Biaggi doubles up after winning two tight races

Biaggi doubles up after winning two tight races

Sunday, 28 March 2010 19:46

In front of 77.000 people, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) won each 22-lap race at Portimao today to go second in the championship rankings, behind the rider who took two second places, Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki). The margin of victory for Biaggi was 0.200 seconds in race one, and 0.191 seconds in race two, as Max took his career win total to six. He scored his first SBK double win today, having started the race second on the grid. Haslam now has 85 points, Biaggi 69.

Race 1

Max Biaggi held off Haslam for the race one win but only after a strong man-to-man fight throughout. Jonathan Rea went third for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, when Cal Crutchlow fell off his Sterilgarda Yamaha late in the race, remounting to go 14th.

Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) had to work hard to keep Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) behind as he scored fourth place. Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) rode through the pain of a big crash on Saturday to take sixth. Noriyuki Haga recovered from his fifth row start to take eighth and the first BMW Motorrad machine home belonged to Troy Corser, ninth.

Race 2

A close four-rider fight for the win went to Biaggi again, from Leon Haslam, who was not quite able to overtake Biaggi and make it stick, as Max used his superior drive out of the final corner to pass Leon when it mattered. Cal Crutchlow scored his second career SBK podium, and his first as a series regular, running his Yamaha to third. Carlos Checa was fourth - and only 1.015 seconds covered the whole top four after another tense race. In the championship Haslam leads with 85 points, Biaggi is second on 69 and Checa third with 60.

FOUR MANUFACTURERS IN EACH TOP FOUR

In each race today there were four different manufacturers in the top four - Aprilia, Suzuki, Honda and Ducati in race one, and Aprilia, Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati in race two. The second race saw a vee-four, a conventional ‘screamer' four, a cross-plane crankshaft four and a 1200cc vee-twin fill the top four places - all the engine configurations competing in SBK this year within a second of each other after 22 laps and almost 160km of close racing.

VAST IMPROVEMENT

It was only last October that the previous Portimao round was run, but in those short months the progress has been amazing. Race one today was 16 seconds faster than it's equivalent in October and race two was 13 seconds faster this year compared to last.

RIDER COMMENTS

Max Biaggi: "It is great to get my first double win in World Superbike. The feeling is great and the first double win of anybody this year so I feel confident and we are in a good rhythm. We go to Valencia next and we will ask very much of ourselves there as well. We had good speed down the straight today but if you saw how fast we could exit the last corner then you would know it was not just the engine. Our bike is fast but other bikes are also fast."

Leon Haslam: "I was trying everything to pass Max and in race two I timed it so I could be in the lead with a few laps to go and make a break, but Max came back past me on the straight. It was hard racing today from lap one right to the end. We got two podiums and although I was disappointed not to get another win, we are still leading the championship. That puts a smile back on my face."

Jonathan Rea: "Somebody ran me a bit wide on the first turn of race one and I was held up a lot after that, so when I picked up some pace it opened my eyes to what I could do. In race one I think I made one mistake and had to catch up quite a few riders, but I still finished third."

Cal Crutchlow: "The places where I was losing time where the places I was using the tyre a lot, and I was making a few small mistakes as well. I had Carlos right behind me for most of the second race and that kept me on my toes. Fortunately Max and Leon made a few little mistakes running wide and that allowed me to hang on in there until the end."

World Supersport - Sofuoglu supreme in Portugal

Kenan Sofuoglu (Ten Kate Honda) won a thrilling Supersport race by 0.031 seconds from Joan Lascorz (Motocard.com Kawasaki) and Sofuoglu's team-mate Michele Pirro. Long time leader Eugene Laverty was caught and passed by both Sofuoglu and Lascorz with a few laps left to run and soon after lost the front, falling but restarting to finish 11th. Chas Davies (ParkinGO Triumph BE1) was fourth on his three-cylinder machine. Local rider Miguel Praia was forced to stop on his Parkalgar Honda.

After the second round, Sofuoglu leads the championship, 41 points to Lascorz' 40. Laverty has 30 points in third.

Superstock 1000 FIM Cup - Badovini wins debut race for BMW

The arrival in Superstock 1000 of the S1000RR was an immediately successful one, as Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) took the win after race long rival Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Racing Junior) ran off track and lost 2.5 seconds on the final lap. Third was Loris Baz (MRS Racing Yamaha) meaning there were three different machines on the podium.

