Get to know the grid: WSBK- Max Neukirchner #76

Max Neukirchner #76
Personal pinion: was 5th last year, and is already 3rd this year, he has improved his positions almost every year of his career, I hope this year he will be able to improve last years, I am not sure he will be bale to bet Haga and Spies but he will defiantly be able to be in the top 5 if not top 3.

World Superbikes from Valencia

Born: 20/04/1983 Stollberg
Team 2009: Suzuki Alstare BRUX
Bike 2009: Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9

Note:
2007: 9' World SBK
2006: 18' World SBK
2005: 12' World SBK

Max

from: http://www.max-neukirchner.de

• PROFILE

• Name: Max Neukirchner
• Date of Birth: 20th of April 1983
• Place of Birth: Stollberg
• Residence: Stollberg
• Height / Weight: 1.79 m / 72 kg
• Eyecolor: Blue
• Haircolor: Brown

LIKES & DISLIKES

Hobbies:

Go-Kart, Snowboarding, Swimming

Favorite Food:

Filetsteak, Mussels, Fish, Seafood, Pizza ,Chinese Food

Favorite Drinks:

Wine, Cocktails

Favorite Music:

Rock, Alternative, Metal, Hip Hop, Blues, Jazz

Max' Dislikes:

Drugs, to be lied

Own Bike:

Suzuki Burgman 650

Own Car:

Suzuki Vitara

Favorite Circuits:

Phillip Island, Brünn

First Race:

at the age of 14 at the ADAC Juniorcup on Aprillia 125ccm

Best Moments:

2008 1. & 2. Place Monza, 1. Place Misano

Previous Career:

• 1997:
  Begin of his racing career in ADAC Juniorcup on Aprilia 125ccm
• 1999:
  4th place Deutsche Straßenmeisterschaft Brno
• 2000:
  10th place German Championship 250ccm
• 2001:
  5th place German Championship 250ccm
• 2002:
  2nd place German Championship 250ccm
  10th place European Championship 250ccm
• 2003:
  3rd place European Championship 250ccm
• 2004:
  9th place World championship Supersport 600 Team Klaffi Honda
• 2005:
  12th place World Superbike Team Klaffi
• 2006:
  18th place World Superbike Team Pedercini Ducati
• 2007:
  9th place 1000 ccm Superbike World Championship
• 2008:
  5th Place 1000ccm Superbike World Championship

World Supersport and Superbike

In 2004 he competed in the Supersport World Championship riding for Klaffi Honda, finishing the season ranked 9th with 63 points.

For 2005, Neukirchner, along with the Klaffi Honda team, moved to the Superbike World Championship. He got a 3rd place podium finish at Phillip Island (but broke his hand at the next round in Valencia ) and finished the season 12th with 123 points.

He looked set to remain with Klaffi Honda in 2006 but the ride eventually went to Alex Barros. Klaffi wasn't able to find the money to run a second bike for Neukirchner and he was left without a ride. He joined Pedercini Ducati but after a poor first half of the season Neukirchner and Pedercini announced their spilt. Neukirchner went on to replace Fabien Foret at Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. He finished the season 18th with 28 points.

For 2007 Neukirchner rode for Suzuki Germany and finished the season ranked ninth overall. The team used the 2006-spec works Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6.

For 2008 he rides a 2007-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle for Team Alstare Suzuki. At Valencia he took his first career pole, and lead until the final corner, where he was hit by Carlos Checa, Neukirchner breaking his collarbone. On 27 April 2008 at Assen he achieved his second world superbike podium finish, finishing behind Troy Bayliss and Checa in the first race .

Neukirchner took his maiden victory (and the first for a German rider) in the first race at Monza, his 70th race in SBK. He won by just 0.058 seconds from Noriyuki Haga. In race 2, he achieved another podium, finishing 2nd to Haga, missing out on victory by 0.009 seconds in a three-way blanket finish. At Miller Motorsport Park he was helped to learn the fastest line through the early part of the track by video of Suzuki's AMA Superbike champion Ben Spies .

He will remain with the team for 2009 and 2010.

Get to know the grid: WSBK- Xaus Ruben #111

Rubén Xaus #111

Personal opinion: rids on a new bike in the series, it is obvious there is still a lot of work still needed to be done on it for it to be fully competitive, a specially with Spies in Haga in the front, but he did improve his results from round 1 in Australia in the race in Qatar, so I wish him luck in the rest of the season and hope he will be able to improve even more in the races to come.

