Chris Vermeulen

Chris Vermeulen’s record breaking winning streak in the World Supersport Championship has come to a shuddering halt at Misano in Italy.

The Australian rider crashing out on lap 10, while leading the 7th round of the series.

“I don’t know what happened. I mean I lost the front end but there was no warning at all. I wasn’t pushing, I was just trying to let a few laps roll away and before I knew it I was in the gravel,” Vermeulen said.

It seemed another case of catch me if you can from the 21 year old, who pounced on the lead with in just a few turns of the opening lap, but after holding off a challenge from Katsuaki Fujiwara crashed when he lost the front end.

“The bike was just perfect, it’s pretty hard to take, but that is racing.”

“The thing is it’s all about winning a world championship and having a big points lead has come in handy hasn’t it! The best thing is there are no injuries and I’ll enjoy my month break,” The Honda rider said.

The Tenkate machine not the only Pirelli shod machine to struggle at Misano, with the race dominated by Dunlop backed teams.

Vermeulen’s first DNF of the year means his world championship lead has been cut to 35 points with 4 rounds remaining. The series resumes on July 27 at Brands Hatch.

HRC

Honda rider Broc Parkes ensured the new CBR600RR has finished on the podium in every World Supersport championship round this year as he took third place, behind winner Fabien Foret and Katsuaki Fujiwara in Sunday's seventh round at Misano, San Marino.

BKM Honda rider Parkes led the race with five laps to go before the young Australian settled for third and his first podium finish in the world championship.

"I could've gone for the win but it was tricky," admitted Parkes. "I was on the edge and I took a look back and saw a big gap to fourth place so the sensible option was to finish and I'm happy to achieve third."

Stephane Chambon took a lonely fourth place while Jorg Teuchert won a three-way, all-Yamaha battle for fifth. His team-mate Christian Kellner took sixth with Alessio Corradi seventh.

Simone Sanna took eighth after watching his team-mate Jurgen van den Goorbergh retire while leading on lap 12 of the 23-lapper. Parkes' BKM Honda team-mate Christophe Cogan finished ninth.

Cogan said: "I made a really bad start but then the rear tyre started working really well and I was progressing. In the end the tyre was worn and that determined where I finished."

Sebastien Charpentier was relatively happy with 12th place on his Klaffi Honda after a troubled two days of qualifying.

"I made a bad start and almost got caught up in crashes through the first three corners," reported Charpentier. "After the half-race distance the rear tyre began moving around a lot but it was to be expected in this heat."

Van Zon Honda's Iain MacPherson finished 14th but the Scotsman admitted enduring a tough race, he said: "I made the wrong choice of rear tyre and couldn't get any rhythm going in the race. I was fighting with the machine for 23 laps but it's done now, I'll get into shape for the next round at Brands Hatch."

 Klaffi Honda's Robert Ulm crashed out of 14th place with six laps to go, he said: "I was losing too much time out of corners so I tried going faster in but lost the front grip, there was no warning ­ I was just too fast."

Werner Daemen, on the Van Zon Honda, retired on the 15th lap, he explained: "I was at the back of a group of riders and, with no clean air, everything got too hot in the machine and I boiled the clutch."

Championship leader Chris Vermeulen crashed out while leading, on the ninth lap. Vermeulen maintains his championship lead but ended his run of three straight wins.

"I'm really disappointed," said Vermeulen. "The bike felt really good. I wasn't pushing that hard then the front just tucked under without any warning. It's a little strange, exactly the same thing happened to Neil Hodgson, at the same corner, in the first Superbike race."

Vermeulen's team-mate Karl Muggeridge also crashed, also at the same corner, on lap seven while holding seventh place. He explained: "Exactly the same as Chris, no warning, the front just let go. I had a good set-up too after we'd worked hard overnight again."

Yamaha

Equalling his best race result of the season so far, former world champion Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany) took a fine fifth place at Misano, on a day that several other Yamaha riders suffered varying degrees of misfortune in the intense heat. Teuchert, the 2000 world champion, put in a remarkable ride after a difficult qualifying session saw him start from 21st on the grid. Completing a good day for the Yamaha Motor Germany squad, Christian Kellner secured sixth place ahead of local rider Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro) in seventh.

Pole position sitter Simone Sanna (Yamaha Belgarda Team) gradually lost grip from his tyres in the punishing 50° temperatures, although he managed to bring his machine home in a career-best eighth position.

Matthieu Lagrive (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) narrowly missed out on a top ten finish, while his team-mate Thierry van den Bosch was one of several retirements in the 23-lap race.

World championship contender Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda Team) was forced to pull into the pits on lap 12, having led the race at one stage and looking good for his first win in the Supersport category. His main championship rival Chris Vermeulen (Honda) crashed out of contention, limiting the damage done to van den Goorbergh’s title push, and the race was eventually won by Kawasaki rider Fabien Foret, the reigning Supersport champion. The top six riders all rode on Dunlop tyres.

