Kyalami WSBK

[KUCIAR666]

Rea aims for more wins in Kyalami

Jonathan Rea from the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team held onto third overall in the Superbike World Championship standings despite a double DNF at last weekend's Monza round, and he now heads to Kyalami determined to challenge for wins once again.

Rea took a fabulous double at Assen in late April and knows his CBR1000RR machine is capable of more success at Kyalami. He took his first ever WSBK podium in South Africa last year in his rookie season, and has found further improvements in his overall machine set-up since that time. Championship leader Leon Haslam (Suzuki) is now three points ahead of double Monza race winner Max Biaggi (Aprilia), with Haslam 71 points up on Rea, who ties on 110 points with Carlos Checa (Ducati).

Monza race two provided a late confidence boost for Hannspree Ten Kate Superbike rider Max Neukirchner but the Kyalami circuit will be a new exam for him to pass this weekend. Max tested at the Kyalami circuit with another manufacturer a year before he joined Honda for the 2010 season, but he has yet to encounter the track close to Johannesburg in a full race situation, or on his CBR1000RR.

For ECHO CRS Honda's Broc Parkes Kyalami will be another chance to find an ideal set-up on his Superbike, having encountered chatter that slowed his progress at last weekend's race. Parkes missed the first three races of the year through an injury picked up in training, but he is all out to continue scoring points for his privateer team from this weekend on.

Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image Honda entrant Vittorio Iannuzzo will not race at Kyalami as his team has opted not to run at this flyway race.

The Kyalami circuit is the same length as it was in 2009, but a new pitlane exit has made more run off available, and there is a new spectator area outside turns two and three.

WSBK Rider Comments

Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR:
"I am really looking forward to racing in South Africa as last year I had my first podium there. Our bike is working really well and I can say I'm excited to be riding it again. I guess I was top of the world one minute after two wins at Assen then had two non-finishes last weekend. But we are still third in the championship, which is some consolation. I hurt my wrist and ankle a little bit in my Monza race two crash but I will be 100% for Kyalami. It is nice to go there knowing that the bike is working well and that we had the pace to be right there at Monza. The real motivating factor for me is that the bike is working so well. I love riding this bike and now I am just concentrating on the track in South Africa."

Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR:
"Kyalami is very different from Monza. I only tested there at the beginning of 2009 and I have never raced there, so we will see how it is. The bike definitely felt better in race two in Italy so we will try to build on that when we start work in South Africa on Friday. I like the track very much and Jonathan showed last year that the Honda can work quite well there. I'll try as hard as possible with my team again this weekend to continue getting my riding style to match the changes we have made to the bike."

Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR:
"Monza was hard because we did not get the chance to develop our set-up the way we wanted. Hopefully in Kyalami we will make another step again but we will make most steps when we can go somewhere to test and see exactly what is and isn't working. But I'm sure we can go to Kyalami and be better again anyway."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Ten Kate look to bounce back in South Africa

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner, will be hoping for better results than last weekend when they take to the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg in South Africa this Sunday (16th May) for round six of the 2010 World Superbike championship.

After promising much at Monza last weekend by running near the top of the timing sheets in all sessions, Rea endured a frustrating raceday. The 23-year-old crashed out of both races, thankfully without any serious injury. He is looking to get back to winning ways this weekend, at least to repeat his performance in race two of the 2009 Kyalami event, which marked his debut podium in World Superbike.

However, despite retaining third place in the overall points standings after the Monza races, Rea?s main championship rivals, Leon Haslam and Max Biaggi, have opened a significant gap which the young Northern Irish rider is determined to overhaul over the rest of the season.

Neukirchner, meanwhile, was unable to maintain the progress made at the previous Assen round, which has required a change in the German?s riding style, as well as the continual fine-tuning of his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

Because of injury last year, Neukirchner has not raced at the tight and twisty 4.2km Kyalami circuit, which lies 22km north of Johannesburg. However, he tested there at the end of the 2008 World Superbike championship season and the 27-year-old is determined to find two further solid finishes in this weekend?s races.

Jonathan Rea
I was a little sore when I woke up on Monday morning, but everything?s fine and I?ll be 100% for the weekend. I?m trying to forget about Monza because I think we were in a really good position to make up some ground on our rivals with the speed we had and the momentum we were carrying from Assen. Instead, they?ve opened a bit of a gap because of a mistake from me in race one and someone else?s error in race two. But I know the bike is strong and it?s not like we won?t be in a position to fight for more wins this season. People like Colin Edwards and Ben Spies spring to mind and we?re not even halfway through yet ? there will be a lot of opportunities to bridge the gap over the coming races. We?ll try to start this weekend at Kyalami, which is a real riders circuit where you need to work hard to go fast. I got my first Superbike podium here last year, so I?ll be looking for at least two more this weekend.

Max Neukirchner
The results last weekend were quite disappointing after the progress we had made in the second race at Assen. But the bike definitely felt better in race two at Monza so we will try to build on that when we start work in South Africa on Friday. I wasn?t able to race there last year but I did test there at the end of the previous season. I like the track very much and Jonathan showed last year that the Honda can work quite well there. I?ll try as hard as possible with my team again this weekend to continue getting my riding style to match the changes we have made to the bike.

Ronald ten Kate ? team-manager
Last Sunday?s results at Monza were very hard to swallow, especially after the euphoria of the previous race at Assen. However, these ups and downs are often a big part of racing and what is important is that we come back strong again this weekend. Jonathan showed that he had good speed in all sessions at Monza and we will start on Friday in Kyalami to build on that. Unfortunately, Max was not able to consolidate in Italy the step forward he made in the previous round, so our focus will be on getting his momentum going again.

 

[KUCIAR666]

TWO DAYS AFTER MONZA, THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM TRAVELS TO KYALAMI FOR ROUND SIX

Kyalami (South Africa) Tuesday 11th May: Just two days after returning to base from Monza?s fifth World Superbike round, the Ducati Xerox team repacks its bags and leaves for South Africa and the circuit of Kyalami.

The Ducati 1198 of the factory Ducati Xerox team proved itself a winner on the Kyalami circuit last season, with the red machines dominating a weekend that culminated in two triumphant race wins for Noriyuki Haga, and two second place finishes for team-mate Michel Fabrizio (who also registered a new lap record in the first race), with both Ducati Xerox men crossing the line more than eight seconds clear of the closest competition in Race 2.

With regard to the 2010 season, Noriyuki and Michel currently lie in sixth and eleventh position respectively in the general standings of what is turning out to be an extremely close championship, based on what we have seen during the first five rounds. Ducati is third in the manufacturers classification behind Suzuki and Aprilia. Last weekend at Monza, the first of the season?s Italian Superbike events, the riders battled not only against the competition but also against the elements in what was a mixed weekend. At a track where Ducati was at more of a disadvantage compared to previous years in terms of top speed, aggravated by the extra weight and 50mm air-restrictors that limit the maximum power, both Haga and Fabrizio fought for as many points as possible, their best results being a sixth and seventh place finish respectively.

Noriyuki Haga (6th in championship, 100 points)

Returning to Kyalami after a six year absence, Haga scored a perfect double win here in 2009.