Rubén Xaus Vs Norino Brignola Monza 2006

from: http://www.ducati.com/xaus/story1.jhtml

Ruben was born in Barcelona on the 18th February 1978.
His father, who had competed in amateur motorcycle “mountain” races, was probably Ruben’s biggest influence and had Ruben on a 25cc Montesa by the time he was 5 years old! From that day he taught Ruben how to ride and encouraged him to perfect his riding by practicing endlessly on dirt bikes. At the age of 8 he progressed to a KX60 and then by 11 a KX80.

At the age of 14 he was ready for a bigger dirt bike but his father had a different idea: “Let's go road racing.” With his father’s mechanical knowledge and the help of friends, Ruben started his road racing career at 14 years old in the 125 Championship of Catalonia. Hungry for racing experience, he continued into 1993, taking part in the Solo Moto 125 Criterium and winning the 80cc Supermotard Championship of Catalonia. Ruben was ready for big bike action.

In 1994, his first year competing on a large-capacity 4-stroke bike and at high-level competition, he entered the intensely competitive Spanish Open Ducados Supersport Championship and finished a very creditable 17th. Suddenly, he was making a name for himself in Spanish motorcycle sport and in 1995 he finished 3rd in the Ducados Supersport Championship, 12th in the FIM Thunderbike Trophy and had 4 races in the 250 Grand Prix with the Fortuna Pons Team aboard an NSR 250.

Ruben improved on his Thunderbike Trophy result by finishing 6th in the series in ’96 before underlining his talent in the 600cc class with a final placing of 12th in the ’97 World Supersport series. It was also in this year that he had his first major win whilst competing in the 35th Montjuic 24 Hour Race at his home circuit of Catalunya.

Keen to progress into Superbike, Ruben decided to compete in the German Pro-Superbike Championship in 1998 on the Team Alpha Technik Suzuki GSXR 750. The experience he gained by finishing 6th in this highly competitive championship convinced him that he was going in the right direction. Superbike was definitely what he wanted but he wanted it at world level with a Factory Team. The only way to get to there was to be by proving himself in World Supersport first.

In '99 he moved into the World Supersport Championship with the Dee Cee Jeans Team and certainly proved his potential with a fine 5th in the series enjoying, also, his first win at world level at the Misano circuit. His efforts were recognized and rewarded with a place in the Factory Ducati Infostrada Team for the 2000 World Supersport Championship. Ruben would now have new pressures to deal with: the enviable pressure of being a "Factory Rider" with a major manufacturer. If he was under pressure, he didn't let it show! He soon adapted to the Ducati 748 and finished 7th in the world as well as chalking up his 2nd win at this level in a fantastic race at the Assen circuit in Holland. Once again recognised for his "Foggy"-like focus, determination, and a race maturity beyond his years, his initial goal was about to be achieved: to compete in the World Superbike Championship as a "Factory Rider".

In 2001, Ruben lined up against the world's best aboard the Team Ducati Infostrada 996R and picked up where he left off in World Supersport in 2000 - building on his experiences and gradually improving his standings. Through the middle of the year, Ruben had mostly top 10 finishes...and a handful of crashes. The signs were there, however: Ruben was testing his limits and when he didn't end up on the ground, he was being rewarded with solid results.

The turnaround came in race 1 at Oschersleben. Ruben achieved his first finish on the podium as a World Superbike rider by finishing second to world champion, Colin Edwards. In race 2 of the same day, he reversed that result to become the first-ever Spanish rider to score a victory in World Superbike. From that race forward, he finished every race of the remaining season on the podium. Everything had come together: the crew, the bike, the tyres, and most importantly: Ruben's confidence and skill.
Nobody in World Superbike wanted the 2002 season to start more than Ruben did... with the exception, maybe, of all his fans!

In 2002, Ruben continued with Team Ducati Infostrada aboard the 998F02. In the second race of the season at Phillip Island, Ruben podiumed twice; it was a great start in which he'd find himself stepping up to the podium an incredible 10 times during the season. Not even the race retirements scattered throughout the season could reduce his confidence in himself or his machine. Except for the retirements, Ruben always finished inside the top 10.

One of the most memorable races in SBK history was also the finale for 2002, a race in which Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards battled for the number 1 plate. Ruben ran with the two champions and did his best to help his teammate, but was ultimately unable to affect the outcome. Still, his fighting spirit shone through as he finished third in both hotly contested races.