Pirelli (Official Tyre Supplier)

"Back in Portimão after just five months allows for some incredible tyre developments, seen already in Race 1 when six riders on five different bikes quickened the lap record as much as 0.75 seconds and the final race time by 16 seconds. After just one year from the start of Aprilia's renewed SBK project, Biaggi has found the ideal tyre performances to take his first double win. All these impressive results come from Diablo Superbike SC2 front and SC1 rear tyres recently inserted in the Pirelli racing range, based on confirmed solutions from the previous season. The eventful races and diverse podiums filled by the four manufacturer's bikes of Aprilia, Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha were no surprise, as starting from the 2nd Superbike practice, the first 18 riders were seperated by only 1.27 seconds. The FIM Superstock 1000 was also notable as congratulations to BMW Motorrad Italia on their first win in the class, to Berger (Honda) who brought down the Lap Record by 1 second, and the final podium filled with three different manufacturers - BMW Honda Yamaha -" Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director, Pirelli Moto

Performance Awards:

SBK Race 1 - Pirelli BEST LAP
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), 1'42.774 (Lap 4)

SBK Race 2 - Pirelli BEST LAP
Carlos Checa (Althea Racing), 1'43.285 (Lap 2)

Total BEST LAP (SBK): Haslam L. (Suzuki Alstare): 1, Guintoli S. (Suzuki Alstare): 1, Biaggi M. (Aprilia Alitalia Racing): 1, Checa C. (Althea Racing): 1

2010 Portimao World Superbikes Qualifying Overall Result

2010 Portimao World Superbikes Qualifying Overall Result
Submitted by David Emmett on Sat, 2010-03-27 18:14. from motomatters.com
in World Superbikes Portimao, Portugal
Results and Summary:

Cal Crutchlow will start from pole for Sunday's World Superbike races at Portimao, after a blistering lap shattering Ben Spies' pole record from last year by nearly four tenths of a second. The Sterilgarda Yamaha man set the time early in the final Superpole session, then retired to the pits knowing that nobody was going to get anywhere near that time.

The nearest man to Crutchlow was Max Biaggi, but the Aprilia veteran was nearly half a second behind the young Briton. Biaggi was followed by another veteran, Althea Ducati's Carlos Checa, while the younger Leon Haslam finished up in 4th, completing the front row. While Crutchlow had a big lead, there was little to separate the rest of the front row. Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea heads up the second row, the Ulsterman not capable of matching the scorching lap he set in Superpole 2 in the final session, when it would have put him 2nd on the grid. Rea sits ahead of Jakub Smrz and Shane Byrne, with Troy Corser rounding out the second row.

A couple of big crashes affected both James Toseland and Max Neukirchner. Neukirchner crashed in Superpole 1, destroying his bike but making it through to Superpole 2, while Toseland suffered a huge highside in the final corner on his first fast lap of Superpole 2, taking a severe tumble but ending unhurt. Both men OK but ended up on the fourth row of the grid.

The Xerox Ducati team had the worst of Superpole, however. Michel Fabrizio losing the front end and not being able to make it back to the pits in time to get back out could not all be put down to Fabrizio's own fault, but a lackluster show by Noriyuki Haga clearly could. Both Xerox Ducati men will start from the 5th row of the grid for tomorrow's two superbike races.

Results and Grid

Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff
1 35 C. Crutchlow Yamaha YZF R1 1'42.092
2 3 M. Biaggi Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'42.513 0.421
3 7 C. Checa Ducati 1098R 1'42.586 0.494
4 91 L. Haslam Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'42.596 0.504
5 65 J. Rea Honda CBR1000RR 1'42.807 0.715
6 96 J. Smrz Ducati 1098R 1'42.889 0.797
7 67 S. Byrne Ducati 1098R 1'42.960 0.868
8 11 T. Corser BMW S1000 RR 1'43.152 1.060
Out after Superpole 2
9 50 S. Guintoli Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'42.984 0.892
10 111 R. Xaus BMW S1000 RR 1'42.999 0.907
11 2 L. Camier Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.039 0.947
12 66 T. Sykes Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'43.199 1.107
13 76 M. Neukirchner Honda CBR1000RR 1'43.380 1.288
14 57 L. Lanzi Ducati 1098R 1'43.568 1.476
15 52 J. Toseland Yamaha YZF R1 1'49.401 7.309
16 99 L. Scassa Ducati 1098R
Out after Superpole 1
17 84 M. Fabrizio Ducati 1098R 1'43.564 1.472
18 41 N. Haga Ducati 1098R 1'43.686 1.594
19 88 A. Pitt BMW S1000 RR 1'43.781 1.689
20 49 M. Tamada BMW S1000 RR 1'45.142 3.050
Not through to Superpole
21 32 S. Morais Honda CBR1000RR 1'45.520 3.428
22 15 M. Baiocco Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'45.610 3.518
23 31 V. Iannuzzo Honda CBR1000RR 1'45.795 3.703
24 95 R. Hayden Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'45.799 3.707