?I?m happy to go back to South Africa, a track where I did well last year. We?ll see if any more security measures have been put into place after Regis?s terrible accident last year; I hope so as I really like the track but it was pretty dangerous there last time. I?d like to think we?ll be in a position to fight for the podium once more.?

Haga?s Superbike form at Kyalami:
2009: Race 1 ? winner, Race 2 - winner
2002: Race 1 ? DNF, Race 2 ? 6th
2000: Race 1 ? 2nd , Race 2 ? winner
1999: Race 1 ? 4th, Race 2 - DNF
1998: Race 1 ? 7th, Race 2 ? 3rd


Michel Fabrizio (11th in championship, 62 points)

Michel took great points home from Kyalami last year, and set a new lap record in the process.

"As long as we don?t have any travel problems in getting there, the public should look forward to some great racing. The next two rounds, Kyalami and Salt Lake, went very well for me last season and so I?m confident I can be competitive there again. It will be good to ride at a track where we?re not as disadvantaged as we were at Monza this last weekend.?

Fabrizio?s Superbike form at Kyalami:
2009: Race 1 ? 2nd, Race 2 ? 2nd


CIRCUIT DATA:

Country: South Africa
Name: Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
Circuit length: 4.263 km
Pole position: left
Corners left: 11
Corners right: 6
Length of race: 24 laps = 102.312 km

Lap records: Fastest lap ? Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1'38.548 (2009). Superpole ? Spies (Yamaha) 1?37.288

2009 results: Race 1 - 1. Haga (Ducati Xerox); 2. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox); 3. Spies (Yamaha). Race 2 ? 1. Haga (Ducati Xerox); 2. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox); 3. Rea (Honda)

 

[KUCIAR666]

Sunny South Africa beckons for BMW Motorrad Motorsport

With five rounds of this year?s Superbike World Championship already complete, the series leaves Europe and journeys to the southern hemisphere again for races 11 and 12 at the Kyalami Grand Prix circuit in South Africa this coming weekend (15-16 May).

Last year?s races in Kyalami ended without Ruben Xaus or stand-in rider Steve Martin scoring any points in the two 24-lap races at the 4.263 km circuit. Ruben was pushed off the track twice and completed just three laps in total, while Steve (who was deputising for the injured Troy Corser) managed to finish both races, ending 22nd in race one and 18th in race two.

However, that was then and this is now. The team has just achieved its best ever result in World Superbikes, with Troy Corser scoring a podium finish in Monza. As such, the experienced Australian is looking forward to taking on the challenge of the bumpy, undulating Kyalami circuit on the ever improving BMW S 1000 RR, having been forced to sit out last year?s round due to injuries sustained at Monza.

?I am looking forward to South Africa, especially as I have never ridden there aboard the BMW S 1000 RR. The track is a real rider?s circuit ? really undulating with a lot of bumps. It will be essential that we obtain a good set-up to ensure with can deal with the track?s characteristics. The bike has come a long way in its development this year so I don?t think the team will encounter the problems we had at Kyalami last year.?

Team-mate Ruben Xaus is also full of confidence after posting his best result so far for the team (sixth place) in Monza last weekend, and the popular Spaniard is relishing a return to a circuit and a country he really enjoys.

?I really like going to race in South Africa,? said Xaus. ?The country is full of interesting cultures, the people are really hospitable and the weather is normally great! I have put in some good performances in the past there so I am going with high expectations this year. The team is motivated and we are working really well together. The track is full of ups and downs and the altitude affects the engine?s performance in comparison to other rounds but I am looking forward to it for sure.?

This is a view shared by BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Berti Hauser, who is pleased to see the continuing improvements made by the team, as the 2010 season continues to enthral and excite in equal measures.

?With more than a third of the season already complete we can draw a lot of positives from how things have gone so far,? says Hauser. ?The entire team is looking forward to Kyalami, there is always a friendly atmosphere there and I believe we can continue the good form that we have shown throughout the season so far ? especially at Monza. We are lying seventh and 15th in the points and I think we can build from this over the forthcoming rounds and continue going from strength-to-strength."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Toseland and Crutchlow fit and ready to fight at Kyalami

With just two days rest from the Monza round of the World Superbike Championship, the Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team have shipped out to South Africa for the next race of the season, round six at the Kyalami circuit. The team are looking to make up for the bad luck that struck in race two last weekend at Monza where both riders were unable to finish the race, having performed strongly all weekend and both being on the podium in race one. Toseland escaped unhurt from a big crash at the start of the race, a trip to hospital and two scans revealing no damage following his fall although still a bit bruised. Team mate Crutchlow was also blighted by bad luck, having a stone flicked up from the bike in front strike his oil cooler and force his retirement from the race.

"I just want to get back on the bike as soon as possible and race again," said Cal Crutchlow. "I couldn't believe how unlucky we were at Monza to get a stone in the oil cooler when we were running so well. I enjoyed racing at Kyalami last year in Supersport, I fought hard for a good second place on the podium, so this year I want to win in Superbike!"

"I think we've definitely had our share of bad luck for the season now!" said James Toseland. "Last weekend was very frustrating for me, the team have worked so hard and we now have an extremely competitive bike to take the fight to the front with, so to crash out on the opening lap was disappointing. It's made it tougher to bridge the gap to the lead of the championship, but there are still sixteen races to go so I'm going to keep my head down looking for podiums."

Kyalami technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland's Crew Chief
"Kyalami is a high altitude circuit so all bikes are down on power. It's quite a tight and twisty track so no six gear long straights as in Monza so we'll modify the gearbox again for this. It's a very bumpy track so the front forks and rear shock have to be able to follow the bumps to get good traction which makes it smoother for the rider. We need a good qualifying result as it is a difficult place to pass. We tried some different settings at the Misano test purposely for this circuit, we weren't so fast in Misano with them but we're confident they will be perfect for here in absorbing bumps and giving good traction. The main changes are a different link and different fork and shock settings."

Kyalami technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow's Crew Chief
"After the Monza race we saw that we had reached a good level of performance with Cal to bring here. We know the circuit is difficult because of the grip levels, the altitude and the bumpy track conditions. We will try to make the bike suit this by working on changing the suspension set up to be more comfortable over the bumps, we also need to find a better grip level, maybe we will have to compromise a bit of steering sharpness to get the best out of the bike for this conditions. We'll probably go for a softer chassis set up and softer damping than normal to start with and see how we get on in the first session on Friday."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"This circuit was one of the more difficult ones for our bike last year. I'm confident that in one year we have made enough improvements and developments to be even better this time. We intend to start the weekend as we finished the first race in Monza. I'm really happy that James will be ready for Friday, we are lucky that he received no serious injuries last weekend. We proved in Monza with both riders that we were one of the strongest teams in the paddock, we are confident that the development undertaken over the year means we are capable of fighting at the front for race wins, every race."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Rea on provisional front row at Kyalami

Jonathan Rea set the third fastest time in today?s opening World Superbike qualifying session for Sunday?s two round six races at Kyalami in South Africa. Provisional pole position was taken by Italian Michel Fabrizio.

