Superbike Race 1

Chris Vermeulen finished fourth in today’s opening eighth round World Superbike championship race at Brands Hatch in the UK. The race was won by fellow Australian, Troy Corser, with Vermeulen’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, sixth.

Starting from eighth place on the grid for the 25-lap race around the 4.2km Brands Hatch circuit, Vermeulen overcame first his team-mate and then friend and training partner, Chris Walker