner carrying too much speed. Following from Crutchlow's highest recorded speed in race one, Toseland took the honours in race two, delivering the highest top speed of the race, 308.4km/hr.

Crutchlow leaves Salt Lake City with 107 points having moved up from tenth to ninth in the championship standings, just eight points behind Leon Camier in eighth. Team mate Toseland heads to the next round at the Misano circuit having dropped one place from fifth to sixth, currently standing on 132 points, nineteen points off Rea in third.


Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (11th, 3rd)
"I think the first race should have been the same as the second one, unfortunately I got caught up in Johnny's crash and lost some valuable places. We've not had the pace of Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi this weekend, they did a fantastic job. I tried my hardest and I think we've done the best job we can. All credit to the Yamaha guys we've worked really hard for this result."


James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, DNF)
"A frustrating weekend for me. We started really well here and I got down to some pretty decent times relatively quickly in the first practices so was feeling confident for the races. Superpole didn't go quite as planned so I had a less than perfect grid start position. I managed a good start in the first race and was making up places but unfortunately I ran out of grip several laps from the end which slowed me down. It took me a while to get into a good pace in race two, but as I was picking up I came out of one corner too fast and so was too hot into the next, resulting in losing the front end. The team have worked really hard all weekend and I'm sorry I couldn't deliver them a better result today."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"I think Cal did two really good races. Unfortunately in the first he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Rea crashed in front of him so he did well to stay on and stay in the points. He showed a really good pace. In the second race he did the best that was possible, to get a podium after a tough weekend is good for the team. I am sorry for James, his crash was unfortunate and he put in a good effort in the first race."

Circuit Length: 4905
Temp: 20
Weather: Sunny
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'47.081 (Carlos Checa, 31/05/2010)
Last Years Winner: Ben Spies
2010 WSB United States - Salt Lake City 31/05/2010
Race 1 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 38'20.442
2 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'04.931
3 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'06.432
4 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'08.576
5 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'11.150
6 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'11.243
7 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'12.432
8 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'15.145
9 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'16.091
10 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'16.502
11 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'18.719
12 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'24.285
13 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'36.479
14 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'39.700
15 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 0'41.253


Race 2 - 21 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 38'17.842
2 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0'05.899
3 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'07.363
4 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'08.842
5 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'09.473
6 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'12.293
7 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'12.483
8 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'15.959
9 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'18.897
10 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'20.372
11 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'26.823
12 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'30.344
13 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki AUS 0'33.337
14 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'38.772
15 Broc Parkes Kawasaki AUS 0'44.994


Best Lap
Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'48.045

Rider Standings 31/05/2010
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 257
2. Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 242
3. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 151
4. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 141
5. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 135
6. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 132
7. Troy Corser BMW AUS 127
8. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 115
9. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 107
10. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 102
11. Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 95
12. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 81
13. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 61
14. Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 53
15. Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 42

Manufacturer Standings 31/05/2010
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Aprilia 263
2. Suzuki 252
3. Ducati 214
4. Honda 162
5. Yamaha 158
6. BMW 130
7. Kawasaki 45

 

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Two top fives for Troy at Miller Motorsports Park!

Today at Miller Motorsports Park ? and for the first time in the Superbike World Championship?s 22-year history ? racing took place on a Monday rather than the usual Sunday, to coincide with the Memorial Day federal holiday in America. Despite the change of day, it was business as usual for BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus, who both put in great performances on the S 1000 RR, with Corser?s two fifth places among the highlights of the team?s weekend.

In race one, it was Corser who made a great start from the fourth row of the grid and managed to get up to fourth place, before making a mistake and being passed by eventual podium finishers Leon Haslam and Noriyuki Haga in one corner. When leader Carlos Checa retired with a technical problem, Troy moved up to fifth and held this position for the remainder of the race, with team-mate Ruben Xaus rounding out the top ten.

In race two, it was an even better start for Corser who powered his S 1000 RR up to third place behind Checa and Biaggi, with Ruben just two places behind in fifth. Showing real aggression in his 345th WSBK race, Corser?s intentions were clear, but staying with pole setter Checa and race one winner Biaggi was anything but easy.

It was also great to see Ruben Xaus battling near the front on his S 1000 RR. The 2003 WSBK runner-up looked relaxed, comfortable and incredibly fast, despite being involved in a huge battle with about nine riders at one point. For the second time in as many races, leader Checa retired with a technical problem, handing the lead to Biaggi, with Troy moving up to second place.

