WSBK Valencia

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Rea and Neukirchner seek Spanish success

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner are in Valencia in Spain for this weekend?s (9-11 April) third round 2010 Hannspree World Superbike championship meeting aiming for an improvement in recent results.

In spite of demonstrating his undoubted pace in both qualifying and race conditions, Rea has a solitary podium to his name from the four races to date this season. The 23-year-old finished third last time out at Portimao in Portugal but that was followed by retirement from the second race whilst in a leading position.

The Northern Ireland rider is philosophical about the relative lack of high-scoring finishes and has declared himself excited about continuing the work at Valencia?s 4km Ricardo Tormo circuit. He crashed out of race one there last season and finished 13th in the second outing; however, the meeting marked a turnaround in Rea?s season and was followed by a string of top five finishes for the then SBK rookie.

Max Neukirchner?s form at Valencia has been impressive in recent seasons, although a likely victory was snatched from him on the final corner of race one in 2008, when another rider ran into the German, ruling him out of contention for the second race as well.

Neukirchner was on the podium there last year, but his 2010 results have been frustrating for him and his team in the two rounds to date. His crew has been looking for a stable balance for his Honda CBR1000RR that will allow him to brake later into corners and, despite rain at a test in Portimao last week, Neukirchner feels that some progress was made.

Jonathan Rea

Valencia is a circuit that I?ve never really gone well at but we had a decent test there last December. It?s going to be really interesting to roll out the new electronics package that we tested after the races at Portimao last week ? I?m excited because they felt pretty good in the test and I?m intrigued to see how they go at Valencia. The start to the season has been OK, apart from that technical problem we had last time out. I?ve been getting steady points so far, but now we need to be at the front. Luck has to fall in our favour sometime, so hopefully it?ll be at Valencia.

Max Neukirchner

After the disappointing results at Portimao I actually felt OK and was looking forward to a full day?s test on the Monday, but the rain stopped the work we wanted to do. We found something but didn?t really have enough dry time to develop it any further. But it was in a completely different direction to what we had on the Sunday and I felt pretty comfortable with it and I was able to go faster on old tyres. We?ll try some more at Valencia and then we have a test at Assen after the races. I?ve had some long conversations with my team about how to find that basic balance for the bike. It has not been easy but I know how hard everyone is working to find it. I was on the podium last year at Valencia and I nearly won a race there in 2008, so I hope to be fighting at the front again this weekend.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

The extra day?s testing at Portimao gave us just enough time to figure out some completely new chassis settings with Max, which we hope will help him to get back to the front of the field. Jonathan will start the weekend in Valencia with one machine carrying the new electronics system because everything felt positive at Portimao. We still have to confirm some things on Friday so we?ll test both systems back to back. All in all we?re hoping for a weekend without any bad luck since Jonathan has clearly shown that he has the speed in him. Because of some misfortune so far, we haven?t been able to achieve the thing that we come here for, which is winning races.

Ten Kate Supersport back for more at Valencia

After a thoroughly satisfactory result two weeks ago at Portimao in Portugal, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo of Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro head for Valencia in Spain this weekend (9-11 April) for round three of the 2010 World Supersport championship.

For Sofuoglu, champion with the team in 2007, Portimao was a return to winning ways and a visit to the top step of the podium for the first time since Imola last September ? his third and final win of 2009.

Victory in Portimao extended the Turkish rider?s record number of World Supersport championship wins to 15, which includes victory at the 4km Valencia circuit in 2007. Sofuoglu will be looking to add to that after finishing third in last season?s race.

For Pirro, third place at Portimao ? his first World Supersport podium ? was a just reward after threatening more established riders at the season opener at Phillip Island, Australia. Despite a front row starting position there, fate conspired against the 23-year-old Italian, who was forced out of the race from a leading position. Pirro will consequently be looking for more podium success this weekend, after scoring seventh place at Valencia last year.

Kenan Sofuoglu

I was so happy to win the race at Portimao, and it was good to give something back to my team who have worked so hard since last season to make the CBR600RR a winning bike again. We weren?t able to do much work at the test at Portimao because of the rain but I am very comfortable on the bike and able to push hard. I was on the podium last year at Valencia, but it was a difficult race for us. This year I will try to reach the top step again.

Michele Pirro

My first World Supersport podium at Portimao was a dream for me. Since I joined this fantastic team at the end of last season, I have known that it is possible, but in Australia we had two races and two pieces of bad luck. Everything went OK in Portimao and now I want to aim for higher positions in every race and I hope to do that in Valencia this weekend.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

We were very happy with the results from Portimao and getting both riders on the podium shows how we have put a very difficult 2009 season behind us. We still have quite some ideas to even further improve the Honda CBR600RR machinery so we will continue the hard work at Valencia.

 

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Crutchlow and Toseland get set for round three in Valencia

After an exciting second round in Portimao which saw both Yamaha Sterilgarda WSB riders make good progress on their bike set up and development, the team are now gearing up for round three in Valencia this weekend. Moving forward from a difficult first round in Australia, round two saw big improvements in the 2010 bike with both riders making good use of the increased power available. Crutchlow caught the attention of the paddock, impressing with a new Best Lap record in Superpole, knocking nearly half a second off last year's time set by Ben Spies. The 25yr old British rider also took the first podium finish of the year for the team in the second race. Team-mate James Toseland made up for a less than perfect grid start position in both races, starting from 15th he pushed hard to break the top ten, delivering a 7th and then a 6th place finish.

The Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia is known to both riders, and with Toseland getting back to full fitness as his hand recovers, the weekend has the potential to deliver great results for the team.

"After my podium at Portimao I'm keen to get to Valencia," said Cal Crutchlow. I think we can continue our good streak. I don't know how the bike will be there as we used the 2009 bike in our winter test but I'm optimistic. Lots of the teams have tested there recently so we've got some work to do, but hopefully we'll be up there and have a good result."

"We've made massive improvements from Australia to Portugal," said James Toseland, "which obviously the podium from Cal proved. The second race in Portimao was particularly good for me, I had a really good race pace but couldn't get to front which was disappointing as I started from too far back. The Valencia test went well in the winter and I've done a lot on the Spanish track compared to Portugal so I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting stuck in, being able to concentrate on the bike set up without having the added focus of learning the circuit."

Valencia technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief
"Valencia is one of the WSB circuits with the most stadium character, the track is flat and has some banked corners. The track conditions vary a lot so it is never certain what it will be. The infield is technical and physical for the riders, the last corner is particularly hard for the tyres over race distance so the track is more difficult than it appears. We made some adjustments to the bike in Portimao which Cal really liked, adding weight to the rear to improve the balance for him. We hope that we can find some new improvements again for the coming round."

Valencia technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief
"We had a successful test over the winter. We have continued to work extremely hard since Portimao to continue improving the electronics on the bike. Valencia is a very challenging circuit, a good front fork setting is important, and a good handling bike, as a lot of corners link together. We will start on a very similar setting to race two in Portimao, with the biggest change coming from a new electronic strategy for corner exit. James will be one step closer to full fitness, and hopefully with another step of improvement from the bike, we can be challenging at the front!"

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"Our test at Valencia over the winter went well. Following Portimao we will bring some more electronic updates for the bikes to the Spanish circuit in order to continue the progress we made from the first two rounds and be as competitive as possible. The electronics are our focus for development at the moment so these updates will include new maps for both James and Cal. Unfortunately the time is very short between these races but I am confident that we will get more improvements this weekend again."

