Shane Byrne
Byrne fired up for the rest of 2010
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Wednesday, 17th March 2010, 13:13 GMTAfter a great pre-season and pre-race test at Phillip Island things went off the rails for Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) at the opening round of the year, as two crashes (one in first qualifying and one in warm-up) badly beat up the English rider and naturally held back his raceday performances. He was to finish only 14th and 12th, having been second fastest in testing, and top four after first qualifying. The upside, three weeks after the opening weekend ‘down under', is that there was no lasting damage to his body, and he is not only raring to go at Portimao, he is determined to make good ground at all the rest of the races in 2010. "The only thing I wanted was for the second race of the year to come along the week after Phillip Island. I just couldn't go fast after my crashes but now I need to get to Portimao, Valencia, Assen - all the other rounds. It is not about being fast at one track. I really like Portimao but I don't just want to go well, there, I want to be on the podium there, at Valencia, at Assen, and all the other places." Byrne knows that his lack of raceday pace was simply due to being beaten up from his fall, and knows that injury free his weekend could have been different. His team-mate Carlos Checa won race two, after all. "All through testing and early practice we showed we had the speed. But I just feel disappointed for Genesio Bevilacqua, the team owner, because he put a lot of faith in me giving me that ride in 2010. I really wanted to be Carlos at Phillip Island, and be the one giving Genesio the podiums!" Read article
Over 60’s club
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Friday, 5th March 2010, 12:39 GMTAfter a new name, Leon Haslam, was added to the Superbike World Championship race winners' roll of honour last Sunday, the total number of riders who have now taken at least one race win in this class rose to an impressive 63. Not bad at the very beginning of WSBK's 23rd season, and considering how many riders have multiple race wins to their credit. Giants of the class such as Carl Fogarty (59) and Troy Bayliss (52) are the class leaders in this field, but no fewer than 20 riders have at least ten wins to their credit. With Haslam joining the winners' club, there are 15 full time 2010 WSBK riders who have won at least one race, from 'new boy' Haslam to Haga. The 'active' winners are, Noriyuki Haga (41), Troy Corser (33), James Toseland (16), Ruben Xaus (11), Chris Vermeulen (10), Max Biaggi (4), Makoto Tamada (3), Lorenzo Lanzi (3), Michel Fabrizio (3), Carlos Checa (3), Shane Byrne (2), Max Neukirchner (2), Jonathan Rea (2), Andrew Pitt (1), and Leon Haslam (1). Read article
Althea Racing – Fantastic victory of Carlos Checa in race two!
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Monday, 1st March 2010, 9:51 GMTCloudy sky and dry truck today in Phillip Island for the first World Superbike races of the season. The Althea racing team riders worked on the last minute adjustments of their Ducati 1198 bikes during the morning warm up, in order to be ready for the two 22-laps Superbike races. Due to yesterday Superpole upshots, today Carlos Checa lined up from the first row and Shakey Byrne from the fifth. In race one not a good start for Checa. The Spanish riders did not take advantage from his start from the first row of the grid. In the first few laps Checa was sixth and teammate Shakey, after quite a quick start, was seventeenth. Near to the middle of the race Checa was battling for fourth in a group of six riders while Byrne made up several places up to fourteenth. Checa ended the first race in seventh place and Byrne obtained the fourteenth position. Also in race two Carlos did not start quickly from the first row, ending the first lap in eighth place. Fifteenth place for Byrne in the first few laps. As the race proceed Checa was able to recover some position and near to the middle of the race he reached the first group of riders in fifth place. Also Byrne recovered quickly and in a few laps he was up tenth position, but caught up in the third group of riders, he was unable to make much progress and concluded in twelfth place. With few laps to go Checa moved up to fourth position and with some incredible overtaking he worked his way up through the field to pass Guintoli, Fabrizio and Haslam to take the lead on the very last lap