Valencia Preview

[KUCIAR666]

Team Klaffi Honda - Valencia Preview

The first European round of World?s Superbike Championship at Valencia takes place at Valencia on 21-23 April. It starts with a fantastic event. The most important riders of the Championship take part in a press conference on Port America?s Cup on a boat on Thursday 20 April. Alex Barros is one of the selected riders to join this unique event at sea.
After the last two official tests at Valencia and Misano Alex is confident to achieve some excellent results in the races on the upcoming weekend.
The setting of his Klaffi Honda Fireblade is perfect. The new aerodynamic package, which he tested at Misano, is another successful step in the right direction.
Alex himself is well prepared and in a perfect shape. He knows the Ricardo Tormo Circuit of Valencia with its rapid changes of directions very well and knows how to take the slow corners and the fast sections of the course.

Team Manager Klaus Klaffenb?ck: ?We passed some tough weeks working hard on the Fireblade. The results are promising. Now it is Alex turn to bring out the best.

Above all ? I?m sure he will be pleased with the new decoration of our pit garage. It is painted in the colours of the Brazilian flag, yellow, green and blue. With his Brazilian coloured Klaffi Honda Fireblade and his leathers it is a perfect look!?



Ricardo Tormo Circuit

Length: 4 005 m, finish line 876 m
Turns: 5 right, 9 left
Max. slope: down 5,33%, up3,58%
Lap record: Troy Bayliss 2006 1?333.758


TV Coverage

Europe ? Eurosport 1
Sunday, 13.oo Supersport, 23.oo Superbike II

Europe ? Eurosport 2
Sunday, 12.oo Superbike I, 20.oo Supersport, 21.oo Superbike II

 

[KUCIAR666]

Superbike World Championship: round three - Valencia

19/4/2006

Track length: 4005m
Year opened: 1999
Last year's winner: Troy Corser (Suzuki)
Superbike lap record: 1'35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)
Circuit telephone number: +34 96 2525220
Circuit web site: http://www.circuitvalencia.com

The Spanish round of the Superbike World Championship takes place at
the Ricardo Tormo circuit on the outskirts of Valencia.

The modern venue is well known to all the superbike riders, as it is a
favourite location for winter testing and the host of the first
official FG Sport test, held between round two at Phillip Island and this
weekend's third round of the championship.

Valencia is a tight and twisty circuit built with spectators in mind.
Surrounded by grandstands, fans can see almost the entire circuit from
their seat. The favourable winter weather conditions and modern
facilities, including sprinkler systems to simulate wet conditions, mean that
the circuit is in use throughout the year by everything from trucks to
Formula One cars, MotoGP to national championship riders. Perhaps
because of this, grip levels can be unpredictable, causing conditions to
change by the hour and requiring constant adjustments to the set-up of the
bike.

Yamaha Motor Italia has been busy since the opening rounds of the
series at Qatar and Australia, attending official tests at Valencia and
Misano. Valencia was the venue for the first of those tests, ensuring that
the Yamaha Motor Italia squad goes into this weekend's race with good
settings for their YZF-R1 machines. Haga ended that test sixth overall,
testing a whole range of chassis, suspension and electronics parts for
his bike. Currently lying sixth in the championship, the Japanese ace
was in sensational form in Qatar - finishing third in race two after
crashing out of the opener while challenging for the lead on the last lap.

Valencia is a favourite of Haga, who has won there in 2000 and 2004,
and he is looking forward to this weekend's races. Team-mate Andrew Pitt
is currently fifth in the championship. Finishing third in Qatar's
opening race, Pitt has been the epitome of consistency with two fifth
places also to his credit. The 2001 supersport world champion ended the
Valencia test just a few places behind his team-mate, setting the eighth
fastest time at the end of the three days. Like Haga, the Australian
completed a comprehensive test programme and is confident he has found a
good set-up for the weekend's race.

With the first two rounds taking place seven weeks earlier, many people
see the Valencia round as the 'real' start of the season. Having worked
out of flight cases at the fly-away rounds in Qatar and Australia, the
teams will have the added advantage of having their full accompaniment
of trucks and hospitality units to help them settle in for the main
European season. This year sees the championship take in a total of 13
rounds of two races each. Valencia marks the start of 10 European races,
with the series due to end with a final flyaway round to South Africa,
most likely at the Kyalami circuit, in October.

Valencia also plays host to round three of the Supersport World
Championship and the opening round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. In
supersport, Australian Kevin Curtain lies second in the championship having
finished in that position in the opening two races of the season. In
superstock, last year's 600cc champion Claudio Corti makes his debut in the
1000cc class as Yamaha looks to make it a hat-trick in the
championship. The third-generation YZF-R1 has won the series every year since the
bike was introduced for the 2004 season.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Team Klaffi Honda - Valencia - Qualifying I

Day one - nice and sunny weather at Valencia. Alex enjoyed it to be out on the track again. He worked on the set up of his Klaffi Honda Fireblade to adjust it perfectly for the track of the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. The only problem in the morning was that the surface of the race track was not very clean caused by some heavy rain showers the day before. In the second third of the Free Practice Alex past a patch of mud on the track. He lost his front tyre and had a small crash. Alex lost some time and so he had no chance to test all the different tyres for the track.



In the first Qualifying session during the afternoon Alex tried a new adjustment of the set-up of his bike. But this was no good choice.



Alex Barros: ?The suspension was not really better. Tomorrow we will work in the different direction. Also I used my tyres economically and the bike became worse in the end of the session.?



Team Manager Klaus Klaffenb?ck: ?After his crash this morning Alex had only one bike and it was not possible to optimise the set-up as it was our intention. Also he focused on a long distance use of the tyres. So Alex finished 12th today but this was not the final decision.?



Results Qualifying I

1 Corser T. Suzuki 1'34.920

2 Bayliss T. Ducati 1'34.963

3 Martin S. Petronas 1'35.653

12 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 1'36.130

 

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1 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'34.920 21
2 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 1'34.963 25
3 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 1'35.653 18
4 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 1'35.658 21
5 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'35.670 30
6 Xaus R. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 1'35.721 21
7 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 1'35.974 26
8 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 1'35.999 17
9 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 2. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.004 22
10 Foret F. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'36.026 22
11 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.116 21
12 Barros A. Klaffi Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.130 17
13 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.161 23
14 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.262 22
15 Walker C. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.428 18
16 Fabrizio M. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.658 23
17 Nakatomi S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 2. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.794 27
18 Rolfo R. Ducati SC - Caracchi. Ducati 999 F05 1'36.848 22
19 Iannuzzo V. Celani Team Suzuki Italia. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'36.975 22
20 Nannelli G. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.081 17
21 Borciani M. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 1'37.118 22
22 De Gea J. Honda BQR. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.157 23
23 Clementi I. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.308 22
24 Brignola N. Team Guandalini. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.443 22
25 Bussei G. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.520 24
26 Del Amor J. Honda BQR. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.665 18
27 Neukirchner M. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.691 20
28 Fuertes S. Coronas Suzuki Motorrad. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'38.155 22
29 Battaini F. Kawasaki Bertocchi. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'38.273 19
30 Jones C. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 1'38.410 16
31 Pedercini L. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'38.668 11
32 Monge J. Yamaha Factory. Yamaha YZF R1 1'39.082 17
33 Alfonsi L. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 1'39.117 22

Corser takes opening day advantahe at Valencia

REIGNING CHAMP REASSERTS AUTHORITY Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) won the opening battle of the Valencia weekend, taking the fastest time in the first qualifying session. With dark clouds overhead, and a cooling track surface, Corser displaced the man who looked likely to take the fastest lap, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) with his 1?34.920 lap, easing out his countryman by 0.043 seconds.