In perfect conditions, Rea spent most of today?s track time on race tyres dialling in his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade to the unique characteristics of the 4.263km Kyalami circuit located just north of Johannesburg. However, fresh rubber towards the end of this afternoon?s hour-long session fired him up the leaderboard.

Rea?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, continued the adaptation of his riding style whilst re-familiarising himself with the undulating Kyalami circuit, finishing in 18th place today. The German rider tested here at the end of 2008 but missed last season?s event through injury.

Jonathan Rea ? P3

We did a lot of wo rk on old tyres today to set the bike up for the bumps and its demands for grip. We definitely found a good base to start with tomorrow morning and when we put new tyres in at the end all that hard work made sense. So, it?s been a good and satisfying first day here without any major drama. We?ll look a little more at the front of the bike tomorrow and try to get it to deal with the bumps even better, but everything feels pretty good so far.

Max Neukirchner ? P18

I did a long run this afternoon when the lap times were not so bad. When we put in new tyres to improve the time, the front tyre was too soft and I was not able to push hard enough. We?ll put in a harder one tomorrow morning and hope that improves things. I also need to work on my lines through one or two corners where I am spending too long with the bike leant over and not opening the throttle soon enough. I am still adapting my style and haven& rsquo;t ridden here since the test 18 months ago. So, although 18th looks quite bad, I am positive about improving the position tomorrow.

Ronald ten Kate ? team-manager

We?ve had to work quite a bit today since Kyalami is really a very challenging circuit, where the bumps complicate the task even more. We?re not far off on Jonathan?s side of the garage and he?s spent a long time on used tyres today. He achieved a good level of consistency, which will be a key factor on Sunday. After a good session with Max this morning, we kind of lost ourselves a little this afternoon, but we?ll work hard to move him up tomorrow.

2010 World Superbike championship ? round six
Kyalami, South Africa (4.263km) ? first qualifying results:
1. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1?38.477s
2. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1?38.529s
3. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?38.687s
4. Troy Corser (AUS) BMW 1?38.896s
18. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1?40.024s

 

[KUCIAR666]

FABRIZIO (DUCATI XEROX) TAKES PROVISIONAL POLE ON DAY ONE AT KYALAMI

Kyalami (South Africa), Friday 14th May : Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio immediately demonstrated his pace when he closed first qualifying in pole position, thanks to a fastest lap time of 1m38.4. His team-mate Noriyuki Haga finished thirteenth.

The Superbike riders enjoyed great weather (air temperature 25?C, track 36?C) on this first day of the South African World Superbike race weekend, at the Kyalami circuit. In the first practice session that took place in the early afternoon factory riders Noriyuki and Michel were both immediately fast. Towards the end of the 60-minute session Michel ducked under 1m40 for the first time and then, in a final exit in the last minutes, he made his fastest lap of 1m39.081, three tenths faster than Jakub Smrz who, on his privateer Ducati, finished the session in second. Noriyuki improved throughout the session, but concluded in tenth citing problems regarding the absorption of the suspension.

Just over an hour later in the first qualifying session, Michel recorded a first lap of 1m38.7, a very fast time that remained the time to beat for the first half of the session until, on new tyres, he improved further, registering a 1m38.4. In the final stages Cal Crutchlow and Jonathan Rea came close to Michel?s best time but no-one was able to better it and the Italian rider closed in first place. For Noriyuki the morning?s problems continued into the afternoon and the Japanese rider struggled to push hard on the bumpy track surface. At the end of the session Noriyuki was in thirteenth position.

Michel Fabrizio 1m38.4
?We made a good start today. We started from last year?s set-up but then made a variety of changes to both the front and rear of my bike. I have a good feeling and didn?t have any particular problems today. The only thing we need to work on is tyre wear as I did a mini long-run today with the new tyre that?s available to us but after nine laps the grip was already dropping off.?

Noriyuki Haga 1m39.6
?Today was difficult as I didn?t have enough absorption over this bumpy track surface. I tried the different tyres available and they are not bad but without better absorption it?s hard to push. We need to work to resolve this issue tomorrow. I hope to improve tomorrow but Sunday will be difficult; there are a lot of us on a track that is not so fast.?

TIMES: 1. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1?38.4; 2. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1?38.5; 3. Rea (Honda) 1?38.6; 4. Corser (BMW) 1?38.8; 5. Haslam (Suzuki) 1?38.9; 6. Checa (Ducati ) 1?38.9; 7. Smrz (Ducati) 1?39.0; 8. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1?39.0?. 13. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1?39.6

 

[KUCIAR666]

QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 14/05/2010

Crutchlow gets straight onto the pace at Kyalami
Yamaha Sterilgarda rider Cal Crutchlow got straight down to business in the first qualifying session of the Kyalami race weekend today. Crutchlow spent the session in the top two positions, only losing out to leader Fabrizio at the end by less than a tenth of a second. The British rider had been on a hot lap at the end on track to take the fastest time but was unfortunately held up and unable to complete.

Crutchlow's team-mate James Toseland had a slower start to the South African weekend. Fresh off the back of a big crash last weekend and having not ridden the Kyalami circuit for a number of years, Toseland spent the qualifying renewing his knowledge of the track as he worked on his set-up.


Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1'38.529)
"I think today went ok, I'm pretty pleased to be honest. I should have been fastest but I got held up on my last hot lap. I think it's going to be difficult in race conditions; tyre wear is a big issue as the track is very abrasive. Overall second fastest isn't too bad on the first day, we'll go away now and will look at more improvements for tomorrow with the team."


James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (15th, 1'39.656)
"It's my first day back on the bike since my crash last week and it's also my first time back on this track for ten years, it's very technical and I'd forgotten how bumpy it is. Unfortunately the base setting we started the session with wasn't right so we had a lot of work to do to get the bike working well. At the end we found something that worked better and got down to good race times, so tomorrow we'll improve on that some more and we will get down to the faster times they're running at the front today. Given everything I'm only just over a second off after the first day so I'm not displeased with that and we've got a lot more to give tomorrow."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
"I was a little bit worried today, this is not traditionally a good track for us, but finally the results were good. Tomorrow I believe James will move up as he gets used to the track again and improves his set up. Last year the track was the most difficult for us, but after all our development the situation is completely different, to be second fastest with Cal and James only a second off after a big crash when hasn't been here for ten years is pretty good, and taking into account our strong performance at Monza I am quite optimistic for tomorrow."

Circuit Length: 4263
Lap Record: 1'42.178 (Noriyuki Haga, 01/01/2002)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'37.288 (Ben Spies, 17/05/2009)
Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga
2010 WSB South Africa - Kyalami 14/05/2010
Qualifying 1
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 1'38.477
2 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'38.529
3 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 1'38.687
4 Troy Corser BMW AUS 1'38.896
5 Leon Haslam Suzuki GBR 1'38.951
6 Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 1'38.954
7 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 1'39.027
8 Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 1'39.094
9 Shane Byrne Ducati GBR 1'39.281
10 Luca Scassa Ducati ITA 1'39.288
11 Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 1'39.336
12 Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 1'39.621
13 Noriyuki Haga Ducati JPN 1'39.630
14 Ruben Xaus BMW ESP 1'39.642
15 James Toseland Yamaha GBR 1'39.656

 

[KUCIAR666]

Rea aims for more wins in Kyalami

Jonathan Rea from the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team held onto third overall in the Superbike World Championship standings despite a double DNF at last weekend's Monza round, and he now heads to Kyalami determined to challenge for wins once again.