snatching an extraordinary first victory for Althea racing team. Carlos Checa: "The second race was perfect. In race one we chose a tyre that was perhaps too hard for the conditions and I found it hard to brake. In race two we selected a better tyre and I could brake much more strongly, I also had a very good pace and was able to pass riders fairly easily. My style of riding actually seemed to mean that tyre wear was less of a problem for me than for some other riders. By the last lap I was up in second and I could finally get pass Haslam. I wanted to pass him earlier but it was impossible and he didn't leave me space to pass until the very end. I am of course extremely happy with the result, it is my first race with the Althea team and on the Ducati 1198 and we have a good package with which to fight this season. My thanks go to the entire team for their hard work and dedication." Shane Byrne: "The first race I made it was very difficult for myself, I knew I had to make as many passes as possible to get near the front. I pushed to pass Guintoli and Sykes and couldn't make it, so had to go straight. A small problem with the rear brake and it was hard to turn, but anyway I recovered and had good rhythm so I was happy with it, though not so happy with the result. The first thing to say about race two is congratulations to Carlos and to the whole team for the win. Genesio and the team have put together a very competitive machine. There are too many fast riders to be able to start from 18th and expect a good finish, but I got up as far as about tenth place which wasn't so bad, having been caught up in battles with several riders. Today we have seen that there are many riders that can fight for race wins, the level of riding is very good. We go home and concentrate on preparations for Portimao." Genesio Bevilacqua - General manager: "What can I say? An incredible day. It's the first round of the season and as a team we were well prepared but we didn't expect a Carlos Checa in such amazing form today. It's difficult to win a race at this level and we are extremely satisfied. We worked very hard over recent months to be ready for this weekend, during testing, and so this is an amazing result. Shakey was unfortunately not in perfect shape after the earlier crash but he made good pace in race two and we look forward to Portimao where we know he can be strong. Particular thanks goes to Ducati as it is due to their support that we are here today and celebrating this success. Thanks also to the whole team as their hard work over recent months had led to this incredible result today." Read article
Haslam leads the way at Phillip Island
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » Bike News - Saturday, 27th February 2010, 16:39 GMTLeon Haslam started his 2010 World Superbike Championship campaign in fine fashion, by claiming his first Superpole win for this weekend’s season opener at Phillip Island. Having been in control for much of the three Superpole sessions, Haslam transferred his dominance into his inaugural Superpole victory, allowing him to head the field in tomorrow’s first race from the Australian venue. Just 0.016 seconds behind Haslam was Michel Fabrizio, with the Ducati Xerox rider taking second on the grid ahead of WSB rookie Cal Crutchlow. Crutchlow stole third on the grid in the dying moments of Superpole three, just ahead of early pace setter Carlos Checa. Completing Superpole three were Sylvain Guintoli, Jakub Smrz, followed by the Brit duo of Jonathan Rea and James Toseland, with Toseland making his come back to the WSB series after a spell in MotoGP. Behind the top eight, Lorenzo Lanzi headed the next melee of riders who just missed out on a shot at the third Superpole session. Not far behind Lanzi came 2009 championship contender Noriyuki Haga, with Max Biaggi and Tom Sykes in tow. WSB veteran Troy Corser rode his Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR machine to thirteenth, eager to impress tomorrow in front of his home crowd. Chris Vermeulen qualified fourteenth with Corser’s teammate Ruben Xaus alongside in fifteenth. After suffering a dramatic fall during the qualifying session, 2009 British Superbike Champion, Leon Camier, was forced to accept sixteenth on the grid for tomorrow’s opening race. Camier appeared uninjured, but will have some work to do tomorrow. Bringing up the rear of the grid, Max Neukirchner headed Shane Byrne and Andrew Pitt in seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth, respectively. Roland Resch was unable to contest the Superpole session as a result of an earlier crash. It is unknown yet if he will be racing tomorrow, but watch this space. After an exciting three Superpole sessions in this year’s new look Superpole, the 2010 season is already looking like it will be as exciting as ever. A new season with new riders and new bikes anything is possible. We’ll find out tomorrow who has the early advantage - will Haslam transfer his Superpole win into race victory? Read on tomorrow for all of the latest race news from Phillip Island. Read article
