CHECA IN THE TOP FOUR AT MAGNY-COURS
Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) took a best of fourth in race two at Magny-Cours, to add to a race one seventh place, and keep him fifth in the overall championship rankings. The Spanish rider, twice a winner in WSB this year already, was looking set for a podium in race one at one stage, having qualified fourth in Superpole.
His choice of soft tyres in the opener did not pay off and he fought hard in the latter stages to get seventh, with Noriyuki Haga securing the win. In race two, on a different tyre choice, he was seven seconds from the winner Troy Bayliss, who also secured the championship at this round, the third of his career.
Several riders had difficulty working out a good set-up and tyre choice this weekend, as practice and qualifying were held in changeable conditions, from nearly dry to fully wet. Superpole was run under normal ‘dry’ rules.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR Jr) secured his best finish of the season, ninth, in race one, but only went 19th in race two, as his heavy bruising and joint pain from his big Vallelunga crash finally took its toll. He was 14th in Superpole.
Two encouraging races for Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR) ended in an eventual technical retirement in race one, after being knocked off track early on, and a tenth place in race two. The Italian rider was an impressive fifth in Superpole.
With regular rider Ryuichi Kiyonari out injured, stand-in rider Martin Bauer (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) went 17th in race one, but fell in race two. Bauer had just missed out on a Superpole qualifying place by one position.
Gregorio Lavilla (Vent-Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) was the last rider in Superpole, 16th, and rode hard in each 23-lap race to maintain his status as top privateer. He took tenth and then 12th place finishes. He is now 12th overall, on 117 points.
Lavilla’s team-mate Chris Walker (Vent-Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) recovered from qualifying 23rd to grab two 15th place finishes and two more points. He has now been 15th on five occasions since joining the WSB series at Brands Hatch.
Karl Muggeridge (DF Racing Honda CBR1000RR) went 12th in race one, from 18th on the grid, but was unable to finish the second race.
Shuhei Aoyama (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) had two difficult races, after finishing qualifying 28th, scoring 19th in race one and 22nd in race two.
In the championship standings, Bayliss has an unbeatable 410 points, points, Haga 325, Corser 316, Neukirchner 298 and Checa, 284.
Checa said: “It’s quite strange that we had a different feeling from the test here last week, and I felt quite comfortable in warm-up this morning. In race one we made a risky tyre choice and it didn’t work out the way we wanted. The second race was a little better, although we had a rear stability problem exiting the tighter corners. It was costing me about three tenths of a second per lap and, towards the end of the race, I knew I couldn’t fight for the podium any more.”
Sofuoglu said: “The way I was feeling before the weekend, I wasn’t even sure I would be able to compete here with the amount of bruising I had after Vallelunga. After the first race, it was not so much the pain, but I was so tired, and that left me without any energy for race two. I have a month to recover now, and I want to finish the season on a high level in Portugal.”
Bauer said: “I felt really confident going into race two, after we made the wrong tyre choice in the first race. I was behind Kenan in the second race and he went a little wide at the first right-hander. I went inside him but lost the front in the corner and that was it. Still, I have enjoyed my weekend – it’s been a pleasure to work with such a professional team and I would like to thank them for all their work and to thank everybody else who made it possible.”
Rolfo said: “In the first lap of race one someone hit my rear tyre and I was forced to go on the gravel and I lost quite a few places. To get back into the race from so far back was not easy, but the bike was working well and I reached thirteenth place in few laps. Unfortunately, we had some technical problems. After race two I’m pretty happy because after a good start I was able to remain with the first group of riders at the start.”
Muggeridge said: “It was going OK until the first spots of rain hit my visor. I can’t go faster than other riders in a straight line on my bike so I had to slow a bit around the corners when the rain spots appeared. I couldn’t go catch the guys in front again when the rain didn’t come to anything. I was stuck where I was.”
Lavilla said: “We have been working hard but every time we miss a practice it is bad. We make steps forward every time we go on track and we are the best privateers so that is positive. I am trying to finish the season on a high.”
Walker said: “I’m happy to have two points’ scoring finishes having battled with practices and qualifying. Starting from 23rd and the seventh row doesn’t make life easy so I really push hard for a decent start. I’m happy to walk away with two 15th positions.”
Aoyama said: “Two tough races because we did not get a great chance to find the best set-up as practice was so disturbed by changing weather. This was a difficult track to set-up for.”
The final round of the series takes place at the all-new circuit of Parkalgar, near Portimao, in Portugal on November 2.
World Supersport Championship
Pitt Wins The Race And the Championship
Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) won his fifth WSS race of the 2008 season and in doing so took the overall World championship win, with one round remaining.
It was Pitt’s second title in this class, and his first Honda championship victory makes it seven straight riders’ titles in this class for Honda, all for riders from the Ten Kate Team.
Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) started the day only 11 points from Pitt, but after he was knocked off in a crash at the Adelaide hairpin on lap ten, when Robbin Harms ran in too hot and clipped Rea’s back tyre, his championship hopes were dashed. Rea remounted to finish tenth, having qualified second, one place ahead of Pitt.
