Double Top Makes Five For Corser: Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki rider Troy Corser won his fourth and fifth races of the 2005 season at Valencia today, scoring an immaculate double to finish off an almost perfect weekend of race action. Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda) proved the closest challenger to his countryman, taking his Honda to a brace of second places, albeit nine and five seconds down on the 1996 World Champion’s race times.
Corser’s team-mate Yukio Kagayama battled his way to third in race one, but a new rider joined the 2005 podium ranks, when popular Briton Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) ran to a clear third place in leg two, having harried Vermeulen for most of the 23-laps.

Points Standings: Corser’s five from six leaves him 31 points ahead of his closest challenger, Kagayama. Corser, on 141, now leads Kagayama’s 110, and Vermeulen’s 90. Still in fourth place overall, Regis Laconi (Ducati Xerox) was not allowed to ride in either leg after sustaining a head knock in the morning warm-up, his double no-score leaving him on a total of 54. Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) could have taken a podium in race one, but his crash then fifth kept him fifth in the points standing, on 44.

Race One: Corser, once more without equal on track, ran up a near ten second margin of victory on his big GSX-R, finally outpacing Honda man Vermeulen by 9.116 seconds - and some 12 seconds head of Corser’s own team-mate Yukio Kagayama. Norick Abe (Yamaha) was trying to pass Vermeulen for second when he fell on lap 22 of the 23. Chris Walker took his big yellow PSG-1 Kawasaki to a safe fourth place, having run in the podium mix for long periods of time. The local crowd had a top ten finisher to applaud, as Sergio Fuertes secured ninth place on his Reynolds Motorrad Suzuki.

Race Two: With Corser away and clear once more, after some early interventions by Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), a right royal battle for second between Vermeulen and Walker was only decided on the final laps, as Walker slowed to take a safe third - his first such placing of the season. Despite complaints about machine set-up and the increase in afternoon temperatures reducing available tyre grip, Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor Italia) was a fine fourth, but only after his team-mate Pitt was forced to slow with an electrical misfire, eventually finishing eighth.

Muggeridge Down, Neukirchner Flies: Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) had another tough day, being run off track in race one (to eventually retire), and then crashing in race two. Another top Honda hopeful, Max Neukirchner, suffered the biggest highside of the season on the fast approach to the final corner on the opening lap, launching himself and bringing down Lorenzo
Lanzi’s Ducati. The Italian rider broke his collarbone as a result, missing race two. In race two Neukirchner recovered sufficiently to record a 12th place finish. His team-mate Pierfrancesco Chili struggled with pain and fatigue in his broken collarbone area to take a seventh and a tenth place finish.

Bostrom Moves On Up: Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji) was a disappointed 11th and then an excellent sixth on his Fireblade, happy to be running back inside the top ten, and securing 14th position in the championship.

Toseland Eighth Then Lapped: After another torrid weekend, reigning champion James Toseland took his factory 999 to eight in race one, a superb effort considering he started from row six, and 23rd place. In race two his charge to the front was halted when Garry McCoy fell after a contact with wildcard Ivan Silva (La Glisse Yamaha), running Toseland off the track. Restarting, he came in to fit a new front and finished 19th and last, lapped while in the pits.

Petronas No Score: One race finish for Steve Martin was not enough to score a point for the three-cylinder entries at Valencia, with his 17th place not quite enough for a point. Another rider leaving with a no score is local hero Pablo Nieto, 17th and then a retiree on his SC Ducati 999RS.

Supersport Race: Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Sebastien Charpentier scored his second race win of the season, battering his way through the last lap after what looked like a tactile fight with his following team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara. Yamaha honour was upheld with third for Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) some 21 seconds down on the leading battle. Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda) was overwhelmed by the charge of Curtain, with his team-mate Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda) fifth, and Broc Parkes rounding out the top six on his Yamaha Motor Germany R6. Barry Veneman was top Suzuki finisher, seventh on his Suzuki Netherlands GSX-R.

The next rounds of the World Superbike and Supersport series take place at Monza on May 8.