 

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THE DUCATI XEROX SQUAD TO GET BACK ON TRACK AT VALENCIA

Bologna (Italy), Tuesday 6th April: So far the Superbike circus has been half way around the world to Australia and back, to Portimao. Valencia is the third of the thirteen Superbike rounds and Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio will be back on board their 1198 bikes, ready to fight back and regain the ground they lost recently at Portimao.

After having successfully scored three podiums in Phillip Island, the Ducati Xerox Team unfortunately experienced a more difficult race weekend at Portimao just over a week ago. Factory riders Noriyuki and Michel had to contend with starting from the fifth row of the grid and although both battled hard throughout the races to recuperate, it was always going to be hard to reach the podium places. The two races panned out in a similar way, with Haga and Fabrizio replicating in Race 2 the eighth and eleventh place finishes they had scored respectively in the first race.

Now focus turns to Spain. This is the eleventh consecutive year since its inauguration in 1999 that Valencia, the shortest track on the calendar at just 4005 metres in length, hosts a World Superbike event. Last year at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Noriyuki, on his eighth outing at this track, stormed to victory in both races, smashing the long-standing lap record in the process, followed by team-mate Michel who closed in second and third, his first podium successes at this particular track. Noriyuki has a good history here, having scored 10 podium finishes over 16 races, 5 of which were race wins.

Michel Fabrizio (4th in championship, 46 points)

Michel?s first Superbike podiums at this track were attained just last year when he picked up a solid second and third place finish on his 1198.

?Last year I had to battle hard against Spies and Laconi for the podium places but we were happy with the results, especially as my previous performances here were far from great! We made a strong start at Phillip Island a few weeks ago but then Portimao didn?t go according to plan and I didn?t make the points that I?d hoped to. Having said that, we?re still near the beginning of a long season and Valencia is one of the tracks where I was on the podium twice last year so I?m confident that we?ll be back on top in Spain.?

Fabrizio?s Superbike form at Valencia:
2009: Race 1 ? 2nd, Race 2 ? 3rd
2008: Race 1 - DNF, Race 2 ? 13th
2007: Race 1 ? 7th, Race 2 ? 11th
2006: Race 1 ? 13th , Race 2 ? 10th


Noriyuki Haga (5th in championship, 43 points)

Noriyuki did the double on his Ducati 1198 at the Spanish track last year and has also won races in 2008, 2004 and 2000, success that he hopes can be repeated again this year.

?I had a great weekend at Valencia last year and scored the perfect results, it was my first double win at this track and of course I?d love to do that again this season! We need to make up ground that we lost at Portimao so from Valencia onwards we?ll be back on track and aiming for race wins! I?m confident that me and my technicians will come up with a good race set-up that will allow me to fight at the front.?

Haga?s Superbike form at Valencia:
2009: Race 1 ? winner, Race 2 - winner
2008: Race 1 - DNF , Race 2 - winner
2007: Race 1 ? 2nd, Race 2 ? 3rd
2006: Race 1 ? 5th, Race 2 ? 5th
2005: Race 1 ? 5th , Race 2 ? 4th
2004: Race 1 - DNF, Race 2 - winner
2002: Race 1 ? 2nd, Race 2 ? 2nd
2000: Race 1 ? 3rd , Race 2 ? winner

CIRCUIT DATA:

Name: Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo
Country: Spain
Circuit length: 4.005 km
Pole position: Right
Corners left: 9
Corners right: 5
Length of race: 23 laps / 92.115 km

LAP RECORDS: Best lap: Haga (Ducati Xerox), 1'34.618 (2009). Superpole: Spies (Yamaha), 1'33.270 (2009).

2009 RESULTS: RACE 1: 1. Haga (Ducati Xerox); 2. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox); 3. Neukirchner (Suzuki) RACE 2: 1. Haga (Ducati Xerox); 2. Spies (Yamaha); 3. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox)

 

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BMW Motorrad Motorsport ready for Valencia challenge

With two rounds of the Superbike World Championship already done and dusted, BMW Motorrad Motorsport is looking forwards to a return to the Valencia circuit in Spain, where round three of the 2010 series takes place over the weekend of 9-11 April.

Having tested there last month, both factory riders are looking forwards to returning to the popular venue which always provides exciting racing. As one of only two Spaniards in the permanent WSBK line-up (the other being Carlos Checa) Ruben Xaus is determined to put in a good performance at his home circuit and especially in front of his fans, who are arguably the most passionate supporters of motorcycle racing anywhere in the world.

?The S 1000 RR feels good and we are not far away from the top guys,? said Ruben, who enjoyed a victory at Valencia in 2007 and is determined to return to the top step of the podium again. ?We just need to find that half second from somewhere and then I know we can challenge for the front. We also need to fine-tune the settings we have now and then I know we can do better ? whichever racetrack we go to. Obviously Valencia is my home round and I am looking forward to going there, as we have tested there recently and posted some pretty good lap times so yes I am confident, it is just a case of doing the times consistently over a race distance. Once we find the rhythm with the BMW S 1000 RR anything is possible.?

Team-mate Troy Corser has also enjoyed considerable success at the 4.005 km track, which runs in an anti-clockwise direction. The experienced Australian has won five times there before ? more than any other WSBK rider ? and is hoping that the recent issues with grip that the team encountered in Portimao will be sorted for the forthcoming round at the Spanish circuit.

?Considering the slight issues I had in Portimao with maintaining grip levels over full race distance I am still relatively happy with the bike and I am feeling confident at the moment,? said Troy, who will be spending most of the time on the S 1000 RR at Valencia in second and third gear, due to its short straights and many tight corners.

?When we have the grip we require we can run with the front guys and do the lap times, but we just need to understand what we need to do to make the bike work for longer. The times are so close this year, so to be running at the front you need your bike to be working perfectly ? you cannot be fighting it, as there are only tenths of a second separating the top six, so consistency is key. We are not far away and hopefully we will continue to learn and improve, I?m sure we will.?

Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Berti Hauser is looking forward to the challenges ahead and making sure the team continues its progression in this truly competitive series.

?I?m more and more happy with what Troy and Ruben can deliver with our bike, we just need to work together as hard as possible in the team to get the bike working exactly how we want in terms of chassis settings and tyre usage, and then we will be able to push at the front for longer. The racing in World Superbikes this year is extremely tough and very close, probably more tough than last year, so we just have to be patient and the results will come. For sure, we will do the utmost inside the team to ensure solving certain technical issues and then we can progress step by step. The bike for sure has the potential, now we have to find it out and to bring that potential on the track ? starting with Valencia as well as the other upcoming rounds.?

 

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Rea and Neukirchner with work to do in Spain

Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner finished in 13th and 16th places respectively in today?s first qualifying session at Valencia in Spain in preparation for Sunday?s two third round World Superbike championship races.

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo were unable to match the times they set during a pre-season test at the twisty 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit last December as local rider, Carlos Checa, took the provisional pole position.

Rea and Neukirchner go straight into the second qualifying session tomorrow morning at 10.45 before a 45-minute free practice ahead of Superpole, which will determine final grid positions for Sunday?s two 23-lap races.

Jonathan Rea ? P13

We?ve had some issues today and a few things have gone wrong and conspired against us. However, we can see that all the problems with the bike point to the same sort of area, which is the overall balance, and we need to put some more weight on the front to help with the steering. Of course, I?m disappointed to be where I am and we?ve got to find some time to close the gap to the guys at the front. It?s not going to be easy, but we?ll work through it and come back tomorrow morning with a fresh approach.