Josh Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) could not quite get into contention with Pitt on the last few laps, but took a strong third place, behind the new champion and Barry Veneman. Brookes will now dispute second in the series with Rea at the final round at Portimao, on November 2.
The points total at the top of the standings, with one race to go, reads Pitt 194, Rea 164, Brookes 157 and Broc Parkes 139.
Behind the leaders, Gianluca Nannelli (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) secured seventh place after qualifying tenth, but his team-mate Russell Holland (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR600RR) crashed, remounted and finally limped home in 21st place.
Josh Hayes, (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) had a remarkable ride from 19th on the grid to ninth. Robbin Harms (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR) remounted after his collision with Rea and took 15th, and a single championship point.
Pitt said: “Well, you can’t say I didn’t win a race with this championship! Johnny missed out today and I’m sure it would’ve been a tough battle right to the end. I didn’t actually know that he was out until I worked it out by looking at the big TV screen! I needed a bit of luck, having been taken out myself a couple of times this season. But I have never enjoyed a season as much as this – the team is just a fantastic bunch of guys to work for and the way everyone pulled together yesterday to put my bike back together was just typical of the spirit here. I’d like to thank Ronald and Gerrit (Ten Kate) for having the faith in me and giving me such a competitive machine. I’m happy to repay that faith today.”
Rea said: “I felt I could have run at whatever pace I wanted today. I just found it difficult to pass Andrew down the straights and I doubt I would have broken away. I’ll put what happened down as a racing incident, and I’m not one to bear a grudge – it’s just a shame I won’t be able to battle for the title in Portugal. But congratulations to Andrew, who’s been on it all season. He’s a worthy champion and I’m really happy for him and the whole team.”
Brookes said: “It has been a difficult weekend for me and not finding the right settings on my bike in qualifying left me starting from eighth place on the grid. Also, this morning, I had a crash, which meant I had to use my second bike for the race. Once things settled down, I felt good on the bike and everything was working really well. I was able to push harder and harder every lap and gradually worked my way up. Pitt, Veneman and I then fought for the lead, but I got stuck behind Veneman in third place and couldn't get past him again. A win would’ve been great, but I’m really happy with my podium today.”
Harms said: “The bike was feeling OK and I got a good start from my seventh place on the grid. But after a couple of laps I started having grip problems. The bike was sliding pretty badly here and there, but I wanted to stay in the front group, so I pushed hard to keep up the pace. But on one lap I missed my braking point. I thought I could save it, but instead I ran into Rea in front of me. I'm really sorry that it happened. It was not my intention at all; it was just an honest mistake. I got back in the race and managed to finish in 15th place, but I don’t feel it was a good weekend for us.”
Nannelli said: “My start was not so good so I did my best to push in the race. My pace was pretty fast at the beginning but after a few laps I felt some problem on my rear tyre. The same thing I felt during the practices. I fought with Roccoli in the last laps and I reached the seventh position, but I’m not satisfied with my final result, because today we lost a good opportunity to take an important result.”
Hayes said: “That was one tough race. I got a good start and was 12th by the end of the first lap. After that I got into my rhythm and pushed as hard as I could. A couple of changes to my bike and sheer willpower made the difference today and I am glad to have taken a step forward in the race. Next time out I’ll want to be even better, I think we are good enough for the top six and I’d love to deliver that to the team at its home track.”
Holland said: “I am really disappointed with today's result of course. My race had been going well until my crash. I had a good start and I was fighting with Vizziello for tenth position. I was faster in some parts of the track, but when I tried to overtake him suddenly my front lost grip and I crashed. I started again because my bike was not damaged but I was only able to pass one rider in front of me before the end of the race.”
Results
SUPERSPORT
Race : (Laps 22 = 97,042 Km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Team / Time / Gap
1 / PITT / AUS / Honda CBR600RR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 37'57.929
2 / VENEMAN / NED / Suzuki GSX-R600 / RES Software Hoegee Suzuki / 1.250
3 / BROOKES / AUS / Honda CBR600RR / Hannspree Stiggy Motors. / 1.514
4 / LAGRIVE / FRA / Honda CBR600RR / Intermoto Czech / 1.685
5 / VAN KEYMEULEN / BEL / Suzuki GSX-R600 / RES Software Hoegee Suzuki / 5.075
6 / ROCCOLI / ITA / Yamaha YZF-R6 / Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni / 13.171
7 / NANNELLI / ITA / Honda CBR600RR / Hannspree Honda Althea / 13.386
8 / FORET / FRA / Yamaha YZF-R6 / Yamaha World Supersport / 19.563
9 / HAYES / USA / Honda CBR600RR / Parkalgar Racing Team / 19.677
10 / REA / GBR / Honda CBR600RR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 21.686
11 / VIZZIELLO / ITA / Honda CBR600RR / Benjan Racing Team / 22.599
12 / FUJIWARA / JPN / Kawasaki ZX-6R / Kawasaki Gil Motor Sport / 24.967
13 / VOSTÁREK / CZE / Honda CBR600RR / Intermoto Czech / 28.888
14 / CLEMENTI / ITA / Triumph 675 / Triumph Italia BE1 Racing / 29.351
15 / HARMS / DEN / Honda CBR600RR / Hannspree Stiggy Motors. / 38.000
Fastest Lap 5° Broc Parkes 1'42.593 154,782 Km/h
Lap record: 2007 Kenan Sofuoglu 1'42.740 154,560 Km/h
Best Lap: 2008 Broc Parkes 1'41.543 156,380 Km/h
Riders Championship Standings:
1 PITT 194, 2 REA 164, 3 BROOKES 157, 4 PARKES 139, 5 LASCORZ 105, 6 FORET 105,
7 JONES 100, 8 VENEMAN 92, 9 HARMS 71, 10 NANNELLI 60, 11 ROCCOLI 58,
12 LAGRIVE 56, 13 VIZZIELLO 52, 14 AITCHISON 40, 15 VAN KEYMEULEN 38.
SUPERBIKE
Race 1 : (Laps 23 = 101,453 Km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Team / Gap
1 / HAGA / JPN / Yamaha YZF-R1 / Yamaha Motor Italia WSB / 38'33.367
2 / NIETO / ESP / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / Team Suzuki Alstare / 6.223
3 / BAYLISS / AUS / Ducati 1098 F08 / Ducati Xerox Team / 6.875
4 / BIAGGI / ITA / Ducati 1098 RS 08 / Sterilgarda Go Eleven / 7.237
5 / NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / Team Alstare Suzuki / 8.925
6 / CORSER / AUS / Yamaha YZF-R1 / Yamaha Motor Italia WSB / 10.714
7 / CHECA / ESP / Honda CBR1000RR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 16.176
8 / KAGAYAMA / JPN / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / Team Suzuki Alstare / 22.661
9 / SOFUOGLU / TUR / Jr. Honda CBR1000RR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 27.224
10 / LAVILLA / ESP / Honda CBR1000RR / Ventaxia VK Honda / 31.300
11 / LACONI / FRA / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse / 35.558
12 / MUGGERIDGE / AUS / Honda CBR1000RR / D.F. Racing / 35.774
13 / GIMBERT / FRA / 94 Yamaha YZF-R1 / Yamaha France Ipone GMT / 36.078
14 / NAKATOMI / JPN / Yamaha YZF-R1 / YZF Yamaha / 36.289
15 / WALKER / GBR / Honda CBR1000RR / Ventaxia VK Honda / 40.472
Fastest Lap 6° Carlos Checa 1'39.834 159,060 Km/h
Race 2: (Laps 23 = 101,453 Km)
Pos / Rider / Nat. / Team / Gap
1 / BAYLISS / AUS / Ducati 1098 F08 / Ducati Xerox Team / 38'33.579
2 / HAGA / JPN / Yamaha YZF-R1 / Yamaha Motor Italia WSB / 0.909
3 / CORSER / AUS / Yamaha YZF-R1 / Yamaha Motor Italia WSB / 2.966
4 / CHECA / ESP / Honda CBR1000RR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 7.175
5 / XAUS / ESP / Ducati 1098 RS 08 / Sterilgarda Go Eleven / 12.822
6 / BIAGGI / ITA / Ducati 1098 RS 08 / Sterilgarda Go Eleven / 13.004
7 / KAGAYAMA / JPN / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / Team Suzuki Alstare / 18.876
8 / NIETO / ESP / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / Team Suzuki Alstare / 19.512
9 / NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / Team Alstare Suzuki / 19.627
10 / ROLFO / ITA / Honda CBR1000RR / Hannspree Honda Althea / 21.425
11 / LANZI / ITA / Ducati 1098 RS 08 / R.G. Team / 25.133
12 / LAVILLA / ESP / Honda CBR1000RR / Ventaxia VK Honda / 30.538
13 / SMRZ / CZE / Ducati 1098 RS 08 / Guandalini Racing / 35.334
14 / FABRIZIO / ITA / Ducati 1098 F08 / Ducati Xerox Team / 38.453
15 / WALKER / GBR / Honda CBR1000RR / Ventaxia VK Honda / 40.008
Fastest Lap 5° Troy Bayliss 1'39.818 159,086 Km/h
Lap record : 2008 Carlos Checa 1'39.834 159,060 Km/h
Best Lap: 2008 Noriyuki Haga 1'38.444 161,310 Km/h
Riders Championship Standings:
1 BAYLISS 410, 2 HAGA 325, 3 CORSER 316, 4 NEUKIRCHNER 298, 5 CHECA 284,
6 BIAGGI 235, 7 NIETO 234, 8 FABRIZIO 203, 9 KIYONARI 193, 10 XAUS 171,
11 KAGAYAMA 153, 12 LAVILLA 117, 13 SMRZ 116, 14 LANZI 109, 15 MUGGERIDGE 75.
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