In the points table, van den Goorbergh returns to third place, having been overhauled by second place Misano race finisher Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki). Vermeulen remains in the lead overall, with 131 points, Fujiwara on 96, van den Goorbergh on 84 and Stephane Chambon on 75. Kellner’s sixth place at Misano secures him in fifth overall with 69.

Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany) - fifth “I don’t know what happened in the first five laps - whenever I came up behind another rider they crashed or made a mistake and I think I gained five or six places without even pushing. Then I was in 11th position and I thought I could get closer to the next group I was able to catch them through the corners and on the brakes, the only problem I had was when I was chasing Chambon. I got held up by Sanna and lost a lot of time trying to pass him because he was fast down the straights. I’m not happy with my qualifying performance but it is the race that counts... now I think I am back to my best.”

Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany) - sixth “The race was very hot. The problem was my start, I think I was 12th and spent the first five laps fighting and being held up. As the race progressed I got better and better and my tyres were perfect from the first lap to the 23rd.”

Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro) - seventh “My rear tyre was gone after two laps and was sliding a lot. I tried to push hard at the end to pass Kellner but it was not possible. I wanted a better race but I am the first Pirelli rider so this is OK.”

Simone Sanna (Yamaha Belgarda Team) – eight “I suffered with a lack of grip from my tyres after about eight or nine laps but I tried to go as fast as I could from then on. It was a shame but a lot of riders had the same problem today. I don’t think anyone could stay with Foret today.”

Matthieu Lagrive (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) – 11th “The month of June has been good for me as I’ve scored points at Oschersleben, Silverstone and now here at Misano. I was able to improve throughout the race and my tyre worked very well. During practice I was struggling to find a good race choice and was fighting the bike. To finish 11th is good for me and I am happy.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda Team) – DNF “I had an engine failure, although at the moment we do not know exactly what the cause is. The bike stopped but I had some rolling speed and I was able to cruise it in. It’s bad luck because it could have been our first victory. Our biggest rival had crashed out and we could have got back 25 points and the championship. That would have opened it all up again.”

Thierry van den Bosch (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) – DNF “It is very disappointing to retire from the race and obviously after qualifying 22nd this was one of the more difficult weekends for us.” 

Octagon

Kawasaki Racing Team rider Fabien Foret made up for a bad start from the front row to scorch to a hugely impressive win, passing other top class riders with comparative ease and winning by a margin of 1.661 seconds, albeit slowing up at the flag. It was the first win for the Kawasaki ZX-6RR, on a day that favoured Dunlop supplied teams more than any single other brand.

Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR), the runaway championship leader, fell on lap nine and could not restart his machine, leaving the field open for his main championship rivals Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki GSX-R600) and Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda R6) to fight for the win – until the Foret Express came roaring past in the later stages.

Van den Goorbergh failed to finish, however, after suffering a technical problem before Foret showed up, and thus Fujiwara scored second place, with the fast charging and fully competitive Broc Parkes (BKM Honda) third.

Vermeulen’s lead was little affected by his crash, with the Aussie rider still on 131 points, 35 points clear of Fujiwara’s total of 96 in second, with van den Goorbergh third on 84.

With the Supersport machines not making the annual SBK pilgrimage to Laguna Seca in the USA (July 13) the next round for the 600cc fours is at Brands Hatch, Great Britain, on July 27.

Kawasaki

Fabien Foret, the reigning world champion, stormed to an emphatic victory onboard the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-6RR at a scorching Misano Adriatico circuit in Italy.

After qualifying on the front row, a slow start saw the Frenchman drop to as low as ninth position before an incredible riding display escalated him up the leaderboard. Showing his outrageous talent, he scythed through the world-class opposition, all the while looking controlled and composed. After working hard with the team in qualifying to gain the perfect race set-up he was again able to make up places and time throughout the corners and on the brakes around the technical 4.060KM Misano circuit.

Once in the top five, it became clear that Foret was destined for the podium and his pace in the closing stages of the race was unmatched by any of his rivals. With five laps to go he took the lead from Suzuki mounted Katsuaki Fujiwara and immediately eased away to take control of the race and claim the first win for the all new Kawasaki Racing Team and Kawasaki ZX-6RR.

"After the start I made I didn't expect to catch the group," said an exhausted but exhilarated Foret. "I stayed relaxed because it's a 23-lap race and some of the other riders wanted to win the race in the first few laps, but there was no need and plenty of time. I didn't think it was possible to win or even make the podium. This win is fantastic for Kawasaki, the team and myself so I am very happy."

Pere Riba suffered poor luck in the race, like Foret he initially dropped down the leader board before mounting an impressive fight back. He clawed back an incredible eight places in eight laps but lost the front at Curva Del Carro and crashed out of the race.

"I just lost the front," said a rueful Riba. "I was pushing very hard and riding very fast and the front just went. I am very disappointed."

The next round of the World Supersport Championship takes place at Brands Hatch in the UK, 25 to 27 July 2003. The long break between rounds is due to the Supersport Championship not taking place at Laguna Seca SBK round in the U.S.A on 11 - 13 July 2003. The six-week break will give the Kawasaki Racing Team the opportunity to further develop the impressive Kawasaki ZX-6RR.