2003 was to be Ruben's third full year as a World Superbike rider but this time it would be on a brand new model, the Ducati 999. The beautiful new Team Ducati Fila machine was to serve him well as he continued to be an official factory rider.

Get to know the grid: WSBK- Troy Corser #11

Troy Corser #11

Personal opinion: Had a very impressive career so far, took a risk in moving to BMW’s on the first year they are racing in BMWS, had a respectable start to the year, lets hope he will improve.

Troy Corser vs Noriyuki Haga on board!

20 Years of SBK - Troy Corser

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Troy Corser
Nationality	Australian
Date of birth	November 27, 1971 (1971-11-27) (age 37)
Place of birth	Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Website	troycorser.com
SBK Record
Current team	Team Alpha BMW
Bike number	11
World Championships	2. 1996, 2005
Race starts	283
Race Wins	33
Podium finishes	118
Pole positions	41
Fastest laps	42
2008 Championship position	3rd (72pts)

Troy Gordon Corser (born 27 November 1971 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia) is a professional motorcycle road racer, the 1996 and 2005 Superbike world champion.

Having previously won the Australian and AMA Superbike Championship titles, and shone in a handful of wildcard rides in the Superbike World Championship (taking five podiums), he went to the series fulltime in 1995. He was classified 11th in WSBK for 1994, hence his riding #11, which he used for many years. Pole for the first round showed his potential, although he only took one podium until his win at round 5 at the Salzburgring (partly due to collisions with Anthony Gobert and Piergorgio Bontempi at Monza). A strong remainder of the season (including a win at Laguna Seca, one of the few tracks on the schedule that he knew) saw him beat Aaron Slight to 2nd overall.

He won this title in 1996, but 1997 was an unsuccessful and fragmented year in the 500cc World Championship. Back in WSBK for 1998, he came close to retaking the title, helped by a double win at Laguna, the second race by a mere 0.005sec. He lead the standings before the final round, took pole, but crashing and breaking ribs in a warm-up crash. For 1999 he was teamed with Carl Fogarty on Davide Tardozzi's team, the title going to Foggy with Corser again third. In 2000 and 2001 he was on a factory Aprilia. He took their first WSBK wins in 2001, and opened 2001 with a double victory in South Africa, but a double DNF at Monza scuppered his hopes of a championship challenge.

In 2002 he joined Carl Fogarty's Foggy Petronas team, and spent the year developing the bike before racing it in 2003 and 2004. He finished 9th in the 2004 championship, with a best result of 3rd, but chose to leave the team after this.

In 2005 he raced for the Alstare Suzuki Team on the GSX-R1000 which enabled him to regain his position as Superbike World Champion, winning the championship after a run of early-season victories - later in the season Chris Vermeulen and Noriyuki Haga were usually the men to beat.

Troy won two races early in 2006, however a crash at Phillip Island, and a DNF at Silverstone enabled compatriot Troy Bayliss to gain the upper hand in the early stages of the title chase. A double non-finish at Assen with 4 rounds to go left him 5th in the championship, behind Bayliss, James Toseland, Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt. He ultimately overhauled Pitt to finish 4th, through a double podium at the final round. For 2007 he left Suzuki to join Yamaha, however he was outpaced by team-mate Noriyuki Haga and finished 5th overall, with eight podiums but no wins. He remains with the team for 2008.

Troy has been on pole at Philip Island and Valencia four times, equalling a championship record for a single track. Of the eight cases of a rider having 10 or more podium finishes at a particular circuit, Troy has four - 13 at Misano, 11 each at Laguna Seca and Philip Island, and 10 at Donington Park.
For the 2009 WSBK season Corser is to ride for BMW alongside Ruben Xaus on BMW's new superbik

This is BMW's first year in WSBK, had a respactble start to the season,
In Australia finished 8th on the first race and 17th on the second race.
in Qatar finished 9th twice,

MotoGP: Andrea Dovizioso #4

Andrea Dovizioso #4


Personal opinion: Had a pretty good season on 2008 in a satellite Honda team, with very memorable moments, such as the first race in Qatar where he managed to Pass Rossi on the last race and in the last race of 2008 in Valencia where he want head to head with 2006 world champion Nicky Hayden. And now that Dani is injured, Dovi will need to develop the bike and I personally hope he will do well this year

Dovi and Rossi

From: http://www.andreadovizioso.com

I clearly remember when my father gave me my first bike as a present. It was the Malaguti machine that you can see in the photo. I found it outside the front door when I was four year old after betting with him. If I could ride my bicycle without the stabilisers, he would buy me a bike. I won the bet but I never expected such a beautiful surprise.