However, with Biaggi?s team mate Leon Camier chasing his best ever WSBK finish and Cal Crutchlow closing lap by lap, Corser knew he had his work cut out against the two young Brits. Camier bravely squeezed past on lap 12, with Crutchlow using the slipstream to overtake Troy on the start-finish straight on the following lap. Then, Noriyuki Haga made a pass with just three laps remaining, so Troy had to settle for fifth place again in the end, although he was just two seconds off another podium finish. Ruben Xaus finished race two in 11th place.

Troy Corser: ?Overall, we can be happy today. Nevertheless I am disappointed about the Superpole result as I had to start from the fourth row. In the first race I had to fight with some chattering, and I had some trouble with the edge grip of the tyre. We changed the rear spring and made a few adjustments for race two and the bike felt a lot better. But the grip issues came back towards the end of the race and we struggled to maintain a good pace. Still, we know what we have to improve now.?

Ruben Xaus: ?To be honest I am disappointed with today. I got great starts in both races and I was right with the top guys but I just couldn?t do the times over race distance. The team and I have worked tirelessly all weekend and made some real steps forward, but we just couldn?t make it happen in the races today. Still, the team did a great job and I must thank them for that. Also, congratulations to Troy because he did a great job ? I just wish I could have been up there with him. I hope we can join him at the front in Misano.?

Berthold Hauser - BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: ?After yesterday?s Superpole I was not expecting to do as well as we did today. I am really happy with the performance from both Troy and Ruben. We struggled at this circuit last year so to achieve what we did today is a real step forward and big positive for the team. We are improving with every race and getting closer to the top, which is great to see. I must congratulate the whole team once again for doing such a fantastic job. We can now look forward to Misano.?

Race one: 1. Biaggi ( ITA ? Aprilia), 2. Haslam (GBR ? Suzuki), 3. Haga (JPN ? Ducati), 5 Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 10 R Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport).

Race two: 1. Biaggi (ITA ? Aprilia), 2. Camier (GB ? Aprilia), 3. Crutchlow (GB ? Yamaha), 5. Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 11. Ruben Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport)

Points: 1. Biaggi 257, 2. Haslam 242, 3 Rea 151, 7. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 127, 14. Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 53

 

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HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) BACK ON THE PODIUM; THIRD IN RACE 1 AT SALT LAKE CITY

Salt Lake City (USA), Monday 31st May : Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga returned to the podium today, with a third place finish in Race 1 at the Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, a significant result as it is the first time that he has finished in the top three on this particular track.

In the early morning?s brief warm-up session, Noriyuki proved that he was ready to race, demonstrating a consistently fast pace and registering the overall fastest time, while his team-mate Michel finished the twenty-minute warm-up in sixth position.

In Race 1 neither Noriyuki nor Michel made a great start. After the first lap Noriyuki was lying in sixth position when Michel unexpectedly fell, losing the rear and thus closing his race almost immediately. Haga pushed on to arrive in fifth position, just behind Leon Camier and Leon Haslam; he remained in this position until the eighteenth lap when he was finally able to pass Camier. During the same lap race leader Carlos Checa?s bike came to a stop. Noriyuki moved up to third and held this position to the line. The podium finish is significant for Haga as in the last two years he had never managed to close in the top three on this particular track.

The Ducati Xerox riders did not have an easy start to the second race either. Ruben Xaus touched Noriyuki?s bike right off the line which caused him to lose positions and precious time, while Michel found himself in fourteenth position at the end of the first lap. During lap six Haga got past Rea and, following the retirement of both Checa and Haslam from the race, he moved up to fifth, with Fabrizio in twelfth. Haga pushed hard, catching and passing Corser on the BMW in the closing stages. Even though his pace was still strong, time did not allow the Japanese rider to catch Crutchlow, meaning he had to settle for a final fourth position.

At the end of the seventh round, Noriyuki is now fifth in the general standings with 135 points, while team-mate Michel is tenth (102 points). Ducati is still third in the manufacturers standings with 214 points.