Portimao - Superbike 2nd Session

Portimao 26-27-28 March 2010 Superbike 2nd Session Session Complete
Pos # Rider Nat Bike Last Lap Best Lap Gap Speed Laps
1 96 Smrz J CZE Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'43.003 43
2 3 Biaggi M ITA Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. PIT IN 1'43.003 44
3 84 Fabrizio M ITA Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'43.010 0.007 36
4 91 Haslam L GBR Suzuki GSX-R1000 PIT IN 1'43.037 0.034 40
5 65 Rea J GBR Honda CBR1000RR PIT IN 1'43.053 0.050 38
6 7 Checa C ESP Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'43.115 0.112 40
7 52 Toseland J GBR Yamaha YZF R1 PIT IN 1'43.320 0.317 44
8 41 Haga N JPN Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'43.418 0.415 42
9 66 Sykes T GBR Kawasaki ZX 10R PIT IN 1'43.485 0.482 35
10 11 Corser T AUS BMW S1000 RR PIT IN 1'43.491 0.488 41
11 67 Byrne S GBR Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'43.588 0.585 296,7 24
12 50 Guintoli S FRA Suzuki GSX-R1000 PIT IN 1'43.589 0.586 37
13 111 Xaus R ESP BMW S1000 RR PIT IN 1'43.589 0.586 35
14 35 Crutchlow C GBR Yamaha YZF R1 PIT IN 1'43.616 0.613 34
15 2 Camier L GBR Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. PIT IN 1'44.037 1.034 43
16 57 Lanzi L ITA Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'44.212 1.209 37
17 99 Scassa L ITA Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'44.249 1.246 35
18 76 Neukirchner M GER Honda CBR1000RR PIT IN 1'44.272 1.269 37
19 88 Pitt A AUS BMW S1000 RR PIT IN 1'44.553 1.550 38
20 49 Tamada M JPN BMW S1000 RR PIT IN 1'45.044 2.041 32
21 32 Morais S RSA Honda CBR1000RR PIT IN 1'45.520 2.517 39
22 15 Baiocco M ITA Kawasaki ZX 10R PIT IN 1'45.610 2.607 40
23 31 Iannuzzo V ITA Honda CBR1000RR PIT IN 1'45.795 2.792 21
24 95 Hayden R

Portimao Superbike - Qualifying 1st Session

Portimao Superbike - Qualifying 1st Session

Friday, 26 March 2010 18:55

Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) made best use of the session, going to provisional pole with a 1’43.476 lap, while Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio left his run to second in the rankings until late on. Phillip Island race winner Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea) was on form again going third, with the Alitalia Aprilia of Max Biaggi going fourth quickest. Yamaha Sterilgarda rider James Toseland was fifth, having been the first rider to get under the 1’44 barrier.

1 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'43.476
2 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'43.508
3 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'43.645
4 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.688
5 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'43.735
6 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'43.769
7 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'43.881
8 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'43.932
9 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'44.041
10 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'44.042
11 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'44.098
12 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'44.203
13 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'44.272
14 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'44.423
15 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'44.559
16 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'44.851
17 88 Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'44.852
18 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'45.368
19 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'45.406
20 49 Tamada M. (JPN) BMW S1000 RR 1'45.522
21 32 Morais S. (RSA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'45.933
22 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'46.096
23 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'46.657
24 31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'47.805

Portimao Superbike - Free Practice 1st Session

Portimao Superbike - Free Practice 1st Session

Friday, 26 March 2010 15:53

from: worldsbk.com

1 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'44.351
2 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'44.411
3 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'44.519
4 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'44.549
5 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'44.574
6 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'44.624
7 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'44.681
8 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'44.847
9 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'44.955
10 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'45.002
11 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'45.017
12 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'45.071
13 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'45.086
14 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'45.128
15 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'45.201
16 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'45.448
17 88 Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'46.005
18 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'46.128
19 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'46.695
20 49 Tamada M. (JPN) BMW S1000 RR 1'46.714
21 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'47.062
22 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'47.907
23 32 Morais S. (RSA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'48.743
24 31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'48.996

That Spies 'n' Edwards "Man-cation" Video

Yamaha's Tech 3 Team Texas video, In the video - shot in the cheesy-yet-still-hilarious style which Yamaha have made their own - Colin Edwards takes Ben Spies on a road trip - or as he terms it, a "man-cation" - to allow the two Texan teammates to bond.

Second Round shaping up to be another classic

Wednesday, 24 March 2010 15:30, from worldsbk.com

After the first round of the championship delivered thrills and excitement all the way at Phillip Island last month the eyes of the world will be focused on Portimao this coming weekend, as WSBK reconvenes at another highly rated and very popular venue.

The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve is a remarkably feat of modern engineering and design, with the undulating track layout and circuit facilities both coming in for high praise. The track was completed in time for the WSBK weekend in 2008, making this the third competitive visit to the 4.592 km circuit for some of the riders and teams. An official test in January of this year saw virtually all Superbike and Supersport World Championship teams set laps in changeable conditions, meaning the one universal wish from a strong 2010 entry is for sunshine on the Algarve coast for the next few days.