MARTIN MAGNIFICENT FOR THE PETRONAS TEAM Despite giving away 100cc to most of the competition, Steve Martin (Foggy Petronas FP-1) scored another remarkable milestone for both himself and his team by securing third fastest time on the opening day. Some 0.733 seconds shy of Corser, Martin nonetheless beat a further 30 riders to record his third place, at a circuit which clearly suits the sweet-handling three-cylinder FP-1.

HAGA COMPLETES TOP FOUR Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) headed off the challenge of his friend and countryman Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) to take fourth place on the timesheets on day one. Just behind, local hero Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) proved top Spanish rider in sixth place. A quite superb showing from Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) saw him seventh fastest, at a circuit he was challenging for a podium finish at in 2005, before crashing out of contention. Lorenzo Lanzi survived a late fall on his Ducati Xerox machine with bumps and bruises, but still set the eighth best time.

NIETO TOP KAWASAKI RIDER IN SPAIN During a day ended by the threat of rain that never came, Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki) blasted his way to ninth fastest time, despite failing to set a completely clean lap on his ZX-10R. Privateer Alstare Suzuki rider Fabien Foret showed his speed and ability to learn quickly by posting a top ten time in only his third World Superbike meeting.

TOSELAND THE FASTEST HONDA RIDER AFTER THE OPENING SALVOS After Valencia tests in March James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) stated that the Ricardo Tormo circuit would be a tough one for his machine, and thus far the rider who is second in the 2006 classification has proved his own predictions true. His 11th place after one day is expected to be improved upon, if day two dawns dry, as he spent much of the first day experimenting with set-up. Alex Barros was second fastest Honda rider, 12th quickest overall on his Klaffi Honda, having suffered a crash in the morning session, and having to use a single bike in the afternoon.

WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) dismissed the previous qualifying lap record with ease on the first day at Valencia, breaking into the 1?36 bracket with his 1?36.913. His closest challenger, Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) was fully 1.029 seconds behind the French Supersport Superstar, with another Honda rider, Katsuaki Fujiwara (Megabike Honda) in third, proving that he has largely recovered from the wrist injury he suffered at the start of the season. Once more Danish rider Robbin Harms impressed with his speed on Stiggy Motorsports Honda, setting fourth best time in a field of 38 would-be qualifiers. Spanish-resident American Kenny Noyes (Yamaha Team GMT94) was 14th fastest.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Haga hot in Valencia qualifying

Noriyuki Haga was in fine form during qualifying for Sunday's third
round of the Superbike World Championship, ending the day fourth on the
timesheets.

Having enjoyed successful tests at Valencia and Misano prior to this
event, the Japanese star was able to take advantage of the Yamaha Motor
Italia team's continuing development work to put his YZF-R1 to the head
of the timesheets for much of the session, only to be displaced in the
closing stages. Despite his provisional front row starting position,
Haga and his team will work on improving rear tyre grip and endurance
ahead of Sunday's two races.

Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt had a difficult first day in Valencia,
struggling with set-up problems that saw him slide off at slow speed
during the session. The Australian started the day with the settings used
successfully during the recent Misano test, only to revert back to the
tried and Valencia set-up with limited success. The former supersport
world champion was perplexed by the lack of front end feeling offered by
his machine and will work with his team on rectifying the situation
ahead of tomorrow's final qualifying and superpole sessions. Despite his
problems Pitt still ended the day in 14th position.

Yamaha Motor France's Norick Abe had one of his best qualifying
performances as a superbike rider. The Japanese star, who fought for a podium
placing in Valencia last year, was using a new specification engine for
the first time and topped the timesheets during the session, ending the
day seventh. Team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi was another giving his best
showing of the year, finishing the day in 17th.

Provisional pole position was today taken by world champion Troy Corser
(Suzuki), with championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Steve
Martin (Petronas) making it a trio of Australians at the head of the
leaderboard. With weather forecasts predicting a high chance of rain, today's
positions could determine the qualifying positions for tomorrow's top
16 superpole session.

Noriyuki Haga
"Compared to the test here a few weeks ago the grip levels are very
low. Our times are not so bad but we must work on making the rear tyre
work better, so tonight we will sit with the team and plan some big
changes for tomorrow. This is one of my favourite tracks so I hope that we
can find the changes to allow us to fight for the lead over the race
distance."

Andrew Pitt
"I've got a problem with the front end and that caused me to crash. We
started today with the settings we used at the Misano test, but they
just didn't work here. We went back to what we used at the test here last
month but I was just losing the front end everywhere. It was bouncing
up and down and I just couldn't push at all. We're going to have to sort
it out tonight but I'm not getting down about it. We're not far off the
pace and if we can sort this problem out then we should be right up
there."

Norick Abe
"My team has worked very hard to improve the engine performance for
this race. In the first two races our performances were not so good and at
the two tests we had I tried out six or seven engine specifications
that did not seem much different. For this race we have another new engine
and it is a big improvement. On my time attack lap I came across many
slow riders and I was not able to make a faster lap time. I am feeling
very confident for the weekend and hope to continue our improvements
tomorrow."

Shinichi Nakatomi
"It's my best qualifying so far and I am happy with the progress we
have made. The times are very close and I will be doing my best to make
the superpole tomorrow."

Massimo Meregalli
"It seems that there is some kind of problem on Andrew's bike because
we used the settings from when we rode here earlier this month and it is
just not right. We are looking at the problem now and will have it
fixed for tomorrow. Noriyuki did a good job but we are still not satisfied,
we need to work on improving the set-up and will try some different
things for tomorrow."

Martial Garcia
"We have made some good improvements to the bike following the Misano
test and our riders have responded with some good performances. I am
also very pleased with the performance of our other regular rider
Sebastien Gimbert. He is not here this weekend as he is competing at Le Mans
with Yamaha GMT94 and has put them on pole position."

Parkes second in supersport practice

Broc Parkes ended today's first qualifying session for Sunday's third
round of the Supersport World Championship in second position.

On a circuit that offered little grip following heavy overnight rain
the 24-year-old Australian's best lap of 1:37.942 was headed only by
world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda).