Max Neukirchner ? P16

OK, so I?m back in 16th, but at least the problems we had today are not as bad as they were at Portimao. I had some chatter problems this afternoon and it?s difficult to hold a line and speed going into and through the corners. The exit is OK though, and we?re following a certain direction that is improving things ? they are just not improving fast enough at the moment.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

I think it?s safe to say that we are disappointed with these initial qualifying results today. We need to make quite some changes for both riders in order to contest for decent grid positions tomorrow.

2010 World Superbike championship ? round 3
Valencia, Spain (4.005km) ? first qualifying results:
1. Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati 1?34.220s
2. Jakub Smrz (CZE) Ducati 1?34.503s
3. Shane Byrne (GBR) Ducati 1?34.690s
4. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia 1?34.771s
13. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?35.232s
16. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?35.555s

Pirro third in opening qualifying at Valencia

Michele Pirro set the third fastest time in this afternoon?s first qualifying session at Valencia in Spain for round three of the 2010 World Supersport championship. His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu, was seventh fastest today as Japan?s Katsuaki Fujiwara set the provisional pole position pace.

Pirro scored his debut World Supersport podium last time out at Portimao in Portugal and is confident of improvement in tomorrow?s second qualifying session to set the final grid for Sunday?s 23-lap race at the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Sofuoglu meanwhile, who fired his Honda CBR600RR to victory in Portugal, is determined to retain his current championship lead after Sunday?s race, although the Turkish rider admitted to disappointment at today?s qualifying result.

Michele Pirro ? P3

Today has been very difficult and I have not had a very good feeling from the chassis. My position is not so bad, I guess, and the gap to the Kawasakis is not too big ? especially after they tested here last week. We have a plan for the direction we need to take tomorrow and I am sure we can improve some more.

Kenan Sofuoglu ? P7

The result from today is not really very good. We began with the same set up that we used in our test here last December but it did not work. The grip levels have changed since then and the rear of the bike was much too hard. I had a real problem with rear grip today but we have a good plan for tomorrow to change things.

Ronald ten Kate - team manager

The settings that we used for our winter test here at Valencia, which gave us lap times in the low 1?36s bracket, don?t seem to be working this weekend. Towards the end of the session we definitely started to find a direction but we need to find something more tomorrow. That first session in the morning will be kind of crucial for the remainder of the weekend.

2010 World Supersport championship ? round three
Valencia, Spain (4.005km) ? first qualifying results:
1 Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN) Kawasaki 1'36.319s
2 Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki 1'36.585s
3 Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1'36.709s
4 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 1'36.778s
7 Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1'37.532s

 

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ENCOURAGING RESULTS FOR THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM ON DAY ONE AT VALENCIA

Valencia (Spain), Friday 9th April: The Ducati Xerox Team got back to work today as the third round of the World Superbike Championship opened at Valencia and the two Ducati factory riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio are very keen to fight for the podium places this weekend in Spain.

In the first few minutes of the free practice session, which took place in the early afternoon in warm, sunny conditions, Michel was unfortunately victim of a crash at the first corner. Unhurt, he was able to get back out on track on his second bike just minutes later and was able to find good pace and put together several fast laps in the final stages, registering the second fastest time of the session in the process, just one tenth off Carlos Checa?s pace. Team-mate Noriyuki made gradual progress throughout the sixty-minute session, using the harder tyre solution and concluding with the eighth fastest time.

Later, in the first qualifying session, and with a track temperature of approximately 33?C, Nori and his technicians concentrating on tyre testing, carrying out a long run with very encouraging results. By the end of the session Noriyuki had set the seventh fastest time, just a tenth slower than his team-mate Michel, in sixth. In the final minutes Michel, pushing hard to lower his time, lost the front and fell, but without injuring himself. Michel states that he is still experiencing problems with the front of his 1198 but was nevertheless able to set a fast time to take the sixth slot on today?s timesheets.

Michel Fabrizio 1m34.8s
?I still have a problem with the front of the bike, and this was what caused me to fall this afternoon. Having said that, the feeling I have with the bike was better now that it was in the free practice earlier. There?s still more to do and my team will work to find a good solution for me this evening so that we can try to improve tomorrow. I?m not totally at ease but I was able to make a few fast laps, especially on used tyres. I hope we can improve further tomorrow.?

Noriyuki Haga 1m34.9s
?We started today with the setting that we had worked with during the last tests here, also using the tyre that worked best for us during those January sessions and, although the track conditions were not great today, I think that tyre will last the race distance. This afternoon I also did an endurance run of fourteen laps with the same tyre and it held up well. We need to make a few more modifications to refine the set-up of my 1198 but I?m confident we can perform better tomorrow.?

TIMES: 1. Checa (Ducati) 1m34.2s; 2. Smrz (Ducati) 1m34.5s; 3. Byrne (Ducati) 1m34.6s; 4. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1m34.7s; 5. Haslam (Suzuki) 1m34.7s; 6. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.8s, 7. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.9s; 8. Lanzi (Ducati) 1m35.0s?

 

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Tough start for Yamaha in Valencia

It wasn’t the easiest start to the Spanish race weekend for Yamaha Sterilgarda riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland today. The unforgiving Ricardo Tormo circuit proved challenging for both British riders with low grip on the track surface. Crutchlow made several changes to the bike during the qualifying session, leaving little time for an unbroken run to fully test the changes, ending the heat in ninth. Team-mate James Toseland had found a set-up to test, but then suffered a small crash as he settled in for some quick laps at the end of the session. Although uninjured and able to continue, it left not enough time to improve on his 12th place time.


Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1’35.052)
“Today wasn’t easy. We made good progress up to Portimao, unfortunately we are now at a track with much less grip which makes it again more difficult for us. Hopefully we can make improvements over the evening and into tomorrow. I look forward to getting started again in the morning and seeing how it goes.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (12th, 1’35.203)
“A frustrating session for me today. I’d just put the softer tyre in at the end of the session, I came out of turn one really well but unfortunately I got my finger stuck under the brake lever and couldn’t stop in time. I only just got the bike stopped right up by the barrier and then tipped it over. Luckily no damage to me or the bike so I got back on but by the time I’d cleaned all the dirt off them the performance of them had just dropped slightly. I was three tenths quicker than this morning and the time was there to be had but I ran out of time, frustrating as it was my error. We’ve got a lot of information from today so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“A difficult day, but it seems for many of the 4 cylinder machines it wasn’t easy to get good grip here. With chassis set up changes and adjustments in the electronics area we hope to improve this for tomorrow and also help to reduce tyre wear. I’m confident we will be more competitive tomorrow in the next session.”

2010 WSB Spain - Valencia 09/04/2010
Qualifying 1
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'34.220
2 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'34.502
3 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'34.690
4 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'34.771
5 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'34.780
6 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'34.886
7 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'34.935
8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'35.049
9 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'35.052
10 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'35.132
11 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 1'35.189
12 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'35.203
13 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'35.232
14 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'35.279
15 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1'35.467

 

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Corser fifth fastest at Valencia Superpole!

