World SuperBike Championship - Round 5 - Monza - Race 2

Edwards got off the line from Pole very well and led the way in to the 1^st chicane followed by Chili, Corser and Bayliss. Haga is right on the tail of Bayliss, Edwards and Chili look as though they may go out together and run their own race out the front.

Haga and Yanagawa were all over the back of Bayliss on lap 3 but Bayliss responded and got a great tow from Corser to slip up in to 3^rd place. Yanagawa took Haga for 5^th and Bayliss started to open a little gap up on Corser. Yanagawa and Haga both took Corser on the straight in a display of superior horsepower. Gobert had to park the Bimota as it dropped its guts once again, luckily it didn’t punt him in to the wall this time.

Chili got a huge shimmy up under brakes in to Ascari that nearly ended in tears but Frankie got away with it okay. Yanagawa got Bayliss and Haga was looking for an opportunity to follow him through. Noriyuki did manage to get it under Bayliss in to Ascari and Lavilla ended up in the dirt.

Edwards and Chili still together and they have 1.9 seconds on Yanagawa, then a further half a second to Haga, Bayliss & Corser with Slight a few seconds behind that group.

Chili got through on Edwards but Edwards went back through on the entry in to the 1^st chicane on lap 6. Yanagawa is really closing on the leading duo and will surely be up in the fight for the lead with in the next couple of laps. Bayliss went through on Haga but Noriyuki stuck it straight back underneath on the way in to Ascari. Yanagawa took Chili for 2^nd as they commenced lap 8 but Chili went back through on the entry to the 1^st chicane. Slight is closing on Corser a little every lap. Now there is a 5-way battle for the lead with Yanagawa hitting the lead on the way in to Ascari followed by Edwards, Chili, Haga and Bayliss with Corser a little further behind.

Half a second separated the top 5 as they started lap 9 and Edwards took the lead back on the way in to Ascari followed by Yanagawa, Chili, Bayliss and Haga. Yanagawa got the lead on the straight prior to the Parabolica and held on to it but they all drafted him down the main straight. Bayliss got the best of the tow and shot from 4^th to 1^st on the entry to the 1^st chicane in a simply amazing move.

Neil Hodgson will be taking the seat for the next round as Bayliss heads back to America to contest the AMA series.

Edwards got the lead as they went four wide prior to the entry to the Parabolica but Bayliss is managing to hold off Chili for 2^nd. Chili lost a heap of ground out of Ascari and Yanagawa took him on the way in to the Parabolica, Edwards and Bayliss have now opened up a gap from the group with Colin holding a couple of tenths on Bayliss. Edwards set the fastest lap on the 11^th time around but is not clearing out at all. Chili 3^rd, 1.2 seconds down on race leader Edwards. The top 5 started to string out a little now with around 3 tenths between each rider. Edwards, Bayliss, Chili, Yanagawa & Haga. Chili is closing on Bayliss a little and Edwards had 6 tenths on his chasers with 5 laps to go.

Chili set the fastest lap and took Bayliss for 2^nd. The Italian is now out Honda hunting.

Bayliss has nothing to be ashamed of in this guest ride as he has 26 seconds over permanent Ducati Corse rider, Ben Bostrom.

Edwards responded to Chili’s challenge and showed no signs of giving up the fight, Bayliss looked to be struggling with some tyre problems and was backing it in to the corners to try and hold Yanagawa off.

3 laps to go and Chili is right up on Edwards, Yanagawa took Bayliss for 3^rd. Chili nearly got under Edwards on the entry to the Parabolica. As they crossed the line with 2 laps to go only 4 hundredths of a second separated the American and the Italian. Chili right on the tail of Edwards as they crossed the line to start the final lap.

In to Ascari and Edwards still holds the edge, making a little ground on the Italian but Frankie seems to like the entry to the Parabolica and may be waiting to make his move there. But Edwards looks to have the room. Heading towards the Parabolica Chili could not pass Colin so the American holds on for the run to the line and takes the win by the absolute smallest of margins. 3 hundredths of a second the gap. Yanagawa a further 2 seconds back in 3^rd, followed by Bayliss, Haga, Corser & Slight. Chili tossed his gloves and helmet in to the crowd as the Italian crowd went nuts. Frankie then went one better and hucked his boots and leathers in to the crowd and had to ride his bike back to the pits in his socks and underwear!

Race 2 Result

Edwards
Chili
Yanagawa
Bayliss
Haga
Corser
Slight
Meklau
Fujiwara
Bostrom
Antonello
Barth
Oelschlaeger
Isaacs
Borja

Colin Edwards - "After Chili beat me in the first race I was determined to leave here with a win. I also have to apologise for my reaction to being beaten in race one today - I think I'm the sorest loser on the planet. I just thought about the second race a bit more and I knew I could win - I made a mess of the first race by not remembering where the finish line was here. It's onto Hockenheim next, we'll get the Honda power down there and hope for more wins."

Aaron Slight - "I'm happy enough with where I finished but it's all down to me starting from 16th place on the grid. By the time I finished the first lap I was in eighth, lapping about the same as the leaders but I couldn't close the gap to the leading group. Then, about four laps from the finish, I was sick in my helmet. I just hiccuped and up came lunch! But today was another stepping stone for me. Hockenheim next and I'm really looking forward to qualifying better and hopefully getting my first rostrum finish of the year."

SuperBike Championship

1	Edwards	164
2	Haga	141
3	Chili	140
4	Corser	95
5	Yanagawa	79
6	Lavilla	69

Akira Yanagawa - "I had a very poor start, but my Kawasaki was very fast. Bayliss was always good on the brakes but I could easily pass him at the exit every time. The Dunlop's were also very good today, so I had a very good race. The only problem I really had was a big highsider towards the end of the race, where I rammed the footrest into my leg. It's a lot of pain right now."

Troy Bayliss - "It's a pity about the small mistake I made on the last lap of race 1 at the Ascari chicane. I was too slow in changing direction and Yanagawa got close enough to draft past me on the straight. Missing out on the podium by a tenth of a second is a bit of a disappointment. On the ninth lap of race 2, I saw a gap and dived through in front of everyone at the first chicane and from that moment onwards I had to fight hard to hold off Yanagawa. I probably demanded too much of my tyres and in the middle of the curve I was losing grip. I'm happy with the results of these two World Superbike races in Italy, a big thanks to all the team for putting me in the best possible conditions to do a good race".

Troy Corser - "In the first race we had some set-up problems and I just couldn't push the bike hard. As the race wore on, I just dropped further and further back. I wasn't very happy, but I did the best I could. We changed the set-up for race two and it was definitely better and I had a bit more grip. But I wasn't able to open the throttle hard exiting the turns and I lost a lot of time. The tyres were spinning and sliding and there was no way I could catch the leaders. I suppose the results today were pretty much what we expected. We knew that this race and the next (at Hockenheim) were going to be tough for us. Once we get a really good base set-up on the Aprilia I'll be able to push a lot harder. We are still learning a bout the bike, but we are making progress all the time. We just need to make more progress - quicker!"

Anthony Gobert - "It was kinda frustrating riding around and not being able to give it my usual 100% effort. My shoulder wasn't really up to task today and now I know I have to get it better as soon as possible. The first race was just an 18-lap struggle. In the second race, we had an exhaust pipe problem and I had to pull in after just two laps. I don't think I could've got into the points – not from my grid position – but I would've kept going as we all need as much track time as we can get. My aim now is to get back to 100% as soon as I can and than get the Bimota back up into contention again."