Suzuki Alstare: perfekte teamarbeit
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 27th February 2010, 6:46 GMTLeon Haslam geht am Sonntag zum Auftakt der Superbike-WM 2010 von der Poleposition in die Rennen auf der 4,445 Kilometer langen Piste von Phillip Island. Der britische Alstare-Suzuki-Pilot untermauerte damit seine Leistung bei den Tests und verwies Ducati-Pilot Michel Fabrizio in der entscheidenden Superpole-Session um wenige Tausendstel auf Platz 2. Die eigentliche Überraschung war Haslams Teamkollege Sylvain Guintoli mit der zweiten Alstare-GSX-R 1000 auf Startplatz 5. Das Team liess beide Piloten gleichzeitig auf die Piste und der Franzose zog sich im Windschatten von Haslam in die zweite Startreihe. DUCATI: FABRIZIO KNAPP GESCHLAGEN. Xerox-Ducati-Pilot Michel Fabrizio war auch am zweiten Trainingstag auf Phillip Island stärkster Ducati-Pilot. Der Italiener verpasste bei deutlich kühleren Temperaturen die Pole lediglich um 16 Tausendstel Sekunden. Teamkollege Noriyuki Haga stellte seine 1098 R F10 auf den zehnten Startplatz. Erneut stark präsentierte sich Carlos Checa mit der Althea-Ducati als Vierter der Superpole. Shane Byrne schied mit der zweiten Althea-Ducati bereits in der ersten Superpole-Session aus. Jakub Smrz stellte seine Pata-Ducati auf Rang 6, Lorenzo Lanzi sorgte bei DFX mit dem neunten Startplatz für zufriedene Gesichter. YAMAHA: STARKER SAMSTAG. Cal Crutchlow steigerte sich mit der Yamaha R1 im zweiten Qualifying deutlich. Der Brite kämpfte sich danach in die dritte und letzte Superpole-Session, wo dem Supersport-Weltmeister auf Coventry die dritte Position gelang. ,,Ich musste beide Qualifyer-Reifen bereits in der zweiten Session verwenden, weil ich einmal kurz von der Piste abgekommen bin. Sonst wäre in der letzten Einheit noch mehr möglich gewesen", schilderte Crutchlow. Teamkollege James Toseland kann nach den Problemen am Freitag mit Position 8 ebenfalls gut leben. HONDA: REA RETTET HONDA-EHRE. Johnny Rea war wie schon am Freitag schnellster Honda-Pilot in Mitten der Ducati-Armada. Der Nordire konnte mit der siebten Startposition jedoch nicht zufrieden sein. ,,Wir hatten das ganze Wochenende über Probleme, die Qualifyer-Reifen bestmöglich zu nützen", jammerte der 23-Jährige. Teamkollege Max Neukirchner übte vor allem über die lange Distanz, in der Superpole war für den Sachsen mit der zweiten Hannspreee-Ten-Kate-Honda schon in der ersten Session als 17. Endstation. Josh Brookes (CRS) und Vitto Iannuzzo verpassten auf den Rängen 21 und 22 die Zulassung zur Superpole. APRILIA: KEINE OPTIMALE AUSGANGSPOSITION. WM-Mitfavorit Max Biaggi nimmt den Saisonauftakt auf Phillip Island mit der Aprilia RSV 4 nur von der elften Startposition aus in Angriff. Der 38-jährige Römer büsste in 1:32,293 exakt eine Sekunde auf Polesitter Leon Haslam ein. Biaggis junger britischer Alitalia-Aprilia-Teamkollege Leon Haslam stellte die zweite Aprilia RSV 4 Factory als 16. in Reihe 4. KAWASAKI: DEUTLICHE STEIGERUNG. Die Kawasaki-Asse Chris Vermeulen und Tom Sykes sorgten für zufriedene Gesichter in der Box des Bird-Teams. Vermeulen ging sogar als achter in die Superpole, wo ihm Rang 14 gelang. Teamkollege Sykes holte mit der zweiten ZX10-R als Zwölfter gar das beste Superpole-Ergebnis für die Grünen seit langem. Die Pedercini-Kawasaki-Piloten Matteo Baiocco und Roger Lee Hayden konnten ihre rote Laterne auch am Samstag nicht los werden. BMW: CORSER BLEIBT SCHNELLSTER ,,BAYER". Troy Corser steigerte sich mit der BMW S1000 RR am Samstag und sicherte sich in der Superpole die 13. Startposition, zwischen den Kawasaki-Assen Vermeulen und Sykes. Teamkollege Ruben Xaus geht am Sonntag vom 15. Startplatz in die Rennen. Andrew Pitt stellte die Reitwagen-BMW beim Debüt in der Superbike-WM auf die 19. Startposition. Sein österreichischer Teamkollege Roland Resch wäre auf Rang 18 vor Pitt locker für die Superpole zugelassen gewesen, stürzte aber am Ende