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 ? 3rd, Race 2 ? 4th)
?I?m really happy to be back on the podium today, but it wasn?t easy! At the start of Race 1 I was having trouble pushing but after a few laps the tyres picked up a bit and I was finally able to get past Camier in the final stages. It?s a great result and the first time I?ve been on the Miller podium. In Race 2 I had a similar feeling with my bike but the race was more difficult. I started badly and had to push so hard to make up the lost ground. In the last two years my weekends at Miller have been conditioned by crashes but this year I had a good feeling right from the first exit I made on Friday and this gave me confidence that a podium was possible. I?m satisfied and now we move on to Misano, a circuit where there is no long straight and where the Ducati could be very fast.?

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 ? DNF , Race 2 ? 9th)
?It?s a pity what happened to me in race 1. It was totally unexpected, my bike was sliding around at the rear and then, from one moment to the next, I found myself on the ground. In Race 2 I made a bad start, losing several positions and finding myself in the last group. I made up ground through the race but I wasn?t able to catch Rea and Byrne ahead of me and finished ninth. I hoped to do a lot better here in America but now we must turn our attention to the next round in Misano.?

RESULTS: Race 1 ? 1. Biaggi (Aprilia); 2. Haslam (Suzuki); 3. Haga (Ducati Xerox). Race 2 - 1. Biaggi (Aprilia); 2. Camier (Aprilia); 3. Crutchlow (Yamaha)

CLASSIFICATION: Riders ? 1. Biaggi (257); 2. Haslam (Suzuki) 242; 3. Rea (Honda) 151; 4. Checa (Ducati) 141; 5. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 135; 6. Toseland (Yamaha) 132; 7. Corser (BMW) 127; 8. Camier (Aprilia) 115; 9. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 107; 10. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 102
Manufacturers? Aprilia 263; Suzuki 252; Ducati 214; Honda 162; Yamaha 158; BMW 130; Kawasaki 45

 

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MILLER PARK, MONDAY, RACE

MILLER PARK, Monday, race Mixed emotions at the end of the Miller race weekend. On the one hand satisfaction with the team having demonstrated a pace equal to (or beyond?) that of the others, but on the other hand great disappointment, with Carlos Checa forced to retire from both races. Shane Byrne was back on form, taking nineteen valuable points home from this race weekend.

In Race 1, Carlos Checa was impeccable, making a great start that allowed him to quickly pass Biaggi and take the lead. Having held this lead for seventeen laps, in which he built a 1.6 second advantage over Max, the Spanish rider?s bike unexpectedly stopped due to an electronic problem, depriving Carlos of almost certain victory.

Race 2 sadly came to the same bitter end, when Carlos was leading with a two second advantage, again over Biaggi. During the eighth lap Checa retired from the race, with Ducati citing a mechanical problem.

""Everything went well: the work, the preparation, the performance, the passion, the race, the team?, said Carlos. ?Yet unfortunately the results did not come. It?s never happened before! We were strong and I will leave here with my head held high. I will immediately turn the page and concentrate on the upcoming tests in Misano and the next race, where I know we can do well. That?s racing??

Shane Byrne didn?t make a good start to Race 1 and was in last position on the second lap. From there the English rider started to push and lap by lap he gained, until reaching Luca Scassa on the final lap. Lapping with similar times to the frontrunners, Byrne got past the Italian to finish in sixth position. In Race 2 Shane was in eleventh position for a good part of the race and then, from mid-race, began to fight back, to eventually close in seventh place.

""The bike felt very good and I was happy with the set-up?, said Shane. ?I found that the level of grip varied between race 1 and race 2, it was better in the first. But I?ve taken some good points and this makes me more determined as we enter the second half of the Championship.?

Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea Racing declared, ""After the results seen in the sessions and, above all, the laps in which we led the races, we are of course disappointed with Carlos? results. However, as he himself said, we need to turn the page and once we understand the reasons for today?s events we will concentrate on preparing for Misano, where we can do well. Shane is continuing to improve and I believe that he too can be a main player at the Italian round. Our morale has taken a blow but Carlos? laps as race leader have given us confidence. There are going to be days like these in racing but we?ll be back and fighting at Misano.?