ALL TO PLAY FOR AND ALL IN PLAY: A total of 17 regular SBK riders have already scored points of some kind in 2010, and all of the seven competing manufacturers - Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha - have also scored points in the Manufacturers' Championship at the first attempt. Leading the Riders' Championship now is Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) who won the first race in Australia, and in doing so took his first WSB win, in his first full factory ride. He is followed in the early rankings by Michael Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and PI second race winner, privateer Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati). As events in Australia showed very clearly, there will be any number of official or supported private teams who should be capable of podium finishes at some stage in 2010. The combination of experience and relative youth, and the closely regulated technical rules mean that opportunities will be available for all. This coming weekend should be no exception.

PACK OF ACES: The line-up of riders at Portimao features no fewer than 15 who have won at least one SBK race in their careers, plus two former champions in this category, and four other riders with a major world title to their name. Joining the fray for the first time in 2010 will be Makoto Tamada, riding as a stand-in for the injured Roland Resch in the Reitwagen BMW Team, teaming-up with Andrew Pitt for this weekend only. If we look to last year as a guide to form in 2010, Fabrizio won the second race in Portugal, while still active SBK riders Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) all scored podium finishes on the weekend.

An even better gauge of how this weekend should turn out is possibly the results of the official test at Portimao, between 22 and 24 January this year. Rea topped the rankings then, followed by Haslam, Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati), Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team), Fabrizio and James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda team).

ON THE UP: BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus will be out for an overall improvement on their PI results, with Xaus in particular keen to turn around his recent fortunes, having not started either race in Australia. Joining Biaggi in Portugal is Leon Camier, the least experienced of the seven British riders in WSB, but a British-based French rider has already made a real mark in his rookie season. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) finished a close fourth in one race last time out, sixth in the other, and is therefore an impressive fifth overall.

FIGHT FOR FITNESS AND FORM: Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team) suffered some knee tissue injuries in a crash at Phillip Island but the tough Aussie is determined to ride in Portugal, alongside his team-mate Tom Sykes. Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) is expecting better results for his new team this weekend, while Pedercini Kawasaki duo Matteo Baiocco and Roger Lee Hayden are determined to move into points scoring places this time out, as is Vittorio Iannuzzo (SCI Honda Garvie Image). Promising opening weekends for Jakub Smrz (PATA B&G Ducati) and Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Ducati) in Australia didn't bear too much fruit so each will be ready for bigger helpings now. Joining the championship at this round is Luca Scassa, on his Supersonic Racing Team Ducati.

Points (after 1 of 13 rounds): 1. Haslam 45; 2. Fabrizio 36; 3. Checa 34; 4. Haga 27; 5. Guintoli 23; 6. Rea 23; 7. Biaggi 19; 8. Corser 16; 9. Camier 10; 10. Lanzi 9. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 45; 2. Suzuki 45; 3. Honda 23; 4. Aprilia 19; 5. BMW 16; 6. Yamaha 7; 7. Kawasaki 3

Stoner breaks Rossi’s pre-season dominance in Qatar

Friday, 19 March 2010 (motogp.com)

Casey Stoner set the fastest lap of the final pre-season MotoGP Test in Qatar as the 17 World Championship riders completed their on-track preparations ahead of the start of the 2010 season.

The third and final pre-season Test ended in Qatar on Friday with Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner the quickest across the two evenings. A best lap of 1’55.353 set under the Losail floodlights came on the second night, before he had a fall on his Desmosedici GP10 which did not result in any injury. The Australian’s time was less than a tenth of a second off his 2009 pole position time at the circuit.

Valentino Rossi, who had topped the timesheet in the two previous Tests at Sepang and was fastest in the opening session in Qatar, was less than five-hundredths of a second behind Stoner as he worked on electronics on his Fiat Yamaha M1. The Italian’s best time placed him second overall.

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso was a further 0.4s down the timings as he achieved a better chassis setting on his factory RC212V prototype. The Italian’s lap of 1’55.879 was set in the second session, with Ben Spies’ (Monster Yamaha Tech3) fine effort of 1’55.954 from the previous night the fourth and final under the 1’56” mark. Spies was the highest placing rookie of the Test, as he confirmed his setting on the M1 for the opening race at the circuit. The Texan experienced a fall on each of the two evenings, neither of which resulted in any ill effects as he rode for the first time under the circuit’s floodlights.

Nicky Hayden rounded out the top five for the Test with a time of 1’56.115. The American suffered a crash late in session two at the same point – Turn 2 – as Stoner and was unharmed, and he was followed by Loris Capirossi of the Rizla Suzuki team. The Italian tried new chassis and swingarm components on his GSV-R, which produced results in the second session to place him as the final rider within a second of Stoner thanks to a time of 1’56.195.

Jorge Lorenzo arrived in Qatar carrying the hand injury that prevented him from participating at the last Test in Malaysia, but the Spanish Fiat Yamaha rider pushed through the pain barrier. His time of 1’56.504 put him in seventh position overall and was equal with that of Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda).

Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Colin Edwards (1’56.540) – who was also a victim of a fall in the second session, again at Turn 2 – and Mika Kallio of Pramac Racing (1’56.767) rounded off the top ten times.

Notably outside the top ten was Dani Pedrosa, as the Repsol Honda rider ended the Test 13th fastest overall at just over 1.5s off the top time. He was followed in the times by Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) who had a very late crash in session two – as did his team-mate, rookie Marco Simoncelli.

The riders will return to the circuit for the start of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship on April 11th for the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar.

Qatar Official Test

Combined Times

Pos	Rider	Team	Session 1	Session 2	Prev. Gap	Lead. Gap
1	Casey Stoner	Ducati Marlboro Team	1:55.717	1:55.353	-	-
2	Valentino Rossi	Fiat Yamaha Team	1:55.402	1:55.860	+0.049	+0.049
3	Andrea Dovizioso	Repsol Honda Team	1:56.811	1:55.879	+0.477	+0.526
4	Ben Spies	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:55.954	1:56.779	+0.075	+0.601
5	Nicky Hayden	Ducati Marlboro Team	1:56.855	1:56.115	+0.161	+0.762
6	Loris Capirossi	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	1:57.099	1:56.195	+0.080	+0.842
7	Jorge Lorenzo	Fiat Yamaha Team	1:56.838	1:56.504	+0.309	+1.151
8	Randy De Puniet	LCR Honda MotoGP	1:56.588	1:56.504	-	+1.151
9	Colin Edwards	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:56.540	1:56.722	+0.036	+1.187
10	Mika Kallio	Pramac Racing Team	1:56.923	1:56.767	+0.227	+1.414
11	Aleix Espargaro	Pramac Racing Team	1:57.898	1:56.897	+0.130	+1.544
12	Alvaro Bautista	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	1:57.960	1:56.898	+0.001	+1.545
13	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	1:57.047	1:56.935	+0.037	+1.582
14	Marco Melandri	San Carlo Honda Gresini	1:57.605	1:57.222	+0.287	+1.869
15	Hector Barbera	Aspar Team	1:57.822	1:57.223	+0.001	+1.870
16	Hiroshi Aoyama	Interwetten-Honda MotoGP	1:57.888	1:57.251	+0.028	+1.898
17	Marco Simoncelli	San Carlo Honda Gresini	1:57.891	1:57.379	+0.128	+2.026

Session 2 - 19/03/10

Pos	Rider	Team	Fastest lap	Prev. Gap	Lead. Gap	Laps
1	Casey Stoner	Ducati Marlboro Team	1:55.353	-	-	51
2	Valentino Rossi	Fiat Yamaha Team	1:55.860	+0.507	+0.507	57
3	Andrea Dovizioso	Repsol Honda Team	1:55.879	+0.019	+0.526	66
4	Nicky Hayden	Ducati Marlboro Team	1:56.115	+0.236	+0.762	51
5	Loris Capirossi	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	1:56.195	+0.080	+0.842	58
6	Jorge Lorenzo	Fiat Yamaha Team	1:56.504	+0.309	+1.151	44
7	Randy De Puniet	LCR Honda MotoGP	1:56.504	-	+1.151	66
8	Colin Edwards	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:56.722	+0.218	+1.369	48
9	Mika Kallio	Pramac Racing Team	1:56.767	+0.045	+1.414	74
10	Ben Spies	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:56.779	+0.012	+1.426	44
11	Aleix Espargaro	Pramac Racing Team	1:56.897	+0.118	+1.544	64
12	Alvaro Bautista	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	1:56.898	+0.001	+1.545	71
13	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	1:56.935	+0.037	+1.582	56
14	Marco Melandri	San Carlo Honda Gresini	1:57.222	+0.287	+1.869	64
15	Hector Barbera	Aspar Team	1:57.223	+0.001	+1.870	74
16	Hiroshi Aoyama	Interwetten-Honda MotoGP	1:57.251	+0.028	+1.898	81
17	Marco Simoncelli	San Carlo Honda Gresini	1:57.379	+0.128	+2.026	56

Rossi takes control again at day one in Qatar

Thursday, 18 March 2010 (motogp.com)

The opening session of the final pre-season Test ended with Valentino Rossi at the top of the timesheets - as he has been throughout pre-season - followed by Casey Stoner and Ben Spies. See highlights here on motogp.com!

Continuing his pre-season form Fiat Yamaha Valentino Rossi was the fastest rider of the first day at Losail, as the World Champion set a best time of 1’55.402 on his factory M1. Setting his hot lap inside the final 10 minutes of the session, which ended at midnight local time, Rossi completed 64 turns and pushed Casey Stoner down to second position on the timesheet.