2010 Superbike World Championship, round three Superpole qualifying report, Valencia, Spain

This weekend?s third round of the Superbike Bike World Championship got off to a flying start with a tremendously exciting Superpole qualifying session at the Valencia circuit in Spain. After making it through all three Superpole sessions, BMW Motorrad Motorsport?s Troy Corser will start on the second row of the grid in fifth place, while team-mate Ruben Xaus will start on row five.

Having spent the early timed practice and qualifying sessions working on set-up and comparing race compounds, as well as trying new traction control software, both riders knew that times would be fast and close at the Spanish circuit, as the top 17 riders were within just 0.7 second of each other after the end of timed qualifying. Unfortunately for Ruben Xaus, he was pushed down to 17th place in the dying seconds of Superpole 1 and therefore couldn?t progress any further.

For the start of Superpole 2, a determined Troy Corser stuck in a super-sticky qualifying tyre and on his first flying lap, posted a fantastic lap of 1:33.986 ? the first rider to dip under 1:34 and good enough for provisional pole position on the S 1000 RR. The five-times Valencia race winner was satisfied that this lap time would see him through to Superpole 3 ? which it did, although the remaining eight riders who went through were separated by just four tenths of a second.

In Superpole 3, Troy?s first flying lap saw him post an impressive 1:34.059, but without any more qualifiers in reserve, he knew that he couldn?t go any faster. However, only four riders were able to beat his lap time, meaning that although he would have loved a front row start on the S 1000 RR, heading up the second row at Valencia is the next best place to be.

Troy Corser: ?I am looking forward to tomorrow for sure. What is important is a good start, especially here at Valencia. If I can get away with the guys at the front from the start then we definitely have a good chance. The bike feels fast, it?s working well on race tyres with the new electronic software so I am really confident. A lot depends on the start; if you lose sight of the front guys early on you won?t catch them. My starts have been good so far this year so I am confident for the races tomorrow.?

Ruben Xaus: ?I am working really hard. I am trying to do my best like I always do but we have struggled for pace all weekend. The times are really tight this weekend just like they have been all year. This really shows how competitive the championship is this year, but I am looking forward to tomorrow. If we can improve on the first sector and manage the tyre in the race we can be up there. I am optimistic that I can get in the top ten tomorrow.?

Davide Tardozzi ? Team Manager ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport: ?It?s the best position on the grid this year for BMW, and we only just missed the first row by a tenth of a second which just shows how tight the racing is this year. But everyone can see that were are growing and growing with every weekend so I am happy for that. We will just have to wait and see what the races bring tomorrow, but I am confident?

 

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Spanish second row for Rea

Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow?s two third round World Superbike championship races from the second row of the grid after setting the seventh fastest time in today?s Superpole 3 at Valencia in Spain.

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, was unable to progress from Superpole 1 today, and will start from the fourth row, as Britain?s Cal Crutchlow set the pole position time.

After being a second off the pace yesterday, Rea?s crew made some small changes to his Honda CBR1000RR to enable him to set the fourth fastest time of the day in Superpole 2. However, having used both of his qualifying tyres in the first two sessions the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland, had to revert to race tyres in Superpole 3.

Despite his starting position, Neukirchner remains positive about the progression made by his team since yesterday?s opening session. The German suffered a mechanical problem in Superpole but is looking forward to tomorrow?s two 23-lap races at the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Jonathan Rea ? P7, 1'33.733s

A bit of bad Superpole timing again as I think my Superpole 2 time would?ve put me on the front row. I was trying really hard in Superpole 3 and got really good drive out of the final corner, but I braked in the usual place and it was a bit late so I had to abort the lap. I?m actually a lot happier now because we were miles away yesterday and now we?re near the front and pretty quick on the race tyre. I?m happier with the circuit, too, where I?ve never had good results. It was a confidence thing and I?ve attacked it in methodical steps this weekend so I?m really looking forward to racing tomorrow. I?d like to thank Ronald and the team for helping me as much off the bike as on it, and I?d like to reward them with a couple of really good results tomorrow.

Max Neukirchner ? P16, 1?34.934s

This morning was not so bad and we were able to make some good progress forward. This afternoon, even though the grip levels were down in free practice because of the higher track temperature, we were still finding a way forward and I am feeling a lot more comfortable pushing harder on the bike. The first Superpole went OK but then I had a mechanical problem and had to go out on my spare bike. The settings were a little bit different and I couldn?t go any faster. The weekend has been positive so far and we?ll try to make more progress in warm-up and in the races tomorrow.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

We really needed quite a step forward after yesterday?s problems and we found that in both lap times and position with Jonathan today. He managed one of the quickest times of the day in Superpole 2 and I believe he will be challenging for podiums tomorrow. I?m sorry for Max that he had a mechanical problem in Superpole but we are definitely finding a way forward with him. We?ll aim to help him to two solid points finishes in the races.

2010 World Superbike championship ? round three
Valencia, Spain (4.005km) ? final qualifying results:
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1?33.615s
2. Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati 1?33.611s
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia 1?33.712s
4. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki 1?33.927s
5. Troy Corser (AUS) BMW 1?33.986s
6. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Suzuki 1?33.826s
7. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?33.733s
8. Lorenzo Lanzi (ITA) Ducati 1?33.987s
16. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?34.934s

Sofuoglu happy with Valencia front row

Kenan Sofuoglu set the third fastest time in this afternoon?s second qualifying session, taking a prized front row slot for tomorrow?s third round World Supersport championship race at Valencia in Spain.

Pole position was set by Honda?s Eugene Laverty as Sofuoglu?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, struggled to repeat his own third place performance from yesterday. The Italian will start from the second row, having set the eighth fastest time.

Fresh from his victory at Portimao in Portugal last time out, Sofuoglu set the fastest time in this morning?s free practice, but changes in track conditions with higher temperatures in the afternoon, affected grip levels with his Honda CBR600RR.

Pirro scored his debut World Supersport podium at the last round, but the 23-year-old acknowledges that more work will be required overnight if he is to challenge for a top position in tomorrow?s 23-lap race around the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Kenan Sofuoglu ? P3, 1?36.002s

I?m very happy, even though I was held up by some slower riders at the end of the qualifying session. My aim was to get a front row start and that is what we achieved today. Yesterday was very difficult and we changed a lot on the bike, which allowed me to be the fastest in practice this morning. This afternoon I found it easy to do fast laps so I am confident for the race tomorrow. It will be a big fight with the Kawasakis and Laverty, but I know that my bike is good enough to win.

Michele Pirro ? P8, 1?36.593s

Today was very difficult for me and we couldn?t find the right set-up for the bike. It?s hard to say where the problems are so we will need to have a look at the data and a long talk tonight with the technical guys to make a plan and find a way for tomorrow. If we had to race now, I would find it very difficult and we are struggling even to match the times from the winter test. But tomorrow is another day and we will use warm-up to try some new ideas. Then I will do my best in the race to repeat the result from last time.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

Of course, our mission for today was to have both riders on the front row for tomorrow?s race. The plan has half worked but setting up the CBR600RR around the circuit here is quite a difficult job. The track conditions change from one session to the next because of the changes in temperature. But we?ve closed the gap to the front runners and we?re looking forward to some good, close racing tomorrow.