RACE 1
1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38?20.442 (161,26 kph) - 2. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 a 4.931 - 3 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R a 6.432 - 4. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory a 8.576 - 5. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR a 11.150 - 6. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R a 11.243... RET Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R

RACE 2
1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38?17.842 (161,442 kph) - 2. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 5.899 - 3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha R1 7.363 - 4. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 8.842 - 5. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 9.473 - 6. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 12.293 - 7. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 12.483... RET Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R

CHAMPIONSHIP:
1. Biaggi p. 257 - 2. Haslam p. 242 - 3. Rea p. 151 - 4. Checa p. 141 - 5. Haga p. 135 ... 12. Byrne p. 81

 

[KUCIAR666]

WSBK, THE MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK GP

ABSOLUTE VICTORY FOR APRILIA ALITALIA RACING TEAM ON AMERICAN SOIL
Max Biaggi is the new leader in the World Superbike rankings. He took the lead with his win in a race 2 (doubling the success of race 1) which was conducted to perfection and which, for the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team was triumphant thanks to Leon Camier's second place and the top spot in manufacturer standings.
At the start on the track at Miller Motorsports Park - Utah, the riders followed the same script as race 1: Carlos Checa (Ducati) courageously escaping and Biaggi chasing after him. Once again, the two gave the impression that they would be racing their own private race ahead of the pack. But a mechanical failure, this time in the seventh lap, again stole the scene from Checa. With the group already far behind and 2/3 of the race still to be run, Max set his course always keeping the pursuers at a distance thanks to a consistent fast pace and to excellent management of the advantage.

Over his shoulder Leon Camier battled first with Corser (BMW) and then with Crutchlow (Yamaha) to claw his way into second place, his second podium and best yet placing in World SBK. With this victory Biaggi passed Haslam (victim of a fall while battling somewhere around sixth place) at the top of the world standings. Max now has 257 points against the Suzuki rider's 242. And it doesn't stop there: the double win takes Aprilia to the top of manufacturer standings: 263 points for Aprilia against Suzuki's 252.

After celebratory embraces with the entire team, Max Biaggi commented: "Two fantastic races. Nothing more would need to be said. We set up the weekend well, working a lot to take best advantage of the potential of the RSV4 on this beautiful circuit. Again in race 2 Checa immediately set a frantic pace, but I had more of a feeling than in race 1, so I think that I would have played it out down to the end anyway. I managed the advantage well. I must be thankful because this double win is to the credit of the entire Team and the guys who work at Noale, who give me the best possible support. I think the American fans had a good time as well. Today is an important day for us, but my mind is already on the next round. To make it to the lead spot in the standings is extremely important, but there is still a long season ahead of us, so... we'll keep our feet on the ground".

Leon Camier, also honoured for his second place: "It couldn't have gone any better than this. I rode a second race which was pushed to the maximum. The modifications to my RSV4 worked. Max had a better pace, so my goal is to keep working and growing so that I can stay up front. A double victory is always something magic, particularly this one which is the first for Aprilia. I hope I can give more of this kind of excitement to both the fans and the entire Team".

Gigi Dall'Igna, technical and sport director of Aprilia Racing: "The first double victory in the new Aprilia SBK adventure takes on even more significance because it comes just a year and a half after the d?but of our RSV4. I cannot help but thank all of the people involved in this project. Taking two bikes ahead of everybody, ahead of very strong adversaries and manufacturers with so much experience in this championship makes us very hopeful for the rest of the season even though the World championship is still long and difficult".

Finishing order ? Race 2

1st ? M. Biaggi (Aprilia) - 38'17.842
2nd ? L. Camier (Aprilia) - 38'23.741
3rd ? C. Crutchlow (Yamaha) - 38'25.205
4th ? N. Haga (Ducati) - 38'26.684
5th ? Corser (BMW) - 38'27.315

MAX BIAGGI WINS RACE 1 IN THE USA WORLD SUPERBIKE ROUND. AN EXCELLENT FOURTH PLACE FOR LEON CAMIER COMPLETES THE GREAT RACE RUN BY THE APRILIA ALITALIA RACING TEAM RSV4's
Victory! Max Biaggi rides his Aprilia RSV4 to the highest step of the podium in race 1 of the American WSBK round.
Right from the start on the Miller Motorsport (Utah) circuit, the race took life from the flight of Biaggi and Checa (Ducati). The first two in the starting grid confirmed their superior pace in the race and took off, losing the rest of the group. At the beginning Max Biaggi conducted the show and then, moving into the front, Checa looked like he was going to control the race, but in the 18th of 21 laps, the Spaniard was forced to give it up because of a break down which left the coast clear for Biaggi's Aprilia No. 3.
And so Max achieves his fifth victory this season and gains 5 points on Haslam (in second place today more than four seconds behind) closing in just 10 lengths from the top of the championships (242 vs 232).