The Australian’s affinity with the track at which he has won the last three Grands Prix led him to within just over three-tenths of a second of Rossi, as the Ducati Marlboro rider maintained the same set-up on his Desmosedici GP10 that he used last time out at Sepang.

The fine progress that Ben Spies is making in the lead-up to his first full season shows no sign of slowing down, and at just over two-tenths off Stoner the American of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team was second fastest. A crash at turn two suffered inside the final hour failed to take the shine off what was an impressive display, as he timed a fast lap of 1’55.954, the last under the 1’56” mark.

His team-mate Colin Edwards made it three Yamahas inside the top four times with a 1’56.540, and the Monster Tech 3 man will continue to test some new parts for the factory on Friday. He was just over half a second off Spies’ time, and both are set to ride a race simulation on Friday.

Randy De Puniet’s RC212V was the highest placed Honda and the LCR rider was pleased with his results. He also plans a race simulation for day two, depending on his physical condition as he has been feeling slightly ill.

Andrea Dovizioso of the Repsol Honda team rode 65 laps on his factory prototype as he aims to smooth out any lingering problems before the start of the season, and the Italian was sixth fastest with a time of 1’56.811.

Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo struggled with his injured right hand and was forced to stop regularly. Despite his severe discomfort and a trip to the Clinica Mobile for treatment the Spaniard did manage to complete 45 laps, with a best time of 1’56.838 placing him a respectable seventh on the timesheet – under 1.5 seconds off his team-mate and rival Rossi.

Ducati rider Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio of Pramac Racing were eighth and ninth fastest respectively, and Dani Pedrosa’s pre-season continues to run a none too smooth course. The Repsol Honda rider was 10th quickest of the session after his 60 laps produced a best time that was over 1.6 seconds off Rossi’s marker.

Qatar Official Test

Session 1 - 18/03/10

Pos	Rider	Team	Fastest lap	Prev. Gap	Lead. Gap	Laps
1	Valentino Rossi	Fiat Yamaha Team	1:55.402	-	-	64
2	Casey Stoner	Ducati Marlboro Team	1:55.717	+0.315	+0.315	48
3	Ben Spies	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:55.954	+0.237	+0.552	44
4	Colin Edwards	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:56.540	+0.586	+1.138	59
5	Randy De Puniet	LCR Honda MotoGP	1:56.588	+0.048	+1.186	54
6	Andrea Dovizioso	Repsol Honda Team	1:56.811	+0.223	+1.409	65
7	Jorge Lorenzo	Fiat Yamaha Team	1:56.838	+0.027	+1.436	45
8	Nicky Hayden	Ducati Marlboro Team	1:56.855	+0.017	+1.453	77
9	Mika Kallio	Pramac Racing Team	1:56.923	+0.068	+1.521	72
10	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	1:57.047	+0.124	+1.645	60
11	Loris Capirossi	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	1:57.099	+0.052	+1.697	40
12	Marco Melandri	San Carlo Honda Gresini	1:57.605	+0.506	+2.203	63
13	Hector Barbera	Aspar Team	1:57.822	+0.217	+2.420	62
14	Hiroshi Aoyama	Interwetten-Honda MotoGP	1:57.888	+0.066	+2.486	75
15	Marco Simoncelli	San Carlo Honda Gresini	1:57.891	+0.003	+2.489	63
16	Aleix Espargaro	Pramac Racing Team	1:57.898	+0.007	+2.496	67
17	Alvaro Bautista	Rizla Suzuki MotoGP	1:57.960	+0.062	+2.558	56

WSBK- Round 1 in Phillip Island

2010 Phillip Island WSBK Video Highlight Reels









2010 World Superbike Championship Standings After Round 1, Phillip Island
Submitted by David Emmett on Sun, 2010-02-28 11:27. from : motogpmatters.com
in World Superbikes Phillip Island, Australia
Championship standings for round 1, 2010
1 Leon HASLAM GBR 45
2 Michel FABRIZIO ITA 36 -9
3 Carlos CHECA ESP 34 -11
4 Noriyuki HAGA JPN 27 -18
5 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA 23 -22
6 Jonathan REA GBR 23 -22
7 Max BIAGGI ITA 19 -26
8 Troy CORSER AUS 16 -29
9 Leon CAMIER GBR 10 -35
10 Lorenzo LANZI ITA 9 -36
11 Jakub SMRZ CZE 8 -37
12 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR 7 -38
13 James TOSELAND GBR 6 -39
14 Shane BYRNE GBR 6 -39
15 Max NEUKIRCHNER GER 4 -41
16 Tom SYKES GBR 3 -42
17 Joshua BROOKES AUS 2 -43
18 Andrew PITT AUS 2 -43


Race 1
Leon Haslam won the first World Superbike Championship race of his career after dramatically holding off Michel Fabrizio's last-minute slipstream across the line to win by a mere 0.004 seconds.

Although the pole man led from start to finish, Fabrizio looked to have denied Haslam at the death when he got a better run out of the final bend to pull alongside down the start-finish straight.