Rea took a fabulous double at Assen in late April and knows his CBR1000RR machine is capable of more success at Kyalami. He took his first ever WSBK podium in South Africa last year in his rookie season, and has found further improvements in his overall machine set-up since that time. Championship leader Leon Haslam (Suzuki) is now three points ahead of double Monza race winner Max Biaggi (Aprilia), with Haslam 71 points up on Rea, who ties on 110 points with Carlos Checa (Ducati).

Monza race two provided a late confidence boost for Hannspree Ten Kate Superbike rider Max Neukirchner but the Kyalami circuit will be a new exam for him to pass this weekend. Max tested at the Kyalami circuit with another manufacturer a year before he joined Honda for the 2010 season, but he has yet to encounter the track close to Johannesburg in a full race situation, or on his CBR1000RR.

For ECHO CRS Honda's Broc Parkes Kyalami will be another chance to find an ideal set-up on his Superbike, having encountered chatter that slowed his progress at last weekend's race. Parkes missed the first three races of the year through an injury picked up in training, but he is all out to continue scoring points for his privateer team from this weekend on.

Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image Honda entrant Vittorio Iannuzzo will not race at Kyalami as his team has opted not to run at this flyway race.

The Kyalami circuit is the same length as it was in 2009, but a new pitlane exit has made more run off available, and there is a new spectator area outside turns two and three.

WSBK Rider Comments

Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR:
"I am really looking forward to racing in South Africa as last year I had my first podium there. Our bike is working really well and I can say I'm excited to be riding it again. I guess I was top of the world one minute after two wins at Assen then had two non-finishes last weekend. But we are still third in the championship, which is some consolation. I hurt my wrist and ankle a little bit in my Monza race two crash but I will be 100% for Kyalami. It is nice to go there knowing that the bike is working well and that we had the pace to be right there at Monza. The real motivating factor for me is that the bike is working so well. I love riding this bike and now I am just concentrating on the track in South Africa."

Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR:
"Kyalami is very different from Monza. I only tested there at the beginning of 2009 and I have never raced there, so we will see how it is. The bike definitely felt better in race two in Italy so we will try to build on that when we start work in South Africa on Friday. I like the track very much and Jonathan showed last year that the Honda can work quite well there. I'll try as hard as possible with my team again this weekend to continue getting my riding style to match the changes we have made to the bike."

Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR:
"Monza was hard because we did not get the chance to develop our set-up the way we wanted. Hopefully in Kyalami we will make another step again but we will make most steps when we can go somewhere to test and see exactly what is and isn't working. But I'm sure we can go to Kyalami and be better again anyway."

 

[KUCIAR666]

Tough qualifying for Ten Kate at Kyalami

Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow?s two sixth round World Superbike championship races from the third row of the grid after setting the 11th fastest time in this afternoon?s Superpole qualifying sessions at Kyalami in South Africa.

Pole position was taken by Cal Crutchlow from fellow Briton, James Toseland, while Rea?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, endured another frustrating qualifying day with the 18th fastest time.

Rea?s grid position was particularly disappointing for his team after the 23-year-old had been near the top of the leaderboard in each of the preceding practice and qualifying sessions.

The plucky Northern Irishman found it difficult to find the additional grip expected of the Pirelli qualifiers and was unable to improve his times sufficiently to move him into Superpole three for a position on the first two rows, where his race pace suggested he might start.

Neukirchner, meanwhile, continued his search for the optimum combination of balance and suspension set-up on his CBR1000RR to deal with the myriad bumps at the 4.263km Kyalami circuit.

Jonathan Rea ? P11
The bike isn?t perfect, but we?re certainly not in the worst shape we?ve ever been the night before the race. Our race pace is pretty good, really, so it?s doubly frustrating to be on the third row, because we went well in the other sessions. The problem seems to be that we?re not finding the extra grip and speed from qualifiers that the other guys seem to. That?s going to make things difficult for tomorrow for sure, and I can?t afford a bad start. I?m not nervous or anything ? in fact, I?m quite excited and looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow?s races. But there?s only one direction I can go in.

Max Neukirchner ? P18
I?ve been having quite bad chatter in the sessions so far and this is not helped by the bumps here at Kyalami. The problem begins when I let the brake off in the corner, and I am having to wait a long time to get on the throttle. We haven?t really been able to move forward since Friday morning, so I guess I cannot expect anything more than the starting position that I?ve got. We will have to try something new tomorrow morning and then do the best I can in the races and see what happens.