2010 World Supersport championship ? round three
Valencia, Spain (4.005km) ? final qualifying results:
1 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 1?35.658s
2 Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki 1?35.740s
3 Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?36.002s
4 Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN) Kawasaki 1?36.15s
5 David Salom (ESP) Triumph 1?36.252s
6 Chaz Davies (GBR) Triumph 1?36.291s
7 Fabien Foret (FRA) Kawasaki 1?36.593s
8 Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?36.593s

 

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FABRIZIO AND HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) CONFIDENT AHEAD OF TOMORROW'S RACES AT VALENCIA

Valencia (Spain), Saturday 10th April: At the end of an extremely hard-fought Superpole, in which riders were separated my mere thousandths of a second, Ducati Xerox riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga secured places on the third row of tomorrow?s grid, Michel in tenth and Nori in eleventh.

This morning?s second qualifying took place on a cooler track with respect to yesterday afternoon?s first session, and both Michel and Noriyuki were able to drop their times by about half a second each. By the end of the session every Superbike rider, except Carlos Checa, had improved on their best time set yesterday and the first eleven riders closed within two tenths of a second of each other, highlighting just how close the competition is this season. The two Ducati Xerox riders both picked up their pace towards the end of the 45-minute session to close the morning in fifth (Michel) and sixth (Nori) position, which converted to sixth and seventh respectively in the combined qualifying timesheets.

In the Superpole both Haga and Fabrizio made a first exit on a race tyre but seeing as the first eleven riders were within half a second of each other the two Ducati Xerox riders needed to make a second exit, both choosing to use a qualifier. In the final minutes it became clearer as to the final outcome and Nori?s technicians recalled him to the garage, realizing there was no need to make further laps. Michel, more at risk, made a flying lap and concluded the first Superpole phase with the fastest time. For the second phase, both riders continued with the used qualifiers from the previous session but, needing to further improve their respective times, both therefore made a second exit, on new qualifiers, and registered fast times, Michel 1?34.0 and Haga 1?34.1 despite a problem with his seat. Unfortunately both riders were pushed out of the first eight by about a tenth of a second and the Ducati Xerox pair will therefore line up on the third row of the grid tomorrow, with Michel in tenth position and Noriyuki in eleventh.

Michel Fabrizio
?It feels like we?re on the limit and today I found it very hard to make fast lap times. The important thing I guess is that we have a good race pace, this morning I was able to make quite a few laps with consistently fast times. Of course this is not the result I hoped for from Superpole, also because starting from the third row at this particular track will be far from easy. We?re all so close this weekend, separated by just a couple of tenths of a second, so tomorrow I know it?ll be hard but I?ll try my best.?

Noriyuki Haga
?In today?s Superpole the first qualifier didn?t help me too much. The second was much better but while making a fast lap with that tyre, I had a problem with my seat which was moving around so it was hard to concentrate and I finished the second Superpole session one tenth of a second too slow. Anyway, we have a good race pace so tomorrow we just have to see how the races go. I?m fairly confident as we have a good race package, having also made a nice long run yesterday. Of course I need to make a strong start but I?m fairly sure I can do that.?

TIMES (Superpole): 1. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1m33.6s; 2. Checa (Ducati) 1m33.8s; 3. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1m33.8s; 4. Haslam (Suzuki) 1m33.9s; 5. Corser (BMW) 1m34.0s; 6. Guintoli (Suzuki) 1m31.6s; 7. Rea (Honda) 1m34.2s; 8. Lanzi (Ducati) 1m34.2s

 

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Superb front row for Leon, Sylvain just behind!

10/04/2010 9:52 pm

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam ended final qualifying and Superpole today with the fourth quickest time and will start tomorrow?s pair of 23-lap races from the front row.

Practice and qualifying at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo had been intense and at one stage the top eighteen riders were separated by less than a second! Superpole qualifying was just as frantic with the lead changing hands several times during the three sessions, but Leon stuck to his task and was rewarded with a front row place. His team mate Sylvain was going well also, but ended up one tenth of a second adrift of a front row place and sixth overall. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) took Superpole today, with local favourite Carlos Checa (Ducati) second and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third. Troy Corser?s fifth (on the BMW) means that five different manufacturers fill the top five places.

Leon - 4th, 1:33.961

I?m pretty happy how today went, though there?s still work to do. The biggest problem for us at the moment is the temperature, because that is affecting how the bike works. Generally, I?m happy with the bike on race rubber and I?m also happy with the balance and set-up of the bike. Normally twins go well here, but when the four cylinder bikes have good grip, then they are a match for the twins and that?s what we?ve seen today. We?ll make a few minor tweaks to the bike in the warm-up tomorrow morning and see if we can improve the bike further. I?m feeling pretty confident that we?re going to get some good results tomorrow and hopefully leave here still leading the championship.

Sylvain - 6th, 1:34.073

I think I?ve got back into my rhythm this weekend, perhaps even better than Australia, and I?m feeling good. I am a little disappointed with my last qualifying tyre, but that?s because I made some small mistakes and even the tiniest of errors can cost you dearly because the lap times are so close together. This track is not an easy one for overtaking, so it?s important to get good starts and be with the leaders, if you want good results. If the weather stays like today, it?s going to be two long, hard races tomorrow for all of us.

Final qualifying and Superpole

1 Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 1:33.615, 2 Checa (ESP-Ducati) 1:33.840, 3 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia) 1:33.860, 4 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:33.961, 5 Corser (AUS-BMW) 1:34.059, 6 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 1:34.073,

 

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Crutchlow scores with second consecutive Superpole

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow put the challenges of yesterday?s qualifying behind him today, calmly working through the Superpole sessions to lay down the fastest lap of the third heat and claim his second consecutive Superpole of the 2010 season. Unlike many of his rivals Crutchlow saved his Qualifier tyres for the second and third sessions, delivering fast enough laps on a race tyre to make it through the first heat.

Team mate James Toseland was on equally impressive form, making it calmly through the first session without using a qualifying tyre. The second heat saw him switch to his first of the sticky tyres, putting in a solid 1?33.988 to claim third with five minutes to go. Unfortunately a flurry of competitive laps as the session closed saw him drop to ninth, a mere one thousandth of a second off eighth and a chance to compete in the third session. A breakdown of the timing screens at the end of the session added to the confusion, making it unclear for some time whether he was through or not.



Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1?33.615)
?It was good last year in Supersport, we had ten poles in total and we?ve now started the tally with two for this season which is great. The team have worked really hard this weekend as it?s been difficult for us, quite like Australia, the grip level is not so good which is where we struggle. We went to Portugal and we had a lot of grip and the bike was fantastic, we?ve come here and it?s hard work again but we?re getting there. We?ll have another late night tonight and then I?ll look forward to the race tomorrow, it?s alright doing one fast lap but 23 is a different story. I think we surprised a few people today, I used the same tyres in the first qualification session today as I used yesterday, finishing in 15th but I wasn?t so worried. I knew if we could work through the stages we would be ok for the pole.?


James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1?33.988)
?Lady luck doesn?t seem to be shining on me at the start of this season! To lose out by one thousandth is a frustrating blow, especially as I knew the time was there. I wanted to save my second qualifier for the last Superpole session, for sure we could have done a similar time to Cal. It was definitely possible. Congratulations to Cal for another pole position, putting the bike where it should be. I?m disappointed for the team because we?ve worked really well this weekend and improved the bike again. To lose out on the top eight by such a small time and then the confusion when the screens went down is very frustrating. We?ve come a long way with the package so we just need to get a good start tomorrow because we know we have the race pace.?

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
?We made a really good improvement from yesterday to this afternoon with both bikes. I?m so sorry for James, to lose the last Superpole by only one thousandth is something we were not expecting. By the time we realised, it was too late to do anything and go out again. I?m also really impressed with Cal, he made a very good last lap. Tomorrow I think it will be different but we?re starting from pole so we will see!?