Indeed, while Fabrizio was initially declared the winner, the resulting photo finish tipped the result back in Haslam's favour.

His first victory in 61 World Superbike attempts, the win also marks Suzuki's first since Max Neukirchner triumphed at Misano in 2008.

A race that built in tension as the laps counted down, although Fabrizio nosed ahead at the start through the sweeping first corner, Haslam held the throttle around the outside to reclaim the position into turn two.

Just behind, Haga shrugged off his warm-up woes, when a collision with Ruben Xaus sparked a mammoth accident and a rush to get his bike rebuilt in time for the race, to clamber his way up to third place from tenth on the grid.

Jonathan Rea rose to fourth from seventh, ahead of Cal Crutchlow and Carlos Checa, although fifth and sixth place qualifiers Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrz went in the other direction as they completed the first few turns in 15th and 14th.

With Fabrizio and Haga disputing second, the Ducati Xerox team-mates swapping positions twice during laps two and three, Haslam promptly set about putting air between himself and his rivals.

However, despite rallying initially to stretch his advantage to more than half a second over Fabrizio, both the Italian and Haga gamely clung on to establish a three-way fight for victory, with fourth place Rea seemingly unable to maintain the rapid pace.

By the time the riders had reached lap seven of 22, three riders had already fallen by the wayside, with James Toseland, Cal Crutchlow and Chris Vermeulen all crashing out of contention.

A disastrous start to the year for defending champions Yamaha, Toseland lost the rear of his R1 through Lukey Heights, the former champion unlucky to land directly on his already badly injured hand. Causing considerable damage to his bike in the process, Toseland cut a forlorn figure as a walked off circuit clutching his wrist.

Crutchlow added to Yamaha's woes with a tumble at Honda just three laps later, and only two laps after Vermeulen had suffered an identical accident on the Kawasaki having battled his way up to an early seventh position. Shane Byrne was another to get it wrong at Honda, dropping to 20th after running off the circuit early on.

It meant the depleted chasing group of Rea, Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa were left to dispute fourth position, although they would be joined by the recovering Guintoli and Smrz, as well as Leon Camier, by lap ten.

Back at the front, Fabrizio and Haga were beginning to reel Haslam back in, inching closer down the home straight as they benefitted from the GSX-R1000's slipstream. Despite this, Haslam kept his lines clean through the corners ensuring Fabrizio was never in a position to launch a convincing overtaking attempt.

Even so, Fabrizio continued to pile the pressure on, wringing the best from the Ducati 1198 to shadow Haslam as they entered the final lap.

With Haslam erring towards defending his lines, Fabrizio began to form his offense a last ditch attempt to tuck beneath the Suzuki through the long final bend and slipstream past down the straight.

Although Haslam rebuffed Fabrizio's efforts through the left-hander, it was the Italian who got the better slingshot out of the corner as he pulled alongside his rival down the long home straight. Launching across the finish line with barely anything to separate them, although the timesheets initially had Fabrizio classified as the winner prompting premature celebrations in the Ducati camp a quick decision on the photo-finish would see the result reversed just a few seconds later.

A dramatic race to start the season with, a somewhat bemused looking Haslam was left to celebrate an emotional first win at World Superbike level, while a visibly disappointed Fabrizio had to make do with second.

Although he fell no more than a second behind the leaders, Haga wasn't able to build on his superb start as he crossed the line in third. Nonetheless, the podium remains just reward for his team after their mighty efforts to get him out on the grid.

Ten seconds further back, the battle for fourth position went down to the wire, with Rea and Max Biaggi twice swapping spots as the race reached its climax. Nonetheless, it was Rea who would hold on to edge his 2009 sparring partner for the best of the rest' title.

Despite his tardy getaway, Guintoli showed impressive pace to work his way up to sixth position, passing Checa late on and capitalising on an error by Camier, who had risen to sixth only to out-brake himself at Honda on lap sixteen, the Aprilia man doing well to avoid collecting his own team-mate in the process.

Checa held off Jakub Smrz for seventh, while Troy Corser and Lorenzo Lanzi endured lonely races on the way to ninth and tenth positions.

Camier recovered to 11th, passing Neukirchner, Tom Sykes and Byrne in just five laps, while Andrew Pitt marked his return to World Superbike competition by claiming the 15th and final point for newcomers Reitwagen Motorsport.