Ronald ten Kate ? team-manager
Jonathan?s race pace is fast, so it is particularly frustrating that while on the qualifying tyres other seem to find perhaps one-and-a-half to two seconds, we only chip away 0.7. So the third row is disappointing but we?re still confident that Jonathan can play a role in the leading group in tomorrow?s races. Max continues to look for a solution that will allow him to open the throttle earlier in the corners, and we?ll keep trying to find that for him tomorrow during warm-up.
Pole position : 1m37.243s (157.190Km/h) Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha
Circuit record lap : 1m38.548s (155.108Km/h) Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, 2009
Circuit Best Lap : 1m37.243s (157.190Km/h) Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha, 2010
Qualifying position
1 Cal Crutchlow 1m37.243s (SP3) GBR YAMAHA Yamaha Sterilgarda Team
2 James Toseland +0.017s GBR YAMAHA Yamaha Sterilgarda Team
3 Carlos Checa +0.053s SPA DUCATI Althea Racing
4 Michel Fabrizio +0.125s ITA DUCATI Ducati Xerox Team
5 Leon Haslam +0.158s GBR SUZUKI Suzuki Alstare
6 Jakub Smrz +0.318s CZE DUCATI PATA B&G Racing team
7 Max Biaggi +0.370s ITA APRILIA Aprilia Alitalia Racing
8 Leon Camier +0.905s GBR APRILIA Aprilia Alitalia Racing
9 Luca Scassa 1m37.756s (SP2) ITA DUCATI Supersonic Racing Team
10 Sylvain Guintoli +0.119s FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Alstare
11 Jonathan Rea +0.197s GBR HONDA Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
12 Tom Sykes +0.450s GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
13 Troy Corser +0.454s AUS BMW BMW Motorrad Motosport
14 Sheridan Morais +0.648s ZAF HONDA ECHO CRS Grand prix
15 Ruben Xaus +0.715s ESP BMW BMW Motorrad Motosport
16 Noriyuki Haga +0.740s JPN DUCATI Ducati Xerox Team
17 Max Neukirchner 1m38.917s (SP1) GER HONDA Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
18 Shane Byrne +0.120s GBR DUCATI Althea Racing
19 Chris Vermeulen +0.400s AUS KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
20 Broc Parkes +1.796s AUS HONDA ECHO CRS Grand prix
21 Roger Lee Hayden -- USA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
22 Matteo Baiocco -- ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
Championship standings
1 Leon Haslam 168 pts GBR SUZUKI Suzuki Alstare
2 Max Biaggi 162 pts ITA APRILIA Aprilia Alitalia Racing
3 Jonathan Rea 99 pts GBR HONDA Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
4 James Toseland 97 pts GBR YAMAHA Yamaha Sterilgarda Team
5 Carlos Checa 90 pts SPA DUCATI Althea Racing
6 Troy Corser 88 pts AUS BMW BMW Motorrad Motosport
7 Noriyuki Haga 75 pts JPN DUCATI Ducati Xerox Team
8 Leon Camier 72 pts GBR APRILIA Aprilia Alitalia Racing
9 Michel Fabrizio 62 pts ITA DUCATI Ducati Xerox Team
10 Sylvain Guintoli 60 pts FRA SUZUKI Suzuki Alstare
11 Cal Crutchlow 58 pts GBR YAMAHA Yamaha Sterilgarda Team
12 Shane Byrne 50 pts GBR DUCATI Althea Racing
13 Jakub Smrz 41 pts CZE DUCATI PATA B&G Racing team
14 Tom Sykes 34 pts GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
15 Ruben Xaus 30 pts ESP BMW BMW Motorrad Motosport
16 Max Neukirchner 23 pts GER HONDA Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
17 Lorenzo Lanzi 23 pts ITA DUCATI DFX Corse
18 Luca Scassa 14 pts ITA DUCATI Supersonic Racing Team
19 Chris Vermeulen 5 pts AUS KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
20 Andrew Pitt 3 pts AUS BMW Team Reitwagen BMW
21 Roger Lee Hayden 2 pts USA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
22 Josh Brookes 2 pts AUS HONDA ECHO CRS Grand prix
23 Matteo Baiocco 1 pts ITA KAWASAKI Team Pedercini
24 Broc Parkes 1 pts AUS HONDA ECHO CRS Grand prix
25 Vittorio Iannuzzi 0 pts ITA HONDA Squadra Corse Italia Honda Garvie Image
26 Sheridan Morais 0 pts ZAF HONDA ECHO CRS Grand prix
27 S. Andrews 0 pts GBR KAWASAKI Kawasaki Racing Team
28 Roland Resch 0 pts AUT BMW Team Reitwagen BMW
29 Makoto Tamada 0 pts JPN BMW Team Reitwagen BMW
30 Daisaku Sakai 0 pts JPN SUZUKI Yoshimura Suzuki Team

 

[KUCIAR666]

Tough Superpole session for BMW Motorrad Motorsport

2010 Superbike World Championship, round six Superpole qualifying report, Kyalami

BMW Motorrad Motorsport?s Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus will start tomorrow?s two World Superbike races from the fourth row of the grid after a competitive second Superpole qualifying session, where less than four-tenths of a second separated the top ten riders.

In pleasant weather conditions, both Corser and Xaus made it safely through the first Superpole qualifying session in ninth and 16th place respectively. Knowing that they would need something special from Superpole 2, Xaus put in a 1:38.471 ? his fastest lap of the weekend so far. Corser followed this up with a 1:38:210, also his fastest lap on the BMW S 1000 RR at Kyalami.

However, with everyone going progressively quicker, by the end of the session these times were just not fast enough to finish in the top eight and go through to Superpole 3 ? and a guaranteed place on the front two rows on the grid. Pole position was eventually secured by British rider Cal Crutchlow, with a time of 1:37.243.

Troy Corser: ?It?s been a frustrating session for sure. On race tyres the bike feels good and we can run consistent lap times. We just struggled to find a set-up that got the most out of the qualifying tyre. I am pushing the front a lot going into the slow corners and I have to be really careful not to crash, so we just need to address the balance of the bike. We need a good start tomorrow and then hopefully we can run with the top guys. Overtaking around here is not easy so a good start is really important.?

Ruben Xaus: ?I am relatively happy to be honest, despite the grid position. The times were so close and we weren?t far away from making Superpole 3. The team have been working really well and every change they made improved the S 1000 RR, which is great to see. I am struggling with the front end over the bumps and I was really pushing as hard as I could. The first half of the track is fine; we just need to make it work for the full lap. We shall see what happens tomorrow.?

Davide Tardozzi ? Team Manager ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport: ?The result in Superpole today is a shame because we all felt really positive going into it. Over the first half of the lap both Ruben and Troy were really fast but we couldn?t maintain that speed through the tighter parts of the track. Both riders are struggling with front end grip so we will have to look at this and make some changes for tomorrow. I think if we can get a good set-up in tomorrow?s Warm Up we have a good chance in the races.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

A HARD-FOUGHT SUPERPOLE AT KYALAMI; FABRIZIO (DUCATI XEROX) TO LINE UP FOURTH ON THE GRID TOMORROW

Kyalami (South Africa), Saturday 15th May: today?s Superpole at the South African track of Kyalami turned into an extremely close contest , when the fastest seven riders finished the last phase of the Superpole within four tenths of a second of each other. Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio, at the end of two very positive days on track, closed today in fourth place, thus ensuring himself of a front row start for tomorrow?s races.

Once again this morning, in the second qualifying session, Fabrizio was immediately, and consistently, fast and even though he was unable to improve on the time he set yesterday, he remained at the top of the timesheets until four minutes from the end of the session, when Jakub Smrz on the privateer Ducati went two tenths faster than the Roman rider, who therefore qualified in second place for the afternoon?s Superpole. His team-mate Noriyuki was able to improve by a few tenths with respect to yesterday but this unfortunately did not change his overall position; the Japanese rider thus qualified thirteenth for Superpole.

Superpole 1. In the first phase of the Superpole both Noriyuki and Michel went out on race tyres. Michel did enough to find himself in tenth position and deemed a second exit unnecessary. Noriyuki, on the other hand, did go back out on a qualifier and closed this first session in fourteenth position.

Superpole 2. Fabrizio confronted this phase in the same way, exiting first on a race tyre to register the sixth fastest time, and then on a ?Q? to take the fifth position overall. Noriyuki went straight out on a qualifier but the Japanese rider cited a lack of rear grip. Despite making a second exit on a race tyre, Haga was unable to improve and closed today?s Superpole in sixteenth position. The times in this second phase were extremely close with the first eleven riders closing within half a second of each other.

Superpole 3. Once more composed of two exits for Michel, first with the qualifier used in the previous phase and the second with the new ?Q?. Just two tenths lost in the first split meant that Michel missed out on the pole position, which eventually went to Crutchlow on the Yamaha. The Italian rider?s time, 1m37.368, ensured him of fourth position, completing a front row composed of Crutchlow, Toseland and Checa, all three of whom finished within a tenth of a second of each other.

Michel Fabrizio
?Today?s Superpole was not at all easy. I had to really push and at one point I risked finding myself on the ground. I thought I?d finished in second but in the end it was fourth. Anyway, I?m on the front row tomorrow and am confident that I can make two great races. We?ve been going strong both today and yesterday and I know I have good race pace. Of course the competition is always the same but, from fourth on the grid, I think I can push for the win.?