Parkes and his Yamaha Motor Germany team-mate Kevin Curtain arrived at
the circuit using the settings found at their successful Valencia test
earlier this month, only to find that they didn't work as well on the
slippery circuit. Despite this the team worked to adapt the bike to the
conditions, allowing Parkes to go over half a second quicker than his
test time. Curtain ended the day seventh fastest with a lap time of
1:38.646 with 18-year-old Spanish wild-card Jordi Torres eighth on another
YZF-R6.

Final qualifying takes place tomorrow afternoon.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Qualifing 2

1 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'34.920 1'36.640 1'34.920 34
2 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 1'34.963 1'35.260 1'34.963 43
3 Walker C. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.428 1'35.522 1'35.522 31
4 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 1'35.653 1'36.811 1'35.653 36
5 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 1'35.658 1'37.227 1'35.658 33
6 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'35.670 1'37.559 1'35.670 35
7 Xaus R. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 1'35.721 1'35.721 21
8 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 1'35.999 1'35.926 1'35.926 29
9 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 1'35.974 1'37.257 1'35.974 37
10 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 2. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.004 1'36.221 1'36.004 31
11 Foret F. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'36.026 1'36.986 1'36.026 38
12 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.116 1'36.571 1'36.116 37
13 Barros A. Klaffi Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.130 1'37.040 1'36.130 37
14 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.161 1'37.668 1'36.161 43
15 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.262 1'37.281 1'36.262 30
16 Rolfo R. Ducati SC - Caracchi. Ducati 999 F05 1'36.848 1'36.348 1'36.348 43
17 Neukirchner M. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.691 1'36.480 1'36.480 44
18 Fabrizio M. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.658 1'36.534 1'36.534 40
19 De Gea J. Honda BQR. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.157 1'36.569 1'36.569 46
20 Borciani M. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 1'37.118 1'36.638 1'36.638 38
21 Nakatomi S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 2. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.794 1'36.659 1'36.659 43
22 Iannuzzo V. Celani Team Suzuki Italia. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'36.975 1'37.255 1'36.975 40
23 Nannelli G. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.081 1'37.019 1'37.019 34
24 Clementi I. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.308 1'37.575 1'37.308 30
25 Brignola N. Team Guandalini. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.443 1'37.727 1'37.443 41
26 Bussei G. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.520 1'38.104 1'37.520 47
27 Jones C. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 1'38.410 1'37.623 1'37.623 33
28 Del Amor J. Honda BQR. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.665 1'37.665 18
29 Fuertes S. Coronas Suzuki Motorrad. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'38.155 1'38.447 1'38.155 38
30 Battaini F. Kawasaki Bertocchi. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'38.273 1'38.608 1'38.273 41
31 Pedercini L. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'38.668 1'38.668 11
32 Monge J. Yamaha Factory. Yamaha YZF R1 1'39.082 1'39.367 1'39.082 38
33 Alfonsi L. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 1'39.117 1'39.995 1'39.117 42

Free practice
1 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'34.754 24
2 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'35.044 28
3 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'35.375 20
4 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 1'35.526 26
5 Xaus R. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 1'35.562 23
6 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 1'35.668 26
7 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 2. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'35.686 21
8 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 1'36.109 17
9 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.155 22
10 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.205 19
11 Walker C. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.215 23
12 Foret F. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'36.237 21
13 Clementi I. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'36.270 18
14 Barros A. Klaffi Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.308 25
15 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.415 23
16 Neukirchner M. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 1'36.476 21
17 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 1'36.626 13
18 Borciani M. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 1'36.783 21
19 Nakatomi S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 2. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.958 23
20 De Gea J. Honda BQR. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.079 23
21 Rolfo R. Ducati SC - Caracchi. Ducati 999 F05 1'37.097 23
22 Fabrizio M. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.344 19
23 Bussei G. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.688 24
24 Nannelli G. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.750 20
25 Battaini F. Kawasaki Bertocchi. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'37.751 19
26 Iannuzzo V. Celani Team Suzuki Italia. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'37.791 23
27 Brignola N. Team Guandalini. Ducati 999 RS 1'38.225 20
28 Monge J. Yamaha Factory. Yamaha YZF R1 1'38.372 21
29 Jones C. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 1'38.437 17
30 Alfonsi L. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 1'38.526 27
31 Fuertes S. Coronas Suzuki Motorrad. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'38.606 21

Superpole
1 Corser T. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'34.920 1'36.640 1'34.992 34
2 Bayliss T. Ducati 999 F06 1'34.963 1'35.260 1'35.175 43
3 Lanzi L. Ducati 999 F06 1'35.999 1'35.926 1'35.203 29
4 Martin S. Petronas FP1 1'35.653 1'36.811 1'35.255 36
5 Nieto F. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.004 1'36.221 1'35.351 31
6 Laconi R. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.161 1'37.668 1'35.410 43
7 Walker C. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'36.428 1'35.522 1'35.452 31
8 Abe N. Yamaha YZF R1 1'35.974 1'37.257 1'35.701 37
9 Toseland J. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.116 1'36.571 1'35.784 37
10 Haga N. Yamaha YZF R1 1'35.658 1'37.227 1'36.115 33
11 Pitt A. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.262 1'37.281 1'36.214 30
12 Kagayama Y. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'35.670 1'37.559 35
13 Xaus R. Ducati 999 F05 1'35.721 1'36.362 21
14 Foret F. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'36.026 1'36.986 1'36.502 38
15 Rolfo R. Ducati 999 F05 1'36.848 1'36.348 1'36.786 43
16 Barros A. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.130 1'37.040 1'36.887 37
Others in Grid
1 Neukirchner M. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.691 1'36.480 44
2 Fabrizio M. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'36.658 1'36.534 40
3 De Gea J. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.157 1'36.569 46
4 Borciani M. Ducati 999 F05 1'37.118 1'36.638 38
5 Nakatomi S. Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.794 1'36.659 43
6 Iannuzzo V. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'36.975 1'37.255 40
7 Nannelli G. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.081 1'37.019 34
8 Clementi I. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.308 1'37.575 30
9 Brignola N. Ducati 999 RS 1'37.443 1'37.727 41
10 Bussei G. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.520 1'38.104 47
11 Jones C. Petronas FP1 1'38.410 1'37.623 33
12 Del Amor J. Honda CBR 1000RR 1'37.665 18
13 Fuertes S. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 1'38.155 1'38.447 38
14 Battaini F. Kawasaki ZX10R 1'38.273 1'38.608 41
15 Pedercini L. Ducati 999 RS 1'38.668 11
16 Monge J. Yamaha YZF R1 1'39.082 1'39.367 38
17 Alfonsi L. Yamaha YZF R1 1'39.117 1'39.995 42

 

[Oldbull]

Petronas on the front row R#? hope he does well in the race ..

me lad Chrissy Walker got the podium there when he was riding it :bow:

call me mad but I still fancy Haga for at least one win man8um:neenaw:

 

[KUCIAR666]

WSB : Abe leads Yamahas in Valencia qualifying
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 22 April 2006
Temp: 24şC
Weather: Sunny

Norick Abe had his best qualifying performance of the season, ending
the day as the top Yamaha rider after setting the eighth fastest time in
superpole. The former MotoGP star is reveling in a new specification
engine provided by his Yamaha Motor France squad and has been up with the
top riders all weekend. Fourth place in the pre-superpole practice
session suggests that Abe should be at the sharp end in tomorrow's races.

Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt will start
from the third row in tomorrow's two 23-lap races in Valencia after
setting the 10th and 11th fastest time in superpole.

Both riders are finding grip levels at a premium on the Spanish track,
which is not offering riders the same amount of traction they had at
the official FGSport test at the venue several weeks ago.

Despite running consistently strongly in race trim, Haga was unable to
exploit the potential of his YZF-R1 in the one-lap superpole,
struggling for rear end grip in a error-strewn lap. The Japanese star was unable
to fully utilise the grip of his soft qualifying tyre and suffered a
number of time sapping slides on his flying lap.

While Haga lost five places from his position after the two one-hour
sessions, Pitt dug deep to gain four places despite not completely
eradicating the front-end handling problems that blighted him during Friday's
session. The Australian rider survived a minor scare when he lost the
front end in the preceding practice session, narrowly avoiding a crash
by holding the bike up with his elbow.

Yamaha Motor France's Shinichi Nakatomi found himself in the
unfortunate situation of being one of the few riders to improve his time in the
Saturday morning session but being shuffled back from his provisional
grid position. The superbike rookie took over a tenth of a second from
his best Friday lap time, but found himself dropped four places to 21st
on the final grid as riders below him in the overnight standings found
greater improvements. Lorenzo Alfonsi, standing in for the absent
Sebastien Gimbert on the other Yamaha Motor France bike, will start from the
back of the grid in his first race for the team. The former European
superstock rider is not only having his first outing for the team, it is
also his first race since suffering a serious injury at the end of last
year.

Pole position for tomorrow's races goes to world champion Troy Corser
(Suzuki) with Troy Bayliss (Ducati), Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) and Steve
Martin (Petronas) completing the front row.

Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)
"The whole team is very motivated this weekend. For this race I have a
new engine and it feels good, which is creating a good feeling in the
team. There was more grip in the afternoon practice than in the
superpole and it made the bike slide more easily on my time attack lap. I am
happy with eighth. I am making very consistent laps and I hope that I can
go and fight at the front tomorrow."

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia)
"Of course, I am very disappointed to be starting 10th. After having a
good test here earlier this month we are having traction problems this
weekend. The superpole lap was not good. I made one mistake but also
the rear traction was not as good as I had when I tried the qualifying
tyre in the practice. The races will be very, very difficult for us but
we will try to improve the bike overnight and work to get the best
result possible."

Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia)
"I don't know if it's the rain we've been having or what it is but we
just can't seem to get any grip this weekend. I'm lacking confidence in
the front end. During the afternoon practice I had a big slide and
ended up saving it on my elbow: the bike just went down and my elbow dug in
and held me up. We made a lot of changes overnight but nothing seems to
be making an improvement. Nori and I both seem to have the same
problems and it's going to be a tough race for us tomorrow. The one thing we
have on our side is that at least we are able to do consistent lap times
over a race distance. Tonight though we will have a look to see what
else we can try to make things better for the races."

Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France)
"It was a shame we had the wet conditions in the morning as this meant
I was unable to improve my time from yesterday. Tomorrow I will aim for
a good start and try to get some points. I understand the Valencia
track quite well now and I am pleased that we are all finding improvements
with our bikes this weekend."

Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia)
"After two tests in Valencia and Misano we felt that we had made a good
step forward, only to come here and find that we are fighting for grip.
We came to Valencia using the same settings we had at the test,
although now Noriyuki cannot make the same lap times. Our bike seems to be
very sensitive to changes in the conditions and tonight we will sit down
to try and further understand the problems, although with the surface
here in Valencia we might arrive tomorrow morning and find it has changed
again."

Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France)
"Second row and top Yamaha is a good result for us. Norick is always
very strong here and I am confident he can do some good races tomorrow.
Shinichi is improving too but we must also remember that he is working
as a development rider for Soqi suspension and this means that sometimes
he is a little bit up and down in the sessions. Despite this he is a
very consistent racer and I think that we can target some points for him
tomorrow."

Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Circuit Length: 4005
Lap Record: 1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 34.633 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)
Date: 22 April 2006
Temp: 24şC

Session 2 :
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 2nd Qualifying
Superpole
1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 34.920 1' 36.640 1' 34.992
2 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1' 34.963 1' 35.260 1' 35.175
3 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA 1' 35.999 1' 35.926 1' 35.203
4 S. Martin Petronas AUS 1' 35.653 1' 36.811 1' 35.255
5 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1' 36.004 1' 36.211 1' 35.351
6 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1' 36.161 1' 37.668 1' 35.410
7 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1' 36.428 1' 35.522 1' 35.452
8 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1' 35.974 1' 37.257 1' 35.701
9 J. Toseland Honda GBR 1' 36.116 1' 36.571 1' 35.784
10 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1' 35.658 1' 37.227 1' 36.115
11 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1' 36.262 1' 37.281 1' 36.214
12 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1' 35.670 1' 37.559 N/A
13 R. Xaus Ducati ESP 1' 35.721 N/A 1' 36.362
14 F. Foret Suzuki FRA 1' 36.026 1' 36.986 1' 36.502
15 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA 1' 36.848 1' 36.348 1' 36.786
16 A. Barros Honda BRA 1' 36.130 1' 37.040 1' 36.887
21 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1' 36.794 1' 36.659

WSS : Front row for Yamaha Motor Germany pair
Round: 3 - Spain WSS
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 22 April 2006
Temp: 21şC
Weather: Sunny

 

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Second consecutive front row for Martin and FPR

Steve Martin will start from the front row of the grid for the second
consecutive time on the PETRONAS FP1 after qualifying fourth for
tomorrow?s Superbike World Championship third round races at Valencia, Spain.

The stylish Australian was just a quarter of a second off the 1:34.992
pace set by fellow countryman Troy Corser, as Steve repeated his
qualifying performance from the previous round at Phillip Island.

Having qualified for Superpole in fourth place, as only a handful of
riders bettered their qualifying times from yesterday on a greasy morning
surface, Steve recovered from a problematic afternoon free practice
session to deliver a typically composed and impressive flying lap of
1:35.255.

And Foggy PETRONAS Racing team owner Carl Fogarty heaped praise on the
achievement in an increasingly competitive championship.

He said: ?I think Steve?s performance on the bike has been incredible
and is a reward for the whole team?s consistent effort. It is going to
be tough in the races, because more powerful bikes will hold him up in
the corners, but on a lap with a clear track he is as fast as anyone out
there.?

