World SuperBike 2000 - Round 12 - Germany

Troy Bayliss - "The first race was probably the hardest of my career because I had a very big pain on my right forearm. This track is really very tiring and very physical. On a couple of occasions, I had grip problems that made the bike slide around a bit. I was passed by a couple
of other riders but I managed to reach them again. I didn't feel everything was lost and I went for a third place, which was very important here. Before the second race, I had a massage and a pain killing injection on my arm to try and relieve the pain. Things went a bit better, but in race 2 Colin was pushing really hard, he did a legendary race and it wasn't easy to catch him. In the final few laps my arm was hurting again, but all things considered it was a good weekend."

Troy Corser - "It's hard to believe what happened today. We would've had two podiums today I think and instead all we got was a seventh place. If somebody had told me at the start of the season that we'd finish third we'd all been happy. But up to the last couple of races, we've been in with a chance of the title, so it's disappointing to have an end like this. I was so lucky to stay on in the first race when Borja crashed next to me. His bike tore a hole in the right side of my Aprilia's fairing and damaged the radiator. As the race went on the water temperature began to rise and rise and soon it was 105 C. That meant a loss of power but I kept going and it didn't seem to get worse. I was third with a few laps to go and on for a podium and then the bike went bang as I went through the final chicane. I pulled the clutch and kept going and coasted across the line and got seventh place. I race two, it was all over before the first turn. The bike felt OK on the warm-up lap and OK off the line, but then on the way down to turn one - boom! I pulled off the track and dribbled my way round and back to pits. It might have been a valve or something in the timing, but it's the first time this season that the Aprilia's engine has broken in a race. We'll go to Brands Hatch for the last round and try and get a couple of good results and have a good end to what's been a great season for us all."

Noriyuki Haga - “Chatter from the front was better today than in qualifying but I still didn’t get satisfaction. In the first race I had to push really hard to get through the field and I burnt up my tyre in the process. I took a harder compound for race two and got a really good start by taking the inside line of the first turn when everyone else went wide. I held fourth for a few laps before the grip and control went off and I was struggling again.” Commenting on the championship situation, he said: “I still feel confident I can get my points back for Brands, so it’s not over yet!”

Colin Edwards - "I can't explain how I feel. It's been a rollercoaster ride of a year but we've
finally done it. All credit to the Castrol Honda team and to the new VTR machine."

Akira Yanagawa - "My front tire was completely gone. It even started to make funny noise at the end of the race which was very short for me. Suddenly I realized that there are only two laps to go and I kept pushing hard. I tried to catch Bayliss but there was no chance. After I lost the front complete twice I'm very happy with that result."

Gregorio Lavilla - "I took it easy at the start because some riders rode like crazy. Then I tried to find my rhythm and had a good fight with Bayliss and Corser. I was not worried about Chili in the end, because I knew that he was on a soft rear. I am very, very happy with this result, after all this bad injuries but also quite finished because of my missing fitness. I'm also happy for the team who worked so hard for this result."

Peter Goddard - “I'm extremely grateful to Harald (Eckl) and Kawasaki for giving me the opportunity to race this weekend, but unfortunately things didn't turn out the way we had hoped. My bike moved a little at the start of the first race, but I stopped it, so I was surprised when I saw the board saying I had to make a 'stop-go' trip to the pits. The crash in the second race happened when I was stuck behind (Alessandro) Antonello and Ben Bostrom. This is a tight track and there aren't many places to pass. I saw an opening and dived down the inside line and then the Aprilia came across in front of me. I braked to try and miss it, but I lost the front-end and we hit. It brought both of us down. The data shows my corner speed was the same as the lap before so I wasn't doing anything different."

Pierfrancesco Chili - "I am disappointed today. The first race was not so bad and although I had tyre problems I enjoyed chasing Colin and the race was good for me. Then the tyres got worse and it was hard to control the bike. If I gave it too much gas when it was leant over, I'd almost crash, so I tried to be very smooth on the throttle. I didn't enjoy race two at all. I made a good start, but right from the beginning I had problems with the rear tyre. The bike didn't feel so nice to ride, but I had to keep going. Another sixth place, but this one wasn't so enjoyable."

Katsuaki Fujiwara - "I'm not so happy with today. Borja crashed right in front of me and in the mess I slipped down to 31st at the end of lap one. I then tried to get back as many positions as possible, so I suppose fourteenth isn't so bad - considering. I made a good start in race two, but after 10 laps I got held up by Yanagawa. Then, after about 15-16 laps I began to have lots of rear slides and for the last five laps it was difficult to control the bike. I just couldn't get on the gas when I wanted to. The result may have been better, but it wasn't a good day for us."