Noriyuki Haga
?Today I had problems due to a lack of rear grip. In the Superpole, even on the qualifier, I didn?t have enough grip to be able to turn the bike and really push. We still have tomorrow morning to work on the bike and we?ll do our best to improve.?

TIMES (Superpole): 1. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1?37.2; 2. Toseland (Yamaha) 1?37.2; 3. Checa (Ducati) 1?37.2; 4. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1?37.3; 5. Haslam (Suzuki) 1?37.4; 6. Smrz (Ducati) 1?37.5; 7. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1?37.6; 8. Camier (Aprilia) 1?38.1? 16. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1?38.4

 

[KUCIAR666]

Yamaha dominates Kyalami Superpole with a one-two from Crutchlow and Toseland

Yamaha riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland put the hammer down in Superpole today, leaving no doubt of the potential of the 2010 R1 in their hands as they took pole and second on the grid respectively ahead of tomorrow?s two races at the Kyalami circuit. The ongoing development of the Yamaha Sterilgarda team which had been evident from Assen was clear to see in this afternoon?s Superpole heats, with both riders going under the lap record set by Ben Spies last year. Toseland had been slower than Crutchlow to get on the pace this weekend, but having found the set up that works for him, he made it count where it mattered, leading the last heat temporarily before a last flying lap by his team mate saw him take the second spot on the grid. Crutchlow?s Superpole score makes it his third from six rounds this year. His time of 1'37.243 gives him the current fastest lap record for the circuit.



Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1?37.243)
?It?s been great to take three Superpoles from six meetings so far this year, I?m really looking forward to the racing tomorrow. Yamaha have been doing a really good job in developing the bike to put us on the front row, it was unfortunate we couldn?t deliver more in Monza to repay them but we were unlucky. We?ve been up there all weekend in qualifying and practices so I think we have a good chance to deliver in the races. It?s going to be tough but I?m looking forward to taking the fight to the boys, I reckon there will be five or six up there all looking for the win, I think James is going to be one of them.?



James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1?37.260)
?I?m really happy with that result, especially after this morning?s qualifying, I think we were two seconds faster this afternoon. I?ve got a few people to thank! The Mobile Clinica guys and everyone at Monza hospital for their service last weekend, and all the riders who managed to avoid me going into turn one at the second Monza race. My head was a bit lost yesterday and this morning, which made me head in the wrong direction with the team, but they recalculated and we?ve come back, two seconds faster so a big thank you to them. I haven?t done too many laps in one go here because of my neck, so I?m not sure how it?s going to be over 24 laps but when the lights go out I?m going to hang on in there until the end!?

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
?It?s been a really good day, I was expecting a good lap from Cal, but knowing James physical condition I wasn?t expecting such a big result, I have to say he did a really good job. I know how tough it is on this circuit so congratulations to Cal and James, and also for the team for all the work they?ve done to get them there. Tomorrow will be a really tough race but here it is very important to start from the front row as it?s very difficult to overtake so we have an advantage.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Smrz goes very fast in Superpole

Jakub Smrz started Superpole as one of the favourites for a slot in the front row, after posting the fastest time in qualifying today. Smrz used race tyres in the first session of Superpole( to which the fastest 20 riders in qualifying practice take part) , qualifying to the next session with help from one of the soft tyres on the machine. In the last session, when we were down to eight riders and the first two rows were determined, Smrz set the sixth fastest time, gaining a very good starting position.

JAKUB SMRZ | Ducati 1098R | 6th in 1'37.561: "We tried to qualify in the front row and we barely missed it. However, after getting out of the track in Superpole 2 , I have to be satisfied with the result. We're very confident for tomorrow, when we hope to finish in the top 6 because we have a very performant bike, on which I set a series of very fast laps today. However, I'll have to work on improving the braking performance in warm up tomorrow. We'll see what the track conditions will be and then we'll choose the type of tyres".

Superbike - Superpole

1 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'37.243
2 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'37.260
3 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'37.296
4 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'37.368
5 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'37.401
6 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'37.561
7 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'37.613
8 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'38.148
9 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'37.756
10 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'37.875
11 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.953
12 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'38.206
13 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'38.210
14 32 Morais S. (RSA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'38.404
15 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'38.471

Event Schedule:




Sunday 16 May(GMT+2)



09.20-09.40 20' WSBK WARM UP
12.00 WSBK RACE 1 (24 LAPS KM. 102.312)
15.30 WSBK RACE 2 (24 LAPS KM. 102.312)

Broadcast Schedule:

EUROSPORT

Sunday 16 May 2010 Superpole 11:30 - 12:00 Delayed
Sunday 16 May 2010 Superbike Race 1 12:00 - 13:00 LIVE
Sunday 16 May 2010 Supersport 13:00 - 14:00 LIVE
Sunday 16 May 2010 Superbike Race 2 17:30 - 18:15 Delayed
Monday 17 May 2010 Superbike Race 1 08:45 - 09:15 Repeat
Monday 17 May 2010 Superbike Race 2 09:15 - 10:00 Repeat

EUROSPORT 2

Tuesday 18 May 2010 Superbike Race 1 15:00 - 15:45 Delayed

BRITISH EUROSPORT

Sunday 16 May 2010 Pre-Race, Superbike Races 1 & 2, Supersport 10:30 - 15:30 LIVE
Sunday 16 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 19:00 - 21:00 Highlights
Sunday 16 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 22:00 - 00:00 Highlights
Monday 17 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 14:00 - 16:00 Highlights
Monday 17 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 23:30 - 00:30 Highlights
Friday 21 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 08:40 - 09:40 Highlights
Tuesday 25 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 21:45 - 22:45 Highlights
Friday 28 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 21:45 - 23:15 Highlights
Saturday 29 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 17:30 - 18:30 Highlights
Sunday 30 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 12:00 - 13:00 Highlights
Sunday 30 May 2010 Superbike World Championship 21:00 - 22:00 Highlights

 

[KUCIAR666]

Rea serves up African stunners

Jonathan Rea produced two outstanding rides in today?s sixth round World Superbike championship races at Kyalami in South Africa to take fifth and second place finishes. The two races were won by Michel Fabrizio and Leon Haslam in front of a large, sun-drenched and enthusiastic crowd.

Starting from the third row of the grid, Rea began race one impressively, moving up to sixth on the opening lap before a lack of grip dropped him to ninth place. However, the 23-year-old was able to maintain consistent times throughout the race and he fought his way back to fifth in the closing laps, including one thrilling move around the outside of both James Toseland and Leon Camier at turn 12.

With a slightly harder rear spring in his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR for the second outing, Rea charged into second place on the first lap and snatched the lead from Haslam on lap two. The Northern Irishman was able to hold Haslam and Max Biaggi at bay unti l Haslam made his winning move on the penultimate lap.

Rea?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, suffered from further chatter problems over Kyalami?s severe bumps and, despite an improvement to the bike for race two, was only able to post 19th and 17th place finishes.