 

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Rea takes positives from Valencia results

Jonathan Rea took sixth and fifth place finishes in today?s two third round World Superbike championship races at Valencia in Spain as Leon Haslam and Noriyuki Haga took the wins.

Rea?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, endured a frustrating day, taking 13th in race one at the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit, and 17th in race two.

Starting from the second row, Rea lost places at the start of the opening 23-lap encounter, finishing the first lap in 10th place. The 23-year-old once again fought his way past a number of riders, however, moving up to sixth at the flag.

His race two start was better, and Rea was in a leading position when the race was red flagged after two laps due to oil causing a major crash on the start-finish straight. With results subsequently based on aggregate times, Rea?s result moved him up to fifth place in the championship standings.

Despite a fourth row starting position, Neukirchner felt positive about the progress made during practice and qualifying at Valencia. Although, the German rider suffered unexpected rear chatter problems, he still managed a points scoring finish in race one.

His team made a small change to his CBR1000RR Fireblade for race two, but the adjustments didn?t work and Neukirchner crossed the line in 17th place on aggregate.

Jonathan Rea ? 6th and 5th

We?ve had a few gremlins this weekend, which ended up costing us time but I feel I?ve got a lot out of both races today. It?s been a difficult weekend and it?s been clear we didn?t have the pace of the front runners, but we?ve found out how to make the bike better. The new electronics have definitely made the bike easier to ride but we?ve had problems getting acceleration and grip on corner exits. It?s still early days with the electronics, though, and we know what to work on when we test at Assen this week. I?m really looking forward to that and the next race there, and I?d really like to thank my team for all their efforts this weekend. When morale?s been low, there?s always been a smile on their faces and I?m very grateful for that.

Max Neukirchner ? 13th and 17th

You can probably imagine the words that I?d really like to use after today. It?s frustrating because I felt quite positive after qualifying and we didn?t make any changes to the bike for warm-up this morning. We used exactly the same settings for the first race but for some reason we suddenly got rear chatter problems on corner entry. We made a small change for race two and then another during the red flag delay but it just made everything worse! What?s really frustrating is that we don?t understand the problem, so we need to look at everything and work very hard at the test this week.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

Not good, not bad ? just kind of medium results for Jonathan. Valencia is historically quite a difficult track for us so I guess, considering that, we have to be satisfied. However, from now on we really need podiums to be in a position to challenge for the title. With Max, we have to admit to being a little lost at the moment, but fortunately we have a two day test at Assen this week which will allow us to try a lot of new settings and prepare for our home race in two weeks.

2010 World Superbike championship ? round three
Valencia, Spain (4.005km ? 23 laps) ? results, race one:
1. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki36?47.723s
2. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +1.757s
3. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha +3.621
4. Troy Corser (AUS) BMW +4.209
5. Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati +4.378
6. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +9.834
13. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +25.676
Race two:
1. Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati 36?51.500s
2. Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati +0.025s
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +0.299
4. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki +10.100
5. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +12.811
6. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Suzuki +13.459
17. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +43.450

Championship points after three of 13 rounds: 1 Haslam 123, 2 Biaggi 105, 3 Checa 80, 4 Haga 79, 5 Rea 60, 6 Toseland 50.

Next round: Assen, Netherlands ? 23-25 April

Spanish podium delight for Sofuoglu

Kenan Sofuoglu took second place in the third round World Supersport championship race at a sun-drenched Valencia in Spain this afternoon making it three podiums from three starts in the 2010 series.

The race was won by local rider, Joan Lascorz, while Sofuoglu?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, fought back from a lap three crash to take five valuable points in 11th place.

Starting from third place on the grid, Sofuoglu dropped a position in the early stages of the 23-lap race at the 4.005km Ricardo Tormo circuit. Choosing the harder option tyre, the Turkish rider was able to hang on to early front runner, Eugene Laverty, before slipping past him and Britain?s Chaz Davies, who finished third.

Kenan Sofuoglu ? 2nd

I saw on the grid that the Kawasaki?s, which had been fast in practice and qualifying, had the softer tyre, but I went for the harder option because we were worried about the temperature. Chaz Davies held me up a bit in the early stages of the race when I really didn?t want to let Lascorz or Laverty get away. After I had passed Laverty, I made a couple of mistakes trying to get past Davies and towards the end of the race my tyres were completely broken. I?ve been suffering from a stomach problem since Portimao which has given me some pain and stomach cramps this week, so I?m pleased with this result and want to thank the team for working so hard to get the bike so good.

Michele Pirro ? 11th

We went with the hard front tyre but Fujiwara crashed right in front of me and then I crashed as well, which I am really disappointed by. I managed to pick up the bike because there was not so much damage, but when I got back on the track I had lost a lot of time and the feeling from the front was not so good. I didn?t get a good start, it was not a good race and it has not really been a good weekend for me. We will go back to work on Wednesday in the test and look for some improvements in time for the Assen race.

Ronald ten Kate ? team manager

I think we can be happy with the result that the team has achieved with Kenan. We always knew that Lascorz would be strong here at Valencia and that?s how it has been. I feel sorry for Michele because I believe that another podium could have been possible. However, we all know that ?could haves? and ?would haves? don?t count for anything. This coming week we are testing at Assen where we?ll look for further improvements to the CBR600RR.

2010 World Supersport championship ? round three
Valencia, Spain (4.005km ? 23 laps) ? results:
1. Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki 37?32.610s
2. Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +3.193s
3. Chaz Davies (GBR) Triumph +5.417
4. David Salom (ESP) Triumph +8.317
5. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda +10.757
6. Gino Rea (GBR) Honda +38.866
11. Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree ten Kate Honda +1?06.573

Championship points after three of 13 rounds: 1 Lascorz 65, 2 Sofuoglu 61, 3 Laverty 41, 4 Davies 33, 4 Salom 32, 9 Pirro 21.

Next round: Assen, Netherlands ? 23-25 April

 

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Toseland takes his first podium at Valencia

James Toseland put in a solid performance in race one today on his Yamaha Sterilgarda R1, starting from ninth on the grid the British rider made short work of the field to take second by the ninth lap. He was hotly pursued by Aprilia rider Max Biaggi for the entire race duration and fought off a number of attacks, holding on to second until just two laps from the end. He finished the race in third, claiming his well deserved first podium of the year, just 3.6 seconds off the race leader. Team mate Cal Crutchlow had a tougher first race. A less than perfect start saw him drop from pole to seventh going into the first corner of the race. He fought hard for the duration despite suffering from a lack of grip, riding as high as fifth before dropping back to claim seventh at the line.

Race two was marred with incident, three laps in a high speed crash into the pit wall caused the race to be red flagged. After a delay it was restarted under aggregate timing with Crutchlow and Toseland in ninth and 12th respectively. The hot track temperature proved challenging for grip levels, with both riders fighting hard for position. Toseland crossed the line in seventh having challenged for several positions, whilst team mate Crutchlow hung on to take ninth at the chequered flag.

Toseland goes to the next round in Assen with 50 championship points having jumped up the table from 11th to sixth. Team-mate Crutchlow remains in tenth as he heads to the Dutch round with 41 championship points.