I still remember that moment as one of the biggest emotions in my life! My passion for the two wheels started then and when I was young I went and watched my Dad racing motocross every Sunday. I normally kept the timing for him and when he wasn’t riding, I was racing bicycles or mini-bikes challenging other children of my age.

At six years old, I had my first mini-bike and one year later I started racing both on circuits and dirt tracks. You can see on the photo below a mini-bikes race at Forlimpopoli, Italy - of course the little rider with the number 34 in the front of the GRC machine is me!

I have to say that it is also thanks to Antonio Gambarri, the owner of GRC, if I am a rider now. He is an extraordinary person and he helped me a lot when I was 11 and became an official rider. I want to thank him for all that he has done for me. I have ridden mini-cross bikes and mini-bikes until I was 14th years old. I also played football but I chose the track.

In 2000, I raced the Challenge Aprilia, my first championship on a 125cc machine. This was a major success for me as I got to ride a real bike. In 2001, I raced in the Italian Championship (and finished 4th) and I won the European Championship on a GP125. This success opened the door to the MotoGP World Championship, in which I have been racing since 2002 with a Honda bike for the team lead by Cirano Mularoni. 2004 has been a season full of incredible emotions. I clinched 5 victories and 11 podiums in total and at the end I conquered the 125cc World Title.

The following year, I moved up category and over three years I achieved 4 victories, ending up second in the championship twice and third once. These are fantastic results but I am not fully satisfied because my goal was to conquer the 250cc world title before moving to the MotoGP. However, in 2007 I have been very fast considering the lap times done on every single circuit and I am really pleased with that!

Now I am in MotoGP, the top class, where the fastest bikes of the world and the strongest riders ever compete. It is such an exciting challenge, I am so proud to be there... and I think its all started very well in Qatar.

wsbk: Jonathan Rea #65

Jonathan Rea #65

In 2008 Wan races in World Supersport, finishing second in the overall championship and taking a late season wildcard ride in WSB at Portimao as well. He makes the full-time switch to WSB this year, and has been impressively fast in testing. didn't have the best start of the year, but... lets hope that things can only improve for the young scot.

you can read more about him at his blog: http://www.gspdesigns.com/jr65/index.php?categoryid=12
(nice friendly writing style)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jonathan Rea. August 2008.

Jonathan 'Jonny' Rea (born February 2, 1987 in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland) is a motorcycle racer, currently competing in the Superbike World Championship for Ten Kate Honda. He was runner-up in the Supersport World Championship for them in 2008, and runner-up in the British Superbike Championship in 2007 for the HM Plant Honda team.

Early years

For much of his career he has been backed by Red Bull. Rea was British 60cc motocross runner up in 1997, before moving up through the motocross classes. He was not originally keen to switch to circuit racing as he considered it to be boring, but considerably less boring than him. but he was persuaded to by friends Michael and Eugene Laverty, contesting the 2003 British 125cc Championship. His 2004 season was interrupted by a crash at Knockhill.

In 2005 Red Bull set up a British Superbike ride for him on a factory-spec Honda Fireblade. He showed his potential by snatching a pole position from the established names, and finished 16th in the series despite missing 2 races, at Snetterton after a heavy testing crash, and at Oulton Park after the death of a junior team-mate in the previous event.

BSB Success

He started the 2006 season strongly, lying 6th in the championship after 5 meetings. At Oulton Park he finished 3rd in race 2, before being demoted to 4th as he was deemed to have gained a place form Shane Byrne on the last lap illegally, although he claimed that he crossed the infield grass as he was squeezed out of road. He qualified 5th at Mondello Park before heavy rain forced the cancellation of the races, and claimed that he had been on race tyres, rather than special soft qualifying compounds. He impressed at Mallory Park too, qualifying on the front row and running 2nd until high-siding in race 1, despite having no race engineer for the weekend. At Knockhill he took pole position, and followed a 4th in race 1 with his first career podium in race 2, passing Leon Haslam for 2nd with 2 laps to go. He ultimately took 4th in the championship, ahead of the factory Honda of Karl Harris.