Steve said: ?It?s unbelievable to be on the front row for two
consecutive races this year and, considering the problems we had last year, I
don?t think anyone expected that. I?m wrapped! It goes to show that
everyone connected with the project is still putting in 100 per cent effort.
We still have the challenge of the races ahead of us so I need the best
start possible. Then hopefully I will have a good enough set-up to
enable me to stick in there and get bags of good points. My Superpole lap
could possibly have been a bit quicker, although not enough for pole
position, as I had a couple of moments that were symptomatic of the grip
problems I had experienced in the afternoon session, so we will have a
think about that tonight. The weather forecast is not too good for
tomorrow and, although nobody wants to race in the wet, it would be more of
a lottery. But I have raced well here in the wet before, so anything
can happen.?

Team-mate Craig Jones also enjoyed an encouraging day, bettering
yesterday?s time by nearly a second and finishing the morning qualifying
session in 17th place with a lap of 1:37.623, which resulted in a starting
grid position of 27th when set against the faster times from
yesterday?s first qualifying session.

He said: ?The morning was probably my best session of the season so far
and I am starting to get closer to the front and also to Steve?s times.
We have worked really hard on the set-up and managed to make quite a
lot of progress towards getting a good feeling. I was hoping we could
take it a step further this afternoon but we lost a lot of grip as the
temperature rose. We just need to have a good think now and put all the
settings together for the race.?

Superpole results, Superbike World Championship, Valencia, Spain: 1
Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:34.992; 2 Bayliss (Ducati Xerox)
1:35.175; 3 Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 1:35.203; 4 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS
Racing) 1:35.255; 5 Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki) 1:35.351; 6 Laconi (PSG-1
Kawasaki) 1:35.410; 7 Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki)1:35.452; 8 Abe (Yamaha France)
1:35.701; 9 Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:35.784; 10 Haga (Yamaha
Italia) 1:36.115; 11 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 1:36.214; 12 Kagayama
(Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) no lap; 13 Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik) 1:36.362; 14
Foret (Alstare Eng Corona Extra) 1:36.502; 15 Rolfo (Duccati SC
Caracchi) 1:36.786; 16 Barros (Klaffi Honda) 1:36.887

Qualifying results: 1 Corser 1:34.920; 2 Bayliss 1:34.963; 3 Walker
1:35.522; 4 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:35.653; 5 Haga 1:35.658; 6
Kagayama 1:35.670; 7 Xaus 1:35.721; 8 Lanzi 1:35.999; 9 Abe 1:35.974; 10
Nieto 1:36.004; 27 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:37.623

Saturday free practice, Superbike World Championship, Valencia, Spain:
1 Kagayama 1:34.754; 2 Corser 1:35.044; 3 Laconi 1:35.375; 4 Abe
1:35.526; 5 Xaus 1:35.562; 6 Bayliss 1:35.668; 7 Nieto 1:35.686; 8 Lanzi
1:36.109; 9 Toseland 1:36.155; 10 Haga 1:36.205; 17 Martin 1:36.626; 29
Jones 1:38.437

 

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The second day at Valencia was not so perfect for Alex Barros. He still worked a lot on the settings of the suspension of his Klaffi Honda Fireblade but the results were not so effective.

In the second qualifying section he did a 1?37.040 lap time and finished 12th. In Superpole he improved this time - but even with a 1?36.887 lap time he unfortunately lost 4 places. So Alex starts from position 16 in the fourth row tomorrow.

Team Manager Klaus Klaffenb?ck: ?Needless to say that we expected some better lap times today but Alex is a tough fighter. He will attack tomorrow.?





Results Superpole ? Starting Grid

1 Corser T. Suzuki 1'34.992

2 Bayliss T. Ducati 1'35.175

3 Lanzi L. Ducati 1'35.203

4 Martin S. Petronas 1'35.255

16 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 1'36.887

Hard work for Alex! The Brazilian started from 16th position in the grid.

But things became even worse. Alex didn?t do a good start and was only on position 27 when he came back from the first lap.



But Alex never gives up. He started an immense fight. It was nearly unbelievable how he coped with his task. Already in the second lap he passed Alfonsi and Clementi. And on he went pursuing the riders in front of him. Alex passed Iannuzzo, Rolfo, Bussei. From lap 21 on he was already 11th.

Now he had his sights on Toseland and Pitt. But during the last three laps he couldn?t come close enough to them. So Alex finished 11th.

Winner of the race was Bayliss in front of Corser and Lanzi.



Alex Barros: ?In the second heat today I have another chance. I?ll try my best to achieve a better result.?



Race Results ? Superbike I

1 Bayliss T. Ducati 37'04.634

2 Corser T. Suzuki K6 37'07.399

3 Lanzi L. Ducati 37'18.859

4 Abe N. Yamaha 37'21.760

5 Haga N. Yamaha 37'22.859

6 Kagayama Y. Suzuki 37'23.129

7 Xaus R. Ducati 37'27.327

8 Laconi R. Kawasaki 37'28.867

9 Toseland J. Honda 37'33.433

10 Pitt A. Yamaha 37'33.580

11 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 37'39.192

 

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Scant reward for FPR at Valencia

Foggy PETRONAS Racing finished the third round of the Superbike World
Championship at Valencia, Spain, with scant reward for their continued
efforts.

After the joy of qualifying on the front row, Steve Martin again had to
battle hard for the team?s only point of the weekend when he finished
15th in the second race.

Team-mate Craig Jones was able to gain encouragement from two race
finishes, in which he showed further promise for the remainder of the
season.

Both race wins went to championship leader Troy Bayliss, who tracked
his compatriot Troy Corser before pulling away in the final stages.

The day began in disappointing fashion for FPR as Steve was forced to
pull in during the first race, after experiencing deteriorating grip
from the rear. In race two he was closing in on Alex Barros in 14th during
the final stages.

Craig completed the first race in 22nd, despite suffering an oil leak
in the opening laps, and was challenging Giovanni Bussei, standing in
for the injured Karl Muggeridge, on the Winston Ten Kate Honda for 20th
in race two when he ran off into the gravel at the end of the
start-finish straight.

Craig said: ?I had a good second race and felt that I made a lot of
progress. I was doing consistent lap times throughout the race after a
good start, when I got my elbows out for the first couple of corners to
make up some places. When Bussei passed me I thought he would pull away
but I found that little bit extra that I have been looking for and he
was holding me up eventually. But, whether it was down to me or the bike,
I experienced two or three false neutrals going into turn one and, when
I couldn?t get it back into gear, I ran off into the gravel. I didn?t
get the best of starts in the first race as I was beaten up in the first
corner when Barros sat up, forcing me to sit up too. But then I managed
to get past a few before, after about five laps, I had oil on my boots
from a leak and my feet kept slipping off the pegs. If I had had a
better feeling and better stopping power at the front I could have finished
higher. Monza is a new track for me but I am looking forward to
learning it and hopefully we can make more progress.?