James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (3rd, 7th)
"Race one was great, it's always nice when the team work so hard to be able to repay them with a result. I was probably the widest man out there because I certainly wasn't the quickest after half race distance, I was finding a few things a bit difficult with the bike. It was great though to dig deep and get a podium, my first podium this year and my first since Brands 2007 I think. It's been a while since I took a trophy home so I was very happy. The team are working unbelievably hard, we've got some issues but we're making up a lot of ground in a short space of time. In the second race I got an average start when the clutch grabbed early on the line. I don't know where the front guys got their pace from on the re-start, mid 34's was a second faster than it was in the first race. Assen is next which is fast and flowing which will suit the bike better. We need to keep improving until we're strong at every track."


Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (7th, 9th)
"Race one was ok, I was just disappointed I lost the tow to the leaders at the start. We've got bad rear tyre problems again, seem to be spinning a lot more than the other competitors from the go. The higher grip levels in Portugal suited us better. We're looking forward to hopefully improving it at the next race in Assen. A difficult weekend, the second race was much the same, no grip from the start."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"We've had an up and down weekend. We had some issues on Friday then came back with the Superpole yesterday. It was great to see James achieve a podium in the first race, he really worked hard and deserved it. The second race was not so good for us, it proved to be more challenging for the riders with less grip levels on the circuit. For sure this weekend we've learnt some more about the bike and we've definitely improved since Phillip Island. We'll study the data from this weekend and we'll come to The Netherlands with something new."

Circuit Length: 4.005
Weather: Hot and Sunny
Lap Record: 1'34.618 (Noriyuki Haga, 23/04/2009)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'33.270 (Ben Spies, 05/04/2009)
Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga
2010 WSB Spain - Valencia 11/04/2010
Race 1 - 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 36'47.723
2 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'01.757
3 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'03.621
4 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'04.209
5 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 0'04.378
6 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'09.834
7 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'10.466
8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'16.080
9 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'18.382
10 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'18.589
11 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'22.903
12 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'25.203
13 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 0'25.676
14 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'26.606
15 Andrew Pitt BMW AUS 0'43.797


Race 2 - 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 36'51.500
2 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 0'00.025
3 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 0'00.299
4 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 0'10.100
5 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 0'12.811
6 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 0'13.459
7 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 0'14.845
8 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 0'14.861
9 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'15.202
10 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'18.071
11 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 0'25.179
12 Troy Corser BMW AUS 0'26.116
13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'30.189
14 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 0'30.387
15 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0'35.741


Best Lap
Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'34.750

Rider Standings 11/04/2010
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 123
2. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 105
3. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 80
4. Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 79
5. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 60
6. James Toseland Yamaha GBR 50
7. Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki FRA 50
8. Troy Corser BMW AUS 46
9. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 46
10. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 41
11. Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 33
12. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 32
13. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 26
14. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 20
15. Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 19

Manufacturer Standings 11/04/2010
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Suzuki 123
2. Ducati 107
3. Aprilia 105
4. Honda 61
5. Yamaha 57
6. BMW 47
7. Kawasaki 13

 

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Corser scores best ever WSBK result for BMW Motorrad Motorsport!

Following his best ever qualifying position achieved on the S 1000 RR yesterday, Troy Corser followed up in style today with a fantastic fourth place finish in the first Superbike World Championship race at Valencia.

Knowing that a good start is crucial at the 4.005-km Valencia circuit, Corser launched the S 1000 RR off the second row of the grid, passing everyone in front of him and moving into the lead by turn one. A dedicated grandstand full of Spanish BMW fans celebrated the fact that a BMW S 1000 RR was running at the front in a WSBK race.

A double race winner at Valencia in 2005, Corser was overtaken by local hero Carlos Checa, who then lost control of his Ducati and went off the track, forcing Corser to take avoiding action. This meant he was caught by the riders following him and the remainder of the race saw Troy fighting challenges from championship leader and eventual winner Leon Haslam, former double WSBK champion James Toseland, Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga.

With Haslam pulling out a lead at the front, the television cameras concentrated on the battle for fourth, with Corser and Haga both fighting hard. On the final lap, Haga tried everything, but Corser?s determination held him off and his superb fourth place was the best result to date for the factory BMW S 1000 RR rider.

Race two was restarted after a racing incident brought out the red flags. This time, 20 laps and aggregate times would decide the winners. Unfortunately for Troy, he couldn?t repeat his race one performance and finished in 12th, just behind his BMW Motorrad Motorsport team mate Ruben Xaus, who also finished race one in 12th place.

Troy Corser: ?Race one was great for me. The results are what I expect from myself and it shows what the bike is capable of. If we can make the bike work like it did in the first race at other race tracks we can be really competitive everywhere. The bike is improving all the time, so all in all I am happy. We encountered some grip issues in race two but we can learn from that and look forward to Assen.?

Ruben Xaus: ?I am not so disappointed with how things went this weekend. I improved with every session, but I think I just need more time on the bike. This track is quite difficult for me and we struggled with set-up. We didn?t qualify well and starting from the fifth row you leave yourself with a lot of work to do. The racing was tight all the way through the field and I battled hard all race. We can now look forward to Assen now, which is a track that I really enjoy so I think we can be strong. I must thank the team for all their hard work and congratulate Troy for race one.?

Berti Hauser ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: ?This weekend we achieved our best result so far with the S 1000 RR and we saw that we can get close and run with the top guys. The new software we brought this weekend is working well and we saw evidence of that through qualifying and race 1. We have to go away now and look at the data from race two and identify what happened. Nevertheless, I am happy for the riders and the team. We can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel.?

Race one: 1 Haslam (GBR ? Suzuki), 2 Biaggi (ITA ? Aprilia), 3 Toseland (GB ? Yamaha), 4 Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 12 Ruben Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport)

Race two: 1 Haga (JPN ? Ducati), 2 Checa (ESP ? Ducati), 3 Biaggi (ITA ? Aprilia), 11 Ruben Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 12 Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport)

Points: 1. Haslam 123, 2 Biaggi 105, 3 Checa 80, 9 Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 46, 15 Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 19

 

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HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) RETURNS TO WINNING WAYS IN RACE 2 AT VALENCIA

Valencia (Spain), Sunday 11th April: having scored a solid fifth place finish in Race 1, Noriyuki Haga triumphed in Race 2 (which ran in two parts), finishing 25 thousandths of a second ahead of Carlos Checa. The win, on board his Ducati 1198, was far from easy as a red flag during the third lap led to a second heat, 20 laps in length. Michel Fabrizio was less lucky today, victim of a crash in the first race and returning to the box in Race 2, lamenting a lack of front brake consistency.

In the morning, during warm-up, Noriyuki had registered the fastest time (1m34.2), having completed a strong mini run. Michel concluded the brief session in eighth position.

In Race 1 neither Michel nor Nori made a particularly fast start and both were caught up in traffic. Michel made up a couple of positions but during the fifth lap, a lack of grip at the front, during braking, caused him to crash. Noriyuki pushed on despite a lack of rear traction and although he needed twelve laps before he could get past Crutchlow, the next lap he passed Rea and in four laps he had made up 1.5 seconds to catch Corser (BMW). Unfortunately however, after passing Troy at the final corner, the Australian again overtook Nori along the straight, leaving the Japanese rider in fifth position, just one tenth of a second behind Corser.