He took Harris' factory ride for 2007, alongside reigning champion Ryuichi Kiyonari of Japan. After four second places, he finally took his first win in the second race at Mondello Park, after dominating wet practice but struggling in the dry first race. A double victory at Knockhill followed, taking him to within 9 points of Kiyonari at the top of the standings - retaining this position after Oulton Park in which each HM Plant Honda rider won once and crashed once. He ultimately finished as the series runner-up, 26 points behind Kiyonari and 20 ahead of Leon Haslam.

Also in 2007, he raced with Kiyonari and won a three-hour endurance race, and were then entered for the Suzuka 8-Hour race on a factory Honda machine. Plans for him to contest the British MotoGP round on a Team Roberts bike were scrapped in favour of extra Suzuka preparation.

2008 –finished 2^nd World Supersport Championship - HAANspree Ten Kate Honda

World Supersport

In September 2007 he signed a three year deal with Ten kate Honda to ride in the World Supersport championship for 2008, and World Superbikes for 2009/10. He turned down the option of staying in British Superbikes with either HM Plant Honda or move to Rizla Suzuki, and turned down a World Superbike ride with the factory Xerox Ducati team. In his first race at Losail he crashed, badly injuring a finger At Assen he challenged for a first WSS win, losing by inches to team-mate Andrew Pitt. He did win for Ten Kate at the Donington Park British Supersport race, which the team entered as practice for the later WSS race there. His first World Supersport win came at Brno, and he immediately followed this with a second win at Brands Hatch, after the race was stopped early after Craig Jones crashed fatally. A third win followed at Vallelunga, pushing him back up to 2nd in the standings behind Pitt. His chances of winning the title were ended by a wild move from Robbin Harms in the penultimate round at Magny Cours.

World Superbikes

For the last round of 2008, Jonathan will ride the superbike at Portimao.

For 2009, Jonathan will ride for the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team in World Superbikes.

2008 – 2^nd World Supersport Championship - HAANspree Ten Kate Honda.

Spies (Yamaha) does Qatar double at Losail

Spies (Yamaha) does Qatar double at Losail

Update: March 14, 2009, 16.50 PM ET (http://www.worldsbk.com/)

Yamaha's WSBK rookie rider Ben Spies took a spectacular double win in the second round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Losail circuit in Qatar. The 24 year-old Texan powered to his third win in the opening four races, dominating both today's 18-lappers and twice finishing ahead of Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia), who were classified second and third to make up identical podiums.

Race 1

Poleman Spies made his attack six laps from the end, and immediately pulled out a gap that allowed him to administer his lead until the flag. There was a great scrap for the runner-up slot between Haga and Biaggi, with the Japanese rider getting the nod. For Aprilia it was their first podium since returning to WSBK, and the Italian manufacturer's competitiveness was confirmed by fourth place for Shinya Nakano. Fifth went to Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate), the first Honda rider to the flag, who managed to hold off the attacks of the determined British duo of Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) and Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike). Troy Corser scored an encouraging ninth place for BMW, while Kawasaki notched up their first points in this year's championship with a 14th place for Broc Parkes. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare) and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had disappointing races, both riders crashing out.

Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike): "It was an extremely tough race, I had an OK start and when I got to the back of Nori and Max, we were all very strong on separate parts of the track. I was lacking a little bit off the last corner and it was very hard to make the pass, but once past, I put my head down and was able to keep it clean for the win despite a couple of mistakes."

Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox): "It was quite hard at the end, I got a good start and after a few laps I was able to pass Max on the straight. A few laps more and he passed me again and it was difficult for me to catch up. I pushed on the last lap and did it and was very happy with the result."

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing): "I tried to keep up and have a good rhythm without losing concentration. We have a new bike and every session we try to improve, but it's not easy to win right away. These guys did a great job, I rode very hard and today I was comfy, both front and rear, and looking good."

Results: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 36'06.304 (160,93 kph); 2. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1.893; 3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 2.168; 4. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 12.061; 5. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 12.597; 6. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 12.971; 7. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 13.570; 8. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 19.306; 9. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 19.388; 10. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 20.981; 11. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 21.164; 12. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 21.994; 13. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 22.917; 14. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 27.218; 15. Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 31.602

Race 2

Spies also went on to take the win in race 2, confirming himself and his Yamaha to be the strongest combination in this early part of the season. This time the Texan had a different strategy, taking control in the early laps of the race and then gradually pulling away. Behind there was another terrific scrap for the runner-up slot between Haga and Biaggi, and once again second place went to the Japanese rider, who holds on to his points lead in the table. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda Racing) scored an excellent fourth place, but was unable to get in amongst the podium battle. Fifth place went to Sykes, while Neukirchner just got the edge over Nakano in a photo-finish. BMW made a major leap forward with Corser running fifth in the early stages, both the Australian and Xaus scoring top 10 points finishes. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had a day to forget with a second DNF finish in two races.

Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike): "Nori set a really good pace the first few laps. We were lacking just a little in acceleration and it was hard to race with him, but I put my head down and closed up, kept the same rhythm and passed him. It was a better race for me than the first one because I could concentrate on my lines, but it's going to be hard making up points on him if he keeps finishing second. It was a perfect weekend, they're not always going to be like that but we'll take them when we can."

Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox): "I am really tired but happy for the result in race 2. When Ben passed me, I tried to stay with him but he is very fast. In one second he was going to 100 metres so I could not catch him! We made a good job, and I am leading the championship. Today, for me, Ben is ten years younger than me so that's why I lose!"

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing): "It was a great race, we confirmed our potential and the feeling we have on this track, which has always been good to me. I think the bike works well, we still have to improve but we are very pleased with the result. For sure we know these guys are a little bit quicker, they run hard and deserve what they did, but I am confident to improve during the season and get some good points."

Results: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 36'02.126 (161,241 kph); 2. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1.274; 3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1.622; 4. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1.845; 5. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 5.117; 6. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 9.512; 7. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 9.514; 8. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 12.621; 9. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 13.842; 10. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 13.884; 11. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 13.888; 12. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 14.913; 13. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 15.762; 14. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 15.920; 15. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 19.565

Points (after 2 of 14 rounds): 1. Haga 85; 2. Spies 75; 3. Neukirchner 40; 4. Biaggi 38; 5. Haslam 36; 6. Sykes 32; 7. Laconi 30; 8. Rea 30; 9. Nakano 27; 10. Kagayama 25. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 85; 2. Yamaha 81; 3. Honda 51; 4. Aprilia 41; 5. Suzuki 40; 6. BMW 27; 7. Kawasaki 2.

FIM Supersport World Championship

The second round in Qatar saw the crowning of a new talent in World Supersport. Thanks to a perfect slipstreaming dash to the line, Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) scored his first win in the category. The Irish rider held off the attacks from reigning champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) to take the win. Former points leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) only finished fourth after making a mistake at the final curve, which opened the door for Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) to gain his first WSS podium. Seven Hondas placed in the first ten positions, including the Veidec Racing and Hannspree Althea machines of Robbin Harms and Matthieu Lagrive in fifth and sixth. Garry McCoy took the ParkinGO Triumph 675 to an encouraging seventh place, while Joan Lascorz could only manage thirteenth with the Kawasaki. Massimo Roccoli (Intermoto Czech Honda), Phillip Island podium finisher Anthony West (Stiggy Racing) and Barry Veneman (Hoegee Suzuki) made up the top 10.

Results: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 37'06.285 (156,595 kph); 2. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.063; 3. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 0.625; 4. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 0.711; 5. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 5.200; 6. Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 5.233; 7. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 9.538; 8. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 9.551

Points (after 2 of 14 rounds): 1. Pitt 40; 2. Sofuoglu 38; 3. Laverty 36; 4. Crutchlow 29; 5. West 23; 6. Lagrive 15; 7. Roccoli 15; 8. Harms 12. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 50; 2. Yamaha 29; 3. Triumph 15; 4. Kawasaki 11; 5. Suzuki 9.

2009 World Superbike standings

Eurosport - Sat, 14 Mar 14:17:00 2009 (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com)

The latest standings from the 2009 World Superbike Championship.

1 Noriyuki Hagi 85

2 Ben Spies 75

3 Max Neukirchner 40

4 Max Biaggi 38

5 Leon Haslam 36

6 Tom Sykes 32

7 Regis Laconi 30

8 Jonathan Rea 30

9 Shinya Nakano 27

10 Yukio Kagayama 25

World Supersport Championship

1 Kenan Sofuoglu 25

2 Andrew Pitt 20

3 Anthony West 16

4 Cal Crutchlow 13

5 Eugene Laverty 11

6 Mark Aitchison 10

7 Fabien Foret 9

8 Joan Lascorz 8

9 Massimo Roccoli 7

10 Gianluca Nannelli 6

Eurosport