der zweiten Qualifying-Session heftig und brach sich dabei die Schulter. SUPERSPORT-WM: LASCORZ BLEIBT VORNE. Der Spanier Joan Lascorz bestätigte mit seiner Motocard-Kawasaki seine starke Form auch in der zweite Qualifying-Session am Samstag und sicherte sich für den Saisonauftakt die Pole. Lascorz blieb als einziger Fahrer unter der 1:34er.Marke und verwies Kenan Sofuoglu mit der Ten-Kate-Honda auf die zweite Position. Stark auch Sofuoglus Teamkollege Michele Pirro als Dritter, noch vor Supersport-Vizeweltmeister Eugene Laverty. Hinter Kats Fujiwara reihten sich mit David Salom und Chaz Davies die besten Tirumph-675-Piloten auf den Rängen 6 und 7 ein. ACHTUNG: Alle Resultate, Punktestände und Informationen finden Sie unter www.worldsbk.com Read article
Haslam takes his first ever Superpole win
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 27th February 2010, 6:44 GMTIn a new look Superpole, with the top 20 riders trying to go through all three sectors of Superpole in sessions which last 14, 12 and 10 minutes respectively, Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) beat all the others to pole position with a best time of 1'31.229, securing his first ever WSBK Superpole win. Superpole 3 Eight riders fought it out for the first two grid places, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) just 0.016 seconds behind Haslam with a 1'31.245, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) and Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) slotting in behind Fabrizio. The second row will feature Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare), Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Racing Ducati), Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) after ten minutes of close final competition sorted out the leading riders. Superpole 2 The eight riders who missed final Superpole qualification were, in reverse order, Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) who was 16th overall, Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team), Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), and Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Ducati). Superpole 1 At the very start of the Superpole sessions, Roland Resch missed out on participation on his BMW Reitwagen machine after a big crash in qualifying, but of the 19 riders who competed in Superpole one, only his team-mate Andrew Pitt, Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) and Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) did not progress to Superpole 2. Byrne was still battered after his big crash yesterday but battled through Superpole. Times: 1. Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'31.229; 2. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'31.245; 3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'31.642; 4. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'31.671; 5. Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'31.696; 6. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'31.757; 7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'31.912; 8. Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'32.019; 9. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'32.205; 10. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'32.229; 11. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'32.293; 12. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'32.398; 13. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'32.430; 14. Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'32.561; 15. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'32.842; 16. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'32.895 Race date There will be two 22-lap Superbike races on Sunday 28th, the first at noon local time in Victoria, the second at 15.30. Leon Haslam: "You can get caught out quite easily in Superpole so we went out to go fast early in each session. We used a soft option race tyre for the first Superpole, didn't have any slides and felt really comfortable. When I put my first qualifier in I was sliding, so I was not sure which tyre to use in the final session, but we managed to go out there put a qualifier in and we put in a little bit of a quicker time. Sitting in the pit garage watching these guys go out to try and beat my time was probably more nerve-wracking than being out on the track. But it all ended up good and I got my first Superpole win." Michel Fabrizio: "The second qualifying tyre we used worked the best of all the ones we had been