Leon Camier was a key player in the race and ended with an excellent fourth place after defending the third step of the podium for a long time. The young Britain, who on this occasion again had the handicap of beginning on a track that he didn't know, continues to grow at a great pace.

Biaggi, happy about his victory and widely acclaimed by the American fans with whom he is so popular, commented: "We had a bit of luck, it's true, but I can't help but be happy about our results. Happy for me, for the guys on the Team and for Aprilia which, with a new bike, is allowing me to do truly well. Even the crowd deserves it. There are a lot of bike fans and a lot of my fans here in America.
We have a good pace - we knew that from practice - and we maintained it in the race. At a certain point Checa was riding faster and for this reason we'll need to work out some modifications for race2 in order to improve even more and be competitive down to the last lap. 5 points recovered in the championship are important. Now we need to stay focused and bring the best possible home, always".

Finishing order
1, M. Biaggi (Aprilia) - 38'20.442
2, L. Haslam (Suzuki) - 38'25.373
3, N. Haga (Ducati) - 38'26.874
4, L. Camier (Aprilia) - 38'29.018
5, T. Corser (BMW) - 38'31.592

 

[KUCIAR666]

Leon takes a superb podium in race one. Sylvain's best performance since Round 1

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam suffered the ups and downs of racing in the seventh round of this year?s Superbike World Championship at the Miller Motorsports Park today. He took a hard-fought for runner-up sport in the first race and then had battled up to sixth place in race two after a poor start, but was then highsided from his GSX-R1000 and crashed out of the race.

He got a lift back to the pits and then went to the Clinica Mobile where he had seventeen stitches put into his left arm just above his elbow. Fortunately he suffered no other injuries and will be fit for the next round in Misano towards the end of June.
His team mate Sylvain Guintoli had his best raceday of the year since the opening round in Australia back in February. He battled for eighth in race one and then took a superb sixth in race two.
Carlos Checa (Ducati) should have won both races today, but two retirements when he had been comfortably in the lead, ruined the Spaniard?s hopes of glory. Checa?s misfortune was Max Biaggi?s gain. Once Checa pulled out, the Italian was able to race to the flag unchallenged and take his third double of the season and leapfrog Leon in the standings.

Leon - Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: DNF

Obviously I am very disappointed how the day ended. Crashing out is bad enough, but losing the championship lead is another. I always knew that today was going to be very hard and the races proved that. I was fortunate to get second place in race one and unfortunate to crash in race two. Carlos (Checa) should?ve won both races and I feel a bit sorry for him. He had led both, but then had to pull out. As a result, Max got lucky, but racing is like that sometimes.
I didn?t make particularly good starts today and maybe that caused some of the problems. In race one, I was right behind Jakub (Smrz) when his Ducati blew up. I and the front of my Suzuki got covered in oil and I tried to use a different line to him so that I wouldn?t crash on his oil. I think I was stuck behind him for over a lap, but luckily he pulled off the track and I was able to get my head down and chase after the leaders. I moved through the field and got into third and happy with that until Carlos stopped and I was gifted second.
I was tenth at the end of the first lap in race two and once again I had a lot of work to do to catch the leaders. I managed to get up to sixth after seven laps, but then the bike suddenly let go at one of the hairpins and I was highsided. I had a load of stitches put into my left arm, just above the elbow, but I will be OK for Misano.

Sylvain - Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 6th

Today was a much better day for me and I am happy because I think I managed to find a good rhythm and race pace - all this on my first time at this track. I had some little clutch problems in race one and starting from way down the grid is never easy, so I don?t think eighth was too bad considering. My pace in the second race was a lot better and I enjoyed fighting with the other riders as I moved up the field. Today was my best result since Australia and it?s about time I got back to being competitive. Now I want to build on this, keep up the good work and push hard right from the first practice in the next round and so be in a better place on the grid at the start of raceday.

Results

Race 1: 1 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 3 Haga (JPN-Ducati), 4 Camier (GBR-Aprilia), 5 Corser (AUS-BMW), 6 Byrne (GBR-Ducati), 8 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare),
Race 2: 1 Biaggi, 2 Camier, 3 Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha), 4 Haga, 5 Corser, 6 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare), Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) DNF,

Points: 1 Biaggi 242, 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 232, 3 Rea 143, 4 Checa 141, 5 Toseland 132, 6 Haga 122, 11 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 95,