In Race 2, during the third lap a serious crash involving Andrews on the Kawasaki and Iannuzzo on the Honda led to a red flag. With all riders having completed three laps, the second heat was declared to be a 20-lap race and the grid was reset according to the results of ?heat 1?. Noriyuki, this time starting from fifth position started well and after a few laps was already third, behind Checa and Biaggi. After twelve laps he got past Carlos and then past Max and from this point on he held the lead, crossing the line 0.806 of a second ahead of Biaggi and 1.282 seconds in front of Checa. This advantage cancelled out Checa?s advantage in the first heat and meant that Noriyuki had beaten the Spaniard by 0.025 of a second. Michel did not shine at the start of the race, losing a few positions in the first laps, only to recuperate a few in the following laps, before a problem with the front brake consistency caused him to lose confidence and return to the garage.

After this third round, Noriyuki Haga is in fourth position in the overall standings, with 79 points while his team-mate Michel lies in eighth, with 46 points. In the manufacturers standings, Ducati has 107 points behind Suzuki with 123 points.

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 ? 5th , Race 2 ? winner)
?The track was a lot warmer in Race 1 than in the morning?s warm-up and I was lacking rear grip. The more I pushed, the more my 1198 slid around and this needed to be fixed before Race 2. Before that race we made a change, reverting to the setting we?d used in the warm-up and it worked well. I was able to push hard, stick with Biaggi and Checa and eventually pass them. I?m very happy to have been able to win today. I thank my team, Ducati of course, and all the sponsors who helped contribute to this great result.?

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 ? DNF , Race 2 - DNF)
?It was a weekend to forget, we?ll turn the page and concentrate on the next race. Today in Race 1 I had good pace and was able to make up a couple of positions very quickly, but then I unexpectedly lost the front and found myself on the ground. We made some changes for the second race but the front brake was not consistent and I came back to the garage.?

Ernesto Marinelli ? Team Manager ? ?Today?s win is very important. We?ve experienced a difficult period but it is essential to keep fighting with determination, always, and this is what Noriyuki did today, and what the whole team has been doing since the start of the championship. We must continue to work hard and on Tuesday we will be back on track with Michel, at Mugello, to try to resolve the problems that have emerged in the last two races.?

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

CLASSIFICATION: Riders ? 1. Haslam (Suzuki) 123; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 105; 3. Checa (Ducati) 80; 4. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 79; 5. Rea (Honda) 60; 6. Toseland (Yamaha) 50; 7. Guintoli (Suzuki) 50; 8. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 46
Manufacturers ? Suzuki 123; Ducati 107; Aprilia 105; Honda 61; Yamaha 57; BMW 47; Kawasaki 13

 

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Haslam continues his winning ways

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam stormed his way to victory in the first race at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo today and then followed it with a hard-fought for fourth in the second and increased his series lead to eighteen points.

But for braking problems in race two, Leon would?ve been on course for another podium and an even bigger championship lead, but it was not to be.

In race one, his team mate Sylvain Guintoli was forced to take to the run-off area at the end of the back straight in order to avoid Camier?s crash and lost several places as he regained the track. In the end, he finished ninth. In the second race (run in two parts, because of a crash and subsequent red flag), Sylvain improved his position to finish sixth.Behind Leon in race one was Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and then James Toseland (Yamaha), with Troy Corser (BMW) fourth. The second race was won by Noriyuki Haga (Ducati), with Checa second and Biaggi third.

Leon - Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 4th,

I made a reasonable start and was fourth at the end of the lap one and then just worked my way up to first by lap five. Once I was in the lead, I realised that the pace was not great and it all felt pretty easy for me. I expected that I would come under attack, but my pitboard signals showed that my lead was increasing! I kept a good pace and felt comfortable enough to ease the pace at the end.We made some small changes to the bike for race two - because of the hotter conditions - and managed to pass about five riders quite quickly despite not making a very good start. Then the race was stopped and we had to start again. We put a bit more preload on the front, but I began having brake problems before too long. The lever kept coming all the way back to the bar and that meant I couldn?t be close to other riders and then pull out and pass them. I didn?t feel confident braking and after three or four laps I was praying that the race would come to an end or that somebody in front would stop and I would get another podium. I am happy to be leading the series, delighted that I have increased the lead and really looking forward to Assen - a circuit where I think our bike will go really well.

Sylvain - Race 1: 9th, Race 2: 6th

I made a good start in race one and everything was going according to plan until Camier crashed right in front of me! I had to take to the run-off area to avoid hitting him or the bike and then had to do a bit of a three-point turn to get back on the track and that cost me time and places. I had fallen to fourteenth (from sixth) but had some good battles before finally finishing ninth.We didn?t make any changes to the bike for race two, but the hotter temperature meant that the tyres didn?t work as well as they had done in race one and I had many slides. Sixth was not so bad, but I?m not happy because I think we can do better. I feel better here than I did in Portimao because I have got my rhythm back. Now we just have to keep on progressing and improving and, with a little bit of luck, the results will come.

Results

Race 1:1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 2 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 3 Toseland (GBR-Yamaha), 4 Corser (AUS-BMW), 5 Haga (JPN-Ducati), 6 Rea (GBR-Honda), 9 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare)

Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Checa (ESP-Ducati), 3 Biaggi, 4 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare),, 5 Rea, 6 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare),

Points:1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare),110, 2 Biaggi 89, 3 Checa 60, 4 Haga 54, 5 Rea 49, 6 Fabrizio, 9 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 40,

 

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WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 - VALENCIA RACE

World Superbike Championship 2010 - Valencia Race The team leaves Valencia with some regret, not only due to Checa?s crash in race 1 but more for the 25 thousandths of a second that relegated Carlos to second place in Race 2.
Despite the Spaniard?s best efforts he was unfortunately deprived of the win, in front of his home crowd, by a mere fraction of a second. His fall in race 1 is put down to being part of racing; accidents can happen when you?re pushing for the win. Carlos was good (and lucky) not to fall after he ran off into the gravel but he couldn?t avoid his bike tipping over to one side, ending his race prematurely. In race 2 he rode a great race from a technical point of view, pushing for the win but, at the same time, the points.

?A bittersweet weekend in the end?, said Carlos. ?Bitter for the crash and sweet for the second place finish but also bitter for those 25 thousandths and sweet for the position overall. Racing is like that and we need to look ahead. We are at a good level that means we can fight for the podium, thinking about the championship. I think that the people that came to Valencia today definitely enjoyed themselves.?

The same state of mind for Shane Byrne, who fell in race 1 and finished race 2 in ninth position, after having completed a great second heat which saw him get past Rea, Toseland, Crutchlow, as well as Guintoli and Smrz.

""In race 1 I was lucky that I didn?t hurt myself when I fell trying to avoid Lanzi?, said Shane. ?In race 2 I was going well but I was confused by the information my team were giving me on the pit board, sometimes showing my position in the heat and other laps showing me the aggregate position. When I finished and saw who I had beaten in the second heat I was pretty satisfied!?

At the end of the races Genesio Bevilacqua, team owner, declared, ?What an emotional day?s racing! Checa rode a great race, technically speaking. After his fall he calculated the risks in race 2, without losing sight of the win. He was perhaps taken by surprise when Haga arrived, expecting to race against Biaggi. We were just missing that little something that would have allowed Checa to win. Byrne on the other hand reacted very well after his race 1 crash. He stayed very positive in the second race and fought his way past a group of strong riders. I would also like to compliment Ernesto Marinelli for Haga?s win and for having managed this difficult moment so well, instilling confidence in Noriyuki who repaid the team with his efforts.?