trying and that was the one I scored the best time with. I am fairly happy in the hot conditions if that is the way things turn out on raceday." Cal Crutchlow: "We made a good final lap but we made a small mistake in the second session, which made me run off the track. I had to use the two qualifying tyres we are given, which we could have used in the finals session. I then had to use a soft race tyre and we made it work, but I was pushing, no doubt about that. I hope I can maintain that position in the race and a front row start always helps." World Supersport - Lascorz the top man after qualifying Spanish rider Joan Lascorz started his and his Provec Motocard.com team's season off in perfect style with a pole position performance at Phillip Island, scorching round the 4.445km circuit in a new best lap of 1'33.847. He left his best effort for last, and put his fastest lap down to making the best use of a good machine set-up. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was second fastest with a 1'34.116, while Sofuoglu's team-mate Michele Pirro slotted into third. Eugene Laverty will complete the front row for the 21-lap race on Sunday 28th, after qualifying fourth on his Parkalgar Honda. Katsuaki Fujiwara sent his official Kawasaki machine to the head of the second row and David Salom (despite losing the first day of track action) was top Triumph rider in sixth, on a ParkinGO BE1 Daytona 675 triple. Times: 1. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'33.847; 2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1'34.116; 3. Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'34.156; 4. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1'34.300; 5. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'34.494; 6. Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1'34.873; 7. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1'34.939; 8. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1'34.999 Read article
Haslam takes his first ever Superpole win
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 27th February 2010, 5:17 GMTIn a new look Superpole, with the top 20 riders trying to go through all three sectors of Superpole in sessions which last 14, 12 and 10 minutes respectively, Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) beat all the others to pole position with a best time of 1'31.229, securing his first ever WSBK Superpole win. Superpole 3 Eight riders fought it out for the first two grid places, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) just behind Haslam, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) and Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) slotting in behind Fabrizio. The second row will feature Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare),Jakub Smrz (Pata B&G Racing Ducati), Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) after ten minutes of close final competition sorted out the leading riders. Superpole 2 The eight riders who missed final Superpole qualification were, in reverse order, Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) who was 16th overall, Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team), Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), and Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Ducati). Superpole 1 At the very start of the Superpole sessions, Roland Resch missed out on participation on his BMW Reitwagen machine after a big crash in qualifying, but of the 19 riders who competed in Superpole one, only his team-mate Andrew Pitt, Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) and Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) did not progress to Superpole 2. Byrne was still battered after his big crash yesterday but battled through Superpole. Read article
Ducati bestätigt favoritenstellung
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Friday, 26th February 2010, 7:30 GMTBei kritischen Gripbedingungen und brütenden 31 Grad Lufttemperatur wurden die ersten beiden Sessions der Superbike-WM-Asse auf Phillip Island zu einem Sturzfestival, bei dem die Ducati-Fahrer dennoch klar das beste Ende für sich hatten. Althea-Ducati-Pilot Carlos Checa liess sich trotz eine Abfluges die Bestzeit in 1:32,155 gutschreiben. Der Vorsprung auf Michel Fabrizio mit der Xerox-Ducati fiel jedoch minimal aus. Vize-Weltmeister Nori Haga reichte sich mit der zweiten Xerox-Ducati auf Rang 5, hinter Shane Byrne (Althea) ein. Byrne musste nach einem Highsider in das Streckenspital gebracht