Steve said: ?The bike is a million times better than at this time last
year but we still need to find more horsepower in order to be race
competitive throughout the year. I made an excellent start to the second
race but, once again, was chewed up going into the first corner. You
cannot afford to give away anything in such a competitive championship or
you are going to go backwards, no matter how well the bike is handling.
And although I didn?t finish the first race, I did feel as though we
were racing until, on lap 12, I lost the rear a couple of times. I felt I
had to come in to check there wasn?t a major problem, which there
wasn?t, so maybe I was a little over-cautious. Once again, though, the
effort of everyone involved has been faultless.?

Race two results, Superbike World Championship round three, Valencia,
Spain: 1 Bayliss; 2 Corser +0.790; 3 Lanzi +15.133; 4 Abe +16.004; 5
Haga +16.929; 6 Nieto +17.056; 7 Walker +19.967; 8 Laconi +21.395; 9 Pitt
+21.801; 10 Fabrizio +32.166; 11 Toseland +32.259; 12 Nakatomi +32.355;
13 Foret +32.648; 14 Barros +33.875; 15 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing)
+38.052; 25 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +1:25.553

Race one results: 1 Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 2 Corser (Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra) +2.765; 3 Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) +14.225; 4 Abe (Yamaha
France) +17.126; 5 Haga (Yamaha Italia) +18.225; 6 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra) +18.495; 7 Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik) +22.693; 8 Laconi
(PSG-1 Kawsaki) +24.233; 9 Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) +28.799; 10
Pitt (Yamaha Italia) +28.946; 11 Barros (Klaffi Honda) +34.558; 12
Nakatomi (Yamaha France) +37.151; 13 Fabrizio (DFX-Treme) +43.368; 14 De Gea
(Honda BQR) +45.753; 15 Foret (Alstare Eng Corona Extra) +46.586; 22
Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +1:15.123

 

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Race 2
1 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 37'06.508 23
2 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 37'07.298 23
3 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 37'21.641 23
4 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 37'22.512 23
5 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 37'23.437 23
6 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 2. Kawasaki ZX10R 37'23.564 23
7 Walker C. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 37'26.475 23
8 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 37'27.903 23
9 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 37'28.309 23
10 Fabrizio M. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 37'38.674 23
11 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 37'38.767 23
12 Nakatomi S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 2. Yamaha YZF R1 37'38.863 23
13 Foret F. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 37'39.156 23
14 Barros A. Klaffi Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 37'40.383 23
15 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 37'44.560 23
16 Rolfo R. Ducati SC - Caracchi. Ducati 999 F05 37'46.792 23
17 Borciani M. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 37'51.385 23
18 Neukirchner M. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 37'55.775 23
19 De Gea J. Honda BQR. Honda CBR 1000RR 37'58.262 23
20 Bussei G. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 38'03.255 23
21 Battaini F. Kawasaki Bertocchi. Kawasaki ZX10R 38'08.160 23
22 Brignola N. Team Guandalini. Ducati 999 RS 38'17.796 23
23 Nannelli G. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 38'18.805 23
24 Monge J. Yamaha Factory. Yamaha YZF R1 38'30.475 23
25 Jones C. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 38'32.061 23
26 Iannuzzo V. Celani Team Suzuki Italia. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 37'41.025 21
27 Xaus R. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 13'05.819 8
28 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 11'23.745 7
29 Clementi I. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 9'56.984 6
30 Fuertes S. Coronas Suzuki Motorrad. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 10'00.088 6
31 Alfonsi L. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 7'01.256 4

 

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Hard work for Alex! The Brazilian started from 16th position in the grid.

But things became even worse in the first heat. Alex didn?t do a good start and was only on position 27 when he came back from the first lap. But Alex never gives up. He started an immense fight. It was nearly unbelievable how he coped with his task. Already in the second lap he passed Alfonsi and Clementi. And on he went pursuing the riders in front of him. Alex passed Iannuzzo, Rolfo, Bussei. From lap 21 on he was already 11th.

Now he had his sights on Toseland and Pitt. But during the last three laps he couldn?t come close enough to them. So Alex finished 11th in the first race.



At 15.3o pm Alex started for the second race and this time too he had some bad luck. After the start he was on 23rd position and again he had to fight. From lap 12 Alex was riding on 12th position.

But then Foret and Nakatomi seized a chance. They repassed Alex and the Brazilian rider of the Klaffi Honda Team finished 14th in the second heat.

In both races Bayliss was the winner in front of Corser and Lanzi.



The fourth round of World?s Superbike Championship will take place at Monza on 05-07 May. The next chance for Alex to attack.

Alex Barros: ?It is needless to say that I?m disappointed. But sometimes things like that happen in racing. Now I have to go one, let this bad experience behind me and concentrate on the upcoming race.?



Superbike Race I

1 Bayliss T. Ducati 37'04.634

2 Corser T. Suzuki 37'07.399

3 Lanzi L. Ducati 37'18.859

4 Abe N. Yamaha 37'21.760

5 Haga N. Yamaha 37'22.859

6 Kagayama Y. Suzuki 37'23.129

7 Xaus R. Ducati 37'27.327

8 Laconi R. Kawasaki 37'28.867

9 Toseland J. Honda 37'33.433

10 Pitt A. Yamaha 37'33.580

11 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 37'39.192



Superbike Race II

1 Bayliss T. Ducati 37'06.508

2 Corser T. Suzuki 37'07.298

3 Lanzi L. Ducati 37'21.641

4 Abe N. Yamaha 37'22.512

5 Haga N. Yamaha 37'23.437

6 Nieto F. Kawasaki 37'23.564

7 Walker C. Kawasaki 37'26.475

8 Laconi R. Kawasaki 37'27.903

9 Pitt A. Yamaha 37'28.309

10 Fabrizio M. Honda 37'38.674

14 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 37'40.383



Championship Standings

1 AUS Bayliss 125

2 AUS Corser 103

3 GBR Toseland 86

4 JPN Haga 64

5 BRA Barros 62

6 AUS Pitt 58

7 ITA Lanzi 47

8 JPN Abe 40

9 ITA Fabrizio 34

10 ESP Xaus 33

 

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WSB : Abe back to the front in Valencia
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 23 April 2006
Crowd: 42000
Temp: 20şC
Weather: Sunny

Yamaha's world superbike riders overcame a lack of traction to bring
home a good haul of points at round three of the series in Valencia
today.

Norick Abe was the leading Yamaha rider, ending the day with a pair of
fourth places and only narrowly missing out on a podium finish in his
second outing.

The Japanese star was in superb form all weekend after his Yamaha Motor
France squad brought along a new specification engine for the race. The
team, which uses and is responsible for development of Yamaha's YEC kit
parts, worked hard after below par performances in Qatar and Phillip
Island.