Jonathan Rea ? 5th and 2nd

I got a good start in the first race but just couldn?t hold the other guys as I didn?t find any grip. But even when I dropped down to ninth with quite a gap in front, I didn?t give up on a single corner or a single straight. I was able to maintain pretty consistent laps which allowed me to catch and pass the others at the end. We made a small change for race two and then I got a blinding start. From there I found it easy to go to the front but it was really difficult to make a break. In the end, Haslam made a lunge and I had to settle for second. All in all, I would have taken your arm off if you?d offered me those results this morning and I?d like to thank the team for keeping my spirits up ? it wasn?t looking too clever after warm-up. I?m really looking forward to Salt Lake City now that we?re back on the podium.

Max Neukirchner ? 19th and 17th

Race one was just a continuation of the problems we?ve have had all weekend but we were able to improve the bike a little for a better feeling in the second race. However, I still couldn?t push hard enough to pass the guys in front of me. Over the last few laps, we also had a bit of a problem with weight transfer on the bike, which we also had in race one. Now we have to hope we have learned something that we can take to Miller in America, which I missed last year, but I got two podium finishes there in 2008.

Ronald ten Kate ? team-manager

Well, it&rs quo;s been an interesting day ? that?s the very least we can say! We knew we had a good race pace with Jonathan but in race one he just lacked the outright speed for the opening laps. He had to fight his way through and, for most of the second half of the race he was the fastest guy on the track. His strategy of immediately taking the lead in race two was a bit of a surprise to everyone in the garage, but it worked out well!. Kyalami was where he took his first Superbike podium last year, which really kick-started his season, but we have to be strong in every single race now if we are to close the gap on the leaders. Max had more problems today ? problems that have plagued him all weekend here. We know it?s a difficult circuit to get right though, so we?ll move on to Miller, where we know our bike can work well.

2010 World Superbike championship ? round six
Kyalami, South Africa (4.263km ? 24 laps) ? result s
Race one:
1. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 39?48.343s
2. Carlos Checa (ESP) +1.098s
3. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki +5.049s
4. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia
5. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +13.710s
19. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
Race two:
1. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki 39?52.870s
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +0.522s
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +0.601s
4. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha +0.991s
17. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda

Championship points after six of 13 rounds: 1 Haslam 222, 2 Biaggi 207, 3 Rea 141, 4 Checa 141, 5 James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha 125, 6 Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati 106

Next round: Miller Motorsport Park, USA ? 29-31 May

Sofuoglu second in South Africa

Kenan Sofuoglu finished second in today?s sixth round World Supersport championship race at Kyalami in South Africa, taking the lead in the points standings by a single point from race winner, Eugene Laverty.

Sofuoglu?s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, finished in fourth place after 23 laps of the 4.263km circuit just north of Johannesburg.

Taking the holeshot from second place on the grid, Sofuoglu battled with Laverty for the early laps before the Honda-mounted Irishman put in a small break, which he extended to four seconds by the flag.

Pirro, meanwhile, displayed good pace in the early laps before succumbing to a sore arm and shoulder sustained in a practice crash on Friday afternoon.

Kenan Sofuoglu ? 2nd

It certainly wasn?t an easy race and, in the beginning, it wasn?t a problem to stay with Eugene. As the race progressed, I tried to push to close the gap but ended up nearly losing the front a few times, so I said to myself, ?OK, let?s take the podium and the points.? I think we?ll be stronger with the CBR in the last part of the season. I?ll still try to take maximum points from every race, but I have to say big congratulations to Eugene, because today he really did a very good job.

Michele Pirro ? 4th

I hurt my left shoulder in the crash on Friday and after ten laps today I was really in a lot of pain and found it very difficult to change direction. It wasn?t too bad in the early laps but when Davies went past me it was very hard for me to respond, especially when the tyre was gone later in the race. However, the bike felt really good today and I am very happy to finish the race again. I will try hard to get back to the podium now in the next few races.

Ronald ten Kate ? team-man ager

Well, the aim of course was to win today?s race and put both our riders on the podium. Although that didn?t happen, we?re still in a positive mood. We?re leading the championship now and getting closer to the second half of the season. That?s significant because we will have the suspension and set-up data from the second half of last year following our switch to Andreani Ohlins suspension. I think it?s fair to say that we should be stronger with that knowledge.

2010 World Supersport championship ? round six
Kyalami, South Africa (4.263km ? 23 laps) ? results:
1. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 39?13.215s
2. Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +4.184s
3. Chaz Davies (GBR) Triumph +9.609s
4. Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +12.912s

Championship points after six of 13 rounds: 1 Sofuoglu 117, 2 Laverty 116, 3 Joan Lascorz (ESP) Ka wasaki 112, 4 Davies , 6 Pirro 47

Next round: Miller Motorsports Park, USA ? 29-31 May

 

[KUCIAR666]

Super seventh for Corser at Kyalami!

It was a hard-fought weekend for BMW Motorrad Motorsport at Kyalami circuit in South Africa, with both riders struggling in qualifying and then suffering with loss of grip in the first race. However, Troy Corser recovered from this early setback and battled his way to finish seventh in race two, with team-mate Ruben Xaus just outside the top ten, in 11th place.

Race one didn?t go to plan for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team riders, who both struggled with lack of grip. Starting from the fourth row of the grid on the S 1000 RR was never going to be easy, and despite fighting his way up to eighth place in the early stages, Troy just couldn?t maintain the pace he wanted for the race duration and eventually finished in 12th ? just two places ahead of team-mate Ruben Xaus.

Race two was a different story though. Despite being 13th on the grid, Troy made a decent start and the hard-charging Australian fought his way all the way up to seventh place, passing riders such as race one winner Michel Fabrizio and Leon Camier, before having a close battle with former WSBK champion James Toseland for sixth place. In the end, it was Toseland who crossed the finish line just four tenths in front of Corser. Xaus, who had been involved in his own battles with Ducati riders Noriyuki Haga and Luca Scassa, finished race two in 11th place.

Troy Corser: ?Race one was really tough. I couldn?t get the grip I needed from the front or the rear tyre and I couldn?t push at all. I lost the feeling from the tyres which affected my confidence, so I couldn?t have gone any faster without crashing. We made some changes in race two which definitely improved the bike, and I could run consistently fast while remaining in control. The S 1000 RR was spinning and moving but I was happy with the performance. We have some things to work on for sure but I am confident.?

Ruben Xaus: ?My start today in both races was not great. I was hoping to make some positions up early in the race but that just didn?t happen. I had to work really hard to get through the field and passing is not easy here. In race two the bike was a lot better, we made some changes to the set-up and that allowed me to run consistent lap times. I had a hard battle with Haga and I worked really hard to defend my position. I tried my best today ? it was another step forward for me and the team and I am confident for the next race.?

Berthold Hauser ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: ?Today was a positive finish to a really tough weekend. We had to deal with a track that does not really suit our bike. Nevertheless, the entire team ? riders, engineers, mechanics and everybody involved ? proved to have the right attitude and we did a great job. We have had some ups and downs this weekend, but the team never gave up. I must say a big thank you to the team for their efforts.?