Crash.net / Eurosport

Race 2
Checa snatches last gasp victory
A stunning move for the lead on the penultimate corner of the race has seen Carlos Checa take a shock maiden victory for the privateer Althea Racing team at Phillip Island
In a hugely entertaining race that went down to the wire, Checa stalked his way back into contention after a poor start to launch his bid for victory on the run down to MG at the final time of asking to deny Leon Haslam a double victory for Suzuki.
A remarkable performance by the Spaniard, who was only eighth after the opening lap, the result marks his third career World Superbike win, but perhaps more significantly, the first triumph for the Althea Racing team on its debut with Ducati machinery.
Haslam had looked on course for a second win of the day after moving ahead during the latter stages, the Briton seemingly pulling a decisive move on team-mate Sylvain Guintoli after the Frenchman had snatched the lead on lap six.
Nonetheless, despite the disappointment of losing out to Checa, Haslam still takes an early lead in the standings with a weekend points haul of 45 points.
Even though he had qualified fourth on the grid, there was little indication that Checa was going to be a race win contender from the lights as a tardy getaway saw him shuffled down to 11th initially before he hauled himself back into the top ten by the close of the opening lap.
Up at the front there was a repeat of the first race with Michel Fabrizio out-dragging Haslam into turn one, only for the Suzuki rider to maintain his outside line and snatch back the position into turn two. Noriyuki Haga made it an identical top three as he once again rocketed up from tenth position.
Just behind, Jonathan Rea ruined his chances to challenging at the sharp end when he out-braked himself into, appropriately enough, Honda and dropped to the back of the field. It was an error Cal Crutchlow, Max Biaggi and Leon Camier would go on to mirror over the next few laps.
Trailing the top three, Chris Vermeulen found himself in fourth position after a mighty getaway from 14th on the grid, followed by Guintoli and James Tosleand.
With a poor start consigning him to the chasing pack in race one, Guintoli was making swift amends on this occasion, dispatching Vermeulen at the start of lap two before pulling off a stunning pass on both Haga and Fabrizio through turns one and two on lap three.
A sight not seen in World Superbikes for some time, Suzuki were now in a provisional 1-2, but any expectations that Guintoli would simply shadow his team-mate were dismissed on lap six when he snatched the lead from Haslam down the home straight.
Checa, meanwhile, continued to make progress, picking off Camier for sixth and Toseland for fifth by lap eight. Even so, he was still left with a deficit to make up on the top four, which had now pulled out a two second gap to the chasing pack that he now led.
Checa’s cause, however, was aided by the scrapping up front, with Guintoli and Haslam battling away for the lead, the pair swapping positions on a number of occasions while Fabrizio and Haga kept a close watching brief in third and fourth.
Guintoli’s hopes of a first World Superbike win appeared to improve on lap sixteen when an aggressive move for the lead saw Haslam drift wide and allow Fabrizio between them. However, Haslam composed himself to resume second position just a lap later before proceeding to move back past Guintoli at Honda with three laps remaining.
During this time Checa had worked his way into the lead group, the former MotoGP rider signalling his intent by dismissing Haga for fourth almost straight away. Shadowing Haslam’s pass on Guintoli, Checa went on to move into third ahead of Fabrizio to assume the Ducati challenge.
As Guintoli began to fade, Checa was quickly up to second with a neat pass at MG, leaving just Haslam between himself and victory as they entered the final lap.
Having rebuffed Fabrizio’s last lap attentions during race one, Haslam looked confident as he held off Checa’s first overtaking attempt through Honda. However, the charging Spaniard would not be denied, launching a second attack over Lukey Heights and down into MG, Checa forcing the bike up the inside of the Haslam and hanging him out long enough to prevent a response through the ensuing left-hander.
Breaking any potential tow as he exited the last bend, Checa crossed the line to jubilation from his stunned Althea team. Indeed, Checa himself was visibly emotional when he stepped off the bike as his first win since Miller Motorsports Park in 2008 sunk in.
Haslam was a philosophical second, while Fabrizio secured the final podium position at the expense of Guintoli, whose feisty performance was rewarded with a fine fourth place finish and the fastest lap of the race. Haga, meanwhile, slipped back to finish almost four seconds adrift in fifth.
Beyond the battle for the win, there was plenty to keep the spectators entertained just behind as several riders ducked and dived for positions in the chasing pack.
Toseland had led the way in sixth initially but appeared to struggle as the race wore on, losing spots to Troy Corser and Rea, the Northern Irishman going almost unnoticed as he scythed his way up from the back of the field to finish an impressive sixth.
Corser was seventh to complete a solid day for the one-man BMW team, while Biaggi sprinted to eighth place at the expense of Crutchlow and Toseland during the closing stages.
Outside the top ten, Camier’s second recovery ride of the day was rewarded with another 11th position, ahead of Checa’s team-mate Shane Byrne. Lorenzo Lanzi, Joshua Brookes and Andrew Pitt rounded out the top fifteen.
Elsewhere, there was huge disappointment for Kawasaki, with Tom Sykes hitting mechanical problems on the first lap, while Vermeulen was taken to the medical centre after crashing on the run up to Lukey Heights. The Australian had been running in and around the top ten when he fell, the former MotoGP rider appearing to hit the tyre wall before his bike followed suit.

Crash.net / Eurosport