In both races Abe made good starts and worked hard to battle with
fellow Yamaha rider Noriyuki Haga. In the afternoon's second race the
two-time 500cc Grand Prix winner looked like coming home third for what would
have been his first ever superbike podium, only to be passed by Lorenzo
Lanzi (Ducati) on the final lap. Despite a little disappointment at
missing out on third, Abe was delighted with the performance of his R1 and
at being back running with the leaders.

Yamaha Motor Italia riders Haga and Andrew Pitt had a tough day
struggling with set-up problems. For Haga, the two races were virtually carbon
copies of each other, holding third for much of the race but succumbing
to Lanzi and Abe in the final few laps. The Japanese rider suffered
electrical problems in both outings, affecting his machine's quick shift
system and the power delivery of the engine.

Despite the first race problems, Haga was able to bring his R1 home in
fifth place. Set-up changes and the replacement of various electrical
components brought hope of a better result in race two and, after a good
start, Haga was challenging eventual winner Troy Bayliss (Ducati) in
the battle for second. Unfortunately for Haga the problem reemerged and
his lap times dropped off, drawing him into the clutches of Abe and
Lanzi. Despite his disappointment at not battling for the podium, Haga had
the consolation of moving up two places in the championship, leaving
Valencia in fourth place.

Pitt also had two similar races, unable to fix the front end grip
problems he faced all weekend. The Australian came home tenth in the first
race following a bad start and finished ninth in race two, at the back
of a three-way battle for seventh with Kawasaki riders Chris Walker and
Regis Laconi.

Yamaha Motor France's improved fortunes allowed Shinichi Nakatomi to
show his true colours. The Japanese newcomer grabbed two 12th places in a
wonderful display of aggressive riding on his R1. After a somewhat
lonely race one, the second outing saw Nakatomi was involved in an intense
four-way battle for tenth that included no less than multiple Grand
Prix winner Alex Barros (Honda) and former superbike world champion James
Toseland (Honda). In the end Nakatomi finished just a tenth of a second
behind Toseland, but claimed Barros as a scalp.

Both Valencia races were won by Bayliss, with defending world champion
Troy Corser (Suzuki) second both times. In the championship, Bayliss
extends his lead to 22 points over second placed Corser with Toseland
third and Haga fourth. Pitt slips back one place to sixth, with Abe's 26
points taking him up to eighth place overall.

The next round takes place at Yamaha Motor Italia's local Monza circuit
in two weeks' time.

Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)
"Two good results today, so I am very happy with that. In the second
race compared to the first I had a better feeling but in the beginning
the top two were gone and in a different world. I caught up with Lanzi
then tried so hard to catch Haga. When I passed him I tried to make a gap
but by that stage the tyres were spinning a lot. I think the Ducati has
good traction in that condition, because Lanzi was very fast at the
end. So I am a little disappointed to miss the podium but the whole day
was a big improvement over the first rounds, so I am very happy."

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia)
"After qualifying we knew that this was going to be a tough race but
the problems we had today made it impossible to fight for the podium. In
the first race the traction was not so good but I thought I could take
third until the engine lost power. For the second race the feeling with
the bike was better but the problem came back and there was nothing I
could do when Abe and Lanzi came past."

Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia)
"In the first race we also tried something different on the start and
it didn't work, which gave me a lot of work to do. We made some
improvements to the bike after qualifying and between the races but I was still
struggling for front end grip. The bike was actually quite good for the
first ten laps but when it went off I couldn't push as hard as I wanted
to. I was able to run with guys like Toseland and Laconi but the
confidence in the front end wasn't there and I couldn't make a pass."

Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France)
"I'm pleased to have two good races and score some championship points.
The main difference this weekend was that the team has made the bike a
lot better than at the first two races, so I could go fast and have
some good battles in the second race. We had three days of testing here as
well so that also makes a difference."

Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France)
"We found the correct settings today and adapted well to the tyres. We
made tests all winter with the old tyres but are now racing with the
new ones, which are much better but they do increase chattering and
sometimes that means we are lost in the set-up. In the Misano test we
recovered confidence and we can see the results now."

Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia)
"It has been a difficult weekend for us. Noriyuki's bike developed an
electrical problem which caused some problems with the engine power. We
replaced the sensors between the races but it did not fix the problem.
Andrew had problems with front end grip but rode well to get some good
points. To be honest, we know that Valencia is not one of our best
circuits but we are an ambitious team with a goal of winning the
championship so even though we came here knowing it would be difficult we are
never satisfied with fifth places. On the positive side, Noriyuki has
moved up the championship table to fourth and when you consider that he was
seventh in the championship this time last year we are clearly going in
the right direction."

Race classification WSB

Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Circuit Length: 4005
Lap Record: 1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 34.633 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)

Race: 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 37' 4.634
2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +2.765
3 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +14.225
4 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +17.126
5 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +18.225
6 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +18.495
7 R. Xaus Ducati ESP +22.693
8 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA +24.233
9 J. Toseland Honda GBR +28.799
10 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +28.946
11 A. Barros Honda BRA +34.558
12 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN +37.151
13 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +43.368
14 D. De Gea Honda ESP +45.753
15 F. Foret Suzuki FRA +46.586

Race 2: 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 37' 6.508
2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +0.790
3 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +15.133
4 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +16.004
5 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +16.929
6 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP +17.056
7 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +19.967
8 R. Laconi Kawasaki FRA +21.395
9 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +21.801
10 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +32.166
11 J. Toseland Honda GBR +32.259
12 S. Nakatomi Yamaha JPN +32.355
13 F. Foret Suzuki FRA +32.648
14 A. Barros Honda BRA +33.875
15 S. Martin Petronas AUS +38.052

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 35.374

Championship standings WSB

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 125
2 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 103
3 James Toseland Honda GBR 86
4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 64
5 Alex Barros Honda BRA 62
6 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 58
7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 47
8 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 40
9 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 34
10 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 33
11 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 32
12 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 29
13 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 24
14 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 22
15 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 21
20 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 8
23 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 3

Manufacturers standings WSB

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Ducati 126
2 Suzuki 113
3 Honda 91
4 Yamaha 84
5 Kawasaki 40
6 Petronas 4

WSS : Curtain completes Yamaha's century of supersport podiums
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 23 April 2006
Crowd: 42000
Temp: 21şC
Weather: Sunny

Yamaha scored its 100th podium finish in the Supersport World
Championship with a second place for Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain in
Valencia today.

Curtain's podium makes Yamaha the first manufacturer to reach that
milestone in a class in which it has consistently been strong. Massimo
Meregalli's win at Misano in 1997 was the manufacturer's first podium
finish in the class and since then Yamaha has gone on to win three
manufacturer and a rider's world title with Yamaha Motor Germany's J?rg Teuchert
in 2000.