werden. Jakub Smrz rundete auf Rang 9 das starke Ducati-Gesamtergebnis ab. SUZUKI ALSTARE: AUCH GUINTOLI WIRD STÄRKER. Leon Haslam konnte im ersten Qualifying auf Phillip Island seine Leistungen aus den Vorsaison-Tests eindrucksvoll bestätigen. Der Brite wetzte mit der Alstare-Suzuki in 1:32,373 auf Rang 3 und war somit auch klar bester Vierzylinder-Pilot. Haslams französischer Teamkollege Sylvain Guintoli zeigte mit Platz 8 eine klare Leistungssteigerung im Vergleich zu den Testfahrten am vergangenen Sonntag und Montag. YAMAHA: KEINE BESSERUNG IN SICHT. Wie schon bei den Tests vor knapp einer Woche auf Phillip Island erlebten die Sterilgarda-Yamaha-Asse James Toseland und Cal Crutchlow am Freitag im ersten Qualifying eine Enttäuschung. Crutchlow konnte sich in 1:33,038 gerade noch in den Top-10 halte. James Toseland büsste als 13. Bereits 1,3 Sekunden auf Checa ein und war nur eines der prominenten Sturzopfer. Yamaha zieht nun alle Register: Die Mannschaft um Massimo Meregalli hatte in den Tagen vor dem ersten Training sogar Teile der R1 aus dem Jahr 2009 nach Australien einfliegen lassen. HONDA: REA RETTET HONDA-EHRE. Johnny Rea war mit der Hannspree-Ten-Kate-Honda wie erwartet bester Fireblade-Pilot. Der Nordire büsste als Siebter jedoch schon sieben Zehntel auf Checa ein. Max Neukirchner fand sich nach einem Sturz im freien Training im ersten Qualifying nur an der 18. Position der Zeitentabelle. „Ich bin etwas ratlos, weil das Motorrad extrem stark driftet", merkte der Sachse an. Die Honda-Markenkollegen Josh Brookes, als Ersatz für Landsmann Broc Parkes, und Vitto Iannuzzo kamen nur auf die Ränge 21 und 22. APRILIA: AUCH BIAGGI BLIEB NICHT VERSCHONT. Max Biaggi sicherte sich mit der Alitalia-Aprilia RSV4 im ersten Qualifying die sechste Position. Der 38-jährige Römer blieb unter der stechenden Sonne jedoch, wie viele seiner Konkurrenten, nicht von einem Ausrutscher verschont. Sein junger britischer Teamkollege Leon Camier zeigte als Eflter einen Auftwärtstrend. KAWASAKI: GELUNGENER AUFTAKT. In der Box von Kawasaki Bird herrschte am Freitagnachmittag nach dem ersten Qualifying kollektives Aufatmen. Der Grund: Lokalmatador Chris Vermeulen schob sich in 1:33,389 als Zwölfter bereits nahe an die Top-10 heran. Der Australier lag damit gerade mal eine Zehntel vor seinem britischen Teamkollegen Tom Sykes, der sich auf Rang 16 einreihte. Keine gute Nachricht gab es von den Markenkollegen: Die Pedercini-Piloten Matteo Baiocco und Roger Lee Hayden bildeten wie schon bei den Tests das Schlusslicht. BMW: KUNDENTEAM KOMMT NÄHER. BMW-Ausgängeschild Troy Corser brachte am Freitag auf Phillip Island den besten der Bayern-Vierzylinder auf Platz 16. Vier Zehntel hinter Corser reihte sich bereits Andrew Pitt mit der ersten der beiden Reitwagen-BMW ein. Der Spanier Ruben Xaus musste sich nach mehreren Stürzen mit der 19. Position begnügen. Roland Resch sass dem Katalanen mit der zweiten Reitwagen-BMW direkt im Nacken. ,,Die Verhältnisse waren bei der enormen Hitze für niemanden angenehm", bemerkte der hartgesottene Pitt. SUPERSPORT-WM: LASCORZ BESTÄTIGT TESTZEITEN. Der Spanier Loan Lascorz sicherte sich im ersten 600er-Qualifying auf der Motocard-Kawasaki in 1:34,629 die Spitzenposition. Vize-Weltmeister Eugene Laverty wetzte bei seinem Schlussangriff mit der Parkalgar-Honda noch an die zweite Position vor Kenan Sofuoglu mit der Ten-Kate-Honda. Lascorzs Teamkollege Kats Fujiwara sicherte sich die vierte Position vor Michele Pirro (Ten Kate) und Chaz Davies mit der besten Triumph 675. ACHTUNG: Alle Resultate, Punktestände und Informationen finden Sie unter www.worldsbk.com Read article
Checa the early leader at a hot Phillip Island
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Friday, 26th February 2010, 7:26 GMTScorching weather conditions for the first qualifying session at Phillip Island saw Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea) continue his good testing form with a 1'32.155 lap, leading Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare). Checa was only 0.007 seconds ahead of Fabrizio, 0.218 ahead of Englishman Haslam. The air temperature in qualifying was 33°C, the track temperature a very high 51°C, which made the hour-long session hard work for all competitors. Checa's team-mate Shane Byrne went fourth fastest but suffered a fast highside crash at the final corners of his last lap, while trying to improve his ranking still further. Several riders fell in what was an expectedly close and intense period of qualifying. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) was fifth today, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) went sixth fastest but was also a faller in the final session of the day. Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was top Honda rider in the opening qualifying battle, seventh, with Sylvain Guintoli's Suzuki eighth. Jakub Smrz was ninth fastest on his privateer Pata B&G Racing Ducati, and the top ten was rounded out by Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Superbike) the top Yamaha rider. Chris Vermeulen scored 12th on his Kawasaki Racing Team bike, Troy Corser, another late faller, put his BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR 16th, but was on course for a vast improvement in lap time before his fall. James Toseland was a faller in the session, while Ruben Xaus crashed three times today, but recovered each time and went 19th in the ranking. One more session remains for riders to try and qualifying for Superpole on Saturday, with Superpole determining the final top 20 grid places. The top 20 riders were all within 1.910 seconds, the top ten within 0.883 seconds today. Carlos Checa: "I know what I can do. I have to confirm my time tomorrow but I know that I wish we had the same weather as today for the race. The crash in qualifying was not a problem. Ducati's work very well at Phillip Island and my pace at the moment is very good. I do not know yet if it is good enough for the race." Michel Fabrizio: "We tried different tyre solutions this morning and various small things that my engineer wanted to test. I had a fall, losing the front, but without causing myself, or my bike, too much damage thankfully. Then in the qualifying session we sorted a lot of things out and with the tyre solution that may well be the one to choose for the race many riders were able to drop their times. During my fast lap I lost a couple of tenths through the last corner but I'm fairly happy anyway; we've worked well and I'm satisfied with the results. We have a good race pace but a lot will depend on Sunday's weather." World Supersport Championship - Lascorz leads on day one of new school The first qualifying session of the year proved to be the property of Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com rider Joan Lascorz, who was also fastest man in the official tests a few days ago. Second was the perennially powerful Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), who left it very late to move up. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) posted third while another old stager in this class, Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) was fourth. Sofuoglu's team-mate Michele Pirro secured fifth best lap time, while changes in set-up allowed Chaz Davies to jump up the order to sixth on his Triumph BE1 triple, ahead of another Kawasaki rider, Fabien Foret. The top six riders were within only 0.310 seconds of each other. Read article
Checa fastest after first scorching day
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Friday, 26th February 2010, 6:12 GMTHot weather conditions for the first qualifying session at Phillip Island saw Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea) continue his good testing form with a 1’32.155 lap, leading Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare). Checa had a crash later in the session, like several other riders. Checa's team-mate Shane Byrne went fourth fastest but suffered a fast highside crash at the final corners of his last lap, while trying to improve his ranking still further. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) was fifth today, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) went sixth fastest but was also a faller in the final session of the day. Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was top Honda rider in the opening qualifying battle, seventh, with Sylvain Guintoli’s Suzuki eighth. Jakub Smrz was ninth fastest on his privateer Pata Ducati, and the top ten was rounded out by Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Superbike) the top Yamaha rider. Chris Vermeulen scored 12th on his Kawasaki Racing Team bike, Troy Corser, another late faller, put his BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR 16th. One more session remains for riders to try and qualifying for Superpole on Saturday, with Superpole determining the final top 20 grid places. The top 20 riders were all within 1.910 seconds, the top ten within 0.883 seconds. Read article