Race one: 1. Fabrizio ( ITA ? Ducati), 2. Checa (ESP ? Ducati), 3. Haslam (GBR ? Suzuki), 12 Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 14 R Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport).

Race two: 1. Haslam (GB ? Suzuki), 2. Rea (GB ? Honda), 3. Biaggi (ITA ? Aprilia), 7. Troy Corser (AUS ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 11. Ruben Xaus (ESP ? BMW Motorrad Motorsport)

Points: 1. Haslam 222, 2 Biaggi 207, 3 Rea 141, 7 Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 105, 14 Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 42

 

[KUCIAR666]

FABRIZIO (DUCATI XEROX) POWERS HIS 1198 BACK TO WINNING WAYS AT KYALAMI TODAY

Kyalami (South Africa), Sunday 16th May: Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio was celebrating with his squad this afternoon after dominating a spectacular Race 1 to take his first victory of the 2010 season, at the South African track of Kyalami.

Michel Fabrizio made a perfect start to Race 1, moving straight into the lead by getting past Crutchlow, Toseland and Checa right off the line. The Italian rider quickly extended his lead over Checa (on Althea Racing?s 1198) and maintained a constant one second advantage for the entire duration of the race. Lap times inevitably began to increase during the final stages of the 24-lap race but nonetheless Michel carefully managed his advantage and crossed the line first, to take his first race win of the 2010 season, just over a second ahead of the Spaniard. Noriyuki had a more difficult race, struggling with a lack of grip. Although he made up a few positions straight off the start line, progressing from sixteenth to twelfth, after about ten laps the lack of rear grip began to affect his lap times which consequently caused him to lose over the final laps the positions he had previously gained; the Japanese rider therefore closed Race 1 in seventeenth position.

Michel made a less impressive start to Race 2 but his reactions were quick and he made up over the course of the first lap the positions he had lost off the line. For the first eight laps he remained in fourth position, just behind Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam e Max Biaggi who battled it out among themselves up ahead. Unfortunately however, an unexpected loss of grip subsequently prevented the Italian rider from pushing and, in increasing difficulty in the final stages of the race, he eventually concluded the race in eighth place. Noriyuki meanwhile had a better race, lapping consistently fast, with lap times in the final stages that matched those of the podium placed riders. Although he continued to improve, there was too much to make up from sixteenth on the grid, and the Japanese rider had to be satisfied with tenth place.

Despite two difficult races, Noriyuki Haga still holds on to sixth position in the overall standings (106 points) while Michel Fabrizio, thanks to today?s win, has started to close the gap; now eighth with 95 points. Ducati remains in third position in the manufacturers championship with 185 points to Aprilia?s 213 and Suzuki?s 222.

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 ? winner , Race 2 ? 8th)
?I?m really happy with the win in the first race, happy for Ducati of course but above all happy for myself. I really needed a result like this after several difficult race. It wasn?t easy however, I had to make an intelligent race, doing all I could to maintain the second of advantage that I had over Carlos. It was a great race but also a very tiring one! Race 2 went very differently; the level of grip immediately began to drop after only three or four laps and it became impossible to catch the leading group that continued to gain on me. Anyway with the points taken in race 1 today I?ve gained a position in the overall standings and now I?ll turn my attention to the next event at Salt Lake, a track I really like.?

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 ? 17th , Race 2 ? 10th)
?In Race 1 after about ten laps the performance of the rear tyre dropped dramatically. There wasn?t much I could to improve. I?m disappointed of course because with no grip you don?t really get anywhere. In the second race, having made some small changes to my bike but deciding to go with the same tyre, I had a better overall feeling and, from more or less mid-race, unlike race 1, I was able to push increasingly hard. The problem was that those ahead of me had already built a significant lead; I needed a few more laps to be able to catch some of them.?

RESULTS: Race 1 ? 1. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox); 2. Checa (Ducati); 3. Haslam (Suzuki). Race 2 - Haslam (Suzuki), 2. Rea (Honda); 3. Biaggi (Aprilia)

CLASSIFICATION: Riders ? 1. Haslam (Suzuki) 222; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 207; 3. Rea (Honda) 141; 4. Checa (Ducati) 141; 5. Toseland (Yamaha) 125; 6. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 106; 7. Corser (BMW) 105; 8. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 95
Manufacturers ? Suzuki 222; Aprilia 213 ; Ducati 185; Honda 150; Yamaha 135; BMW 108; Kawasaki 39

 

[KUCIAR666]

Toseland and Crutchlow battle for championship points at Kyalami

Pole position starter Cal Crutchlow and team mate James Toseland were among many of the riders today struggling to find adequate grip levels on the abrasive Kyalami circuit as they battled for valuable championship points in the two World Superbike races. Race one saw Crutchlow initially drop to ninth off the line, while team mate Toseland battled it out in the top three, pursuing Michel Fabrizio and Carlos Checa and fighting off the attack of Leon Haslam from behind. As the grip levels dropped dramatically he gradually dropped over a number of laps, eventually crossing the line in seventh with team mate Crutchlow just two tenths of a second behind in eighth place.

Race two saw the riders again struggling to maintain a competitive race pace as their grip levels suffered early on. Despite a less than perfect start Crutchlow battled up to take fourth position, taking race one winner Fabrizio and Ducati rider Checa in the process. Crutchlow held his fourth position to the line, taking the chequered flag just under a second behind race leader Haslam. Team mate Toseland also dropped back several positions from the start but battled up to then enjoy a relatively quiet run to a sixth place finish at the line.

The riders now head to round seven of the World Championship at the Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, with Toseland holding on to fifth place in the standings on 125 points, just 16 points off Jonathan Rea in third. Team mate Crutchlow moves up to ninth position in the championship, just nine points adrift of Fabrizio in eighth.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (8th, 4th)
?We did the best job we could today at a track that the bike is not best suited to. Like a lot of riders today I seemed to lose a lot of grip very early in the races making it a struggle to keep on the pace. Having said that I was pleased overall with the second race, we were battling for a win and showing good pace throughout to hold on for points. It?s a difficult circuit and we?ve done well, the team did a really good job and we?re looking forward to getting to Salt Lake City. The track at Miller will suit our bike a bit better so I?m confident we can achieve some good results.?



James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (7th, 6th)
?The team are a bit bewildered after today, we lost grip on the tyres so quickly in the two races it was a challenge to keep up race pace. Considering I had my big crash only a week ago, getting a sixth and seventh finish is not bad for the championship for me. The differences that people have had today in grip level is incredible, some riders seemed to lose performance dramatically between the two races. I am a little frustrated but I certainly haven?t had as bad a day as some riders. Over the weekend my neck got better and better, it was a bit sore still on Friday but it was fine today. A big thank you to the team who did a fantastic job this weekend, we?re looking forward to a rest now before Salt Lake City in a couple of weeks.?

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
?We had a very strange weekend here in Kyalami. We had all good practices and then some problems during the races with grip level with both riders. We are a little disappointed and for sure we need to try and understand the reasons why the tyre behaviour changed so much today. Having said that, the team and the riders worked really hard all weekend, so we will head to the next round in America and look to improve on this weekend with better results.?