Australian rider Curtain made a poor start in today's race, ending the
first lap in fourth place but fighting his way through to second at the
flag. After moving into second on lap four Curtain had something of a
lonely race, six seconds behind race winner Sebastien Charpentier
(Honda) but three ahead of third placed Katsuaki Fujiwara (Honda). In a good
day for Yamaha Motor Germany, Broc Parkes came home fourth in what is
only the third race for the latest model YZF-R6.

With showers throughout the weekend limiting the amount of dry practice
time both Yamaha's Australian riders failed to find a perfect set-up
for what turned out to be a dry race.

Having worked hard to move through the pack, Curtain found his rear
tyre was unable to provide the grip needed to close down Charpentier and
was forced to settle for what was his third second place of the season.
Parkes meanwhile had a problem of brake fluid leaking onto his footpegs
after the top of the rear brake cylinder was displaced by the rider's
boot. Despite not affecting the performance of his machine, Parkes
understandably rode cautiously as he was unaware of the source of the fluid.

Yamaha's third-generation YZF-R6 was well represented in the race, with
six machines in the top ten and several young riders catching the eye.
Nineteen-year-old wild-card Jordi Torres equaled his fine qualifying
position with fifth in the race, while fellow Spaniard Xavi Fores, 20,
ran second in the early laps but faded to eighth at the flag. Yamaha Team
Italia riders Massimo Roccoli and Gianluca Vizziello finished just
behind Fores, ending the day ninth and tenth respectively.

The race was led from lights to flag by world champion Charpentier to
extend his lead over Curtain to 15 points in the championship. Parkes
moves up to fourth in the points with three of the 13 races completed
with Fores and Roccoli sharing fifth place alongside Yoann Tiberio
(Honda).

Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany)
"I didn't get the best of starts and by the time I made it through to
second Sebastien had got away. I tried hard to catch him but I'd worked
my rear tyre too hard and didn't have enough grip. I'm happy enough
with the result though. Our bike is still developing and we lost a lot of
set-up time here due to the rain. Fair play to Sebastien though, he was
the best rider today and deserved to win. Hopefully we'll have a new
specification engine at Monza, if not then by Silverstone, and Pirelli
will be supplying a new front tyre which we have tested and works much
better with our bike."

Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany)
"I suppose I got some points today but I'm not that happy. I realised
in the middle of the race that there was some fluid leaking onto the
bike and I thought it was maybe oil from the rear shock. It turned out it
was the cap that had come off the rear brake master cylinder, but it
was always in the back of my mind that something could maybe go on the
tyre, so I had to hold back a bit."

Jordi Torres (Speed Moto)
"I was very nervous at the start of the race and in the first corner a
lot of riders passed me. I regained my concentration and started to
pass a few other riders. At the end of the race my tyre was pretty much
finished but I tried to control the situation I was in and scored fifth
place. I am very pleased about that because this is my first race in
this championship, which is run at a very high level."

Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia)
"I rode quite nervously in the opening laps but by lap five I had
settled down and was able to make up some positions. With about five laps to
go the bike seemed to be straining a bit and although I was still able
to have a good battle with Fores I could not quite pass him. We
definitely improved our set-up from yesterday and I am quite happy with the
result, although I know we must still work harder."

Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia)
"I was having a good race in front of Massimo until close to the end,
when I lost some grip at the front. I had a lot of front end slides and
twice saved a crash on my knee. Massimo was able to pass on one of
these moments and when I looked behind and saw no-one close I backed off
and took a safe finish."

Race classification WSS

Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Circuit Length: 4005
Lap Record: 1' 38.664 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 38.664 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006)

Race: 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 38' 12.713
2 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS +6.537
3 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN +9.454
4 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS +11.750
5 J. Torres Yamaha ESP +15.964
6 R. Harms Honda DNK +17.007
7 Y. Tibero Honda FRA +19.548
8 X. Fores Yamaha ESP +22.400
9 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA +22.513
10 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA +24.708
11 B. Veneman Suzuki NED +25.317
12 J. Brookes Ducati AUS +27.194
13 W. De Angelis Honda ITA +31.740
14 T. Lauslehto Honda FIN +37.082
15 S. Le Grelle Honda BEL +41.951

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1' 38.664

Championship standings WSS

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 75
2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 60
3 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 31
4 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 29
5 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 22
6 Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 22
7 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 22
8 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 20
9 Joshua Brookes Ducati AUS 20
10 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 16
11 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 16
12 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 16
13 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 15
14 Jordi Torres Yamaha ESP 11
15 Sebastien Le Grelle Honda BEL 11
21 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 2

Manufacturers standings WSS

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Honda 75
2 Yamaha 60
3 Ducati 22
4 Kawasaki 8
5 Suzuki 5

FIM Superstock 1000 Cup: Corti eighth on Superstock 1000 debut
Round: 1 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 22 April 2006
Crowd: 42000
Temp: 20şC
Weather: Sunny

European Superstock 600 champion Claudio Corti gave a good display on
his first race in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, finishing eighth on his
Yamaha Team Italia YZF-R1 SP.

Starting 12th on a circuit dampened by overnight rain, the 18-year-old
Italian steadily worked his way through a field of more experienced
riders, pipping local rider Alex Martinez (Kawasaki) across the line and
almost catching South African superbike champion Sheridan Morais
(Suzuki) and the battle for sixth place.

After a thrilling race-long battle for the lead, it was Italian
Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) who stood on the top step of the podium after a
sometimes frantic battle with Spanish wild-card Ivan Silva (Kawasaki).
Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta) was third with Spaniard Enrique Rocamora the
leading Yamaha rider, finishing fourth on his YZF-R1 SP.

Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia)
"This has been a difficult race for me as we have found it difficult to
get traction all weekend and I could not ride as well as I would like.
When I consider this is my first time racing the R1 then this is not so
bad, but I am still disappointed with the result. The next race is at
Monza, which is my local track, and I am sure that if the team can make
some progress then I can go for the win there."

Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

Round: 1 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Circuit Length: 4005
Lap Record: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)

Race: 13 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 A. Polita Suzuki ITA 22' 4.712
2 I. Silva Kawasaki ESP +0.303
3 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +3.751
4 E. Rocamora Yamaha ESP +5.418
5 L. Scassa MV Agusta ITA +5.729
6 D. Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA +9.290
7 S. Morais Suzuki RSA +9.409
8 C. Corti Yamaha ITA +10.143
9 A. Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP +10.149
10 S. Saltarelli Kawasaki ITA +13.128
11 M. Baiocco Yamaha ITA +18.002
12 R. Cooper Honda GBR +25.076
13 D. Dell'omo Suzuki ITA +27.910
14 R. Chiarello Kawasaki ITA +29.890
15 I. Dionisi Yamaha ITA +29.983

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 A. Polita Suzuki ITA 1' 39.789

FIM Superstock 1000 Cup championship standings

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 25
2 Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 20
3 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 16
4 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 13
5 Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 11
6 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 10
7 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 9
8 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 8
9 Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 7
10 Simone Saltarelli Kawasaki ITA 6
11 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 5
12 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 4
13 Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 3
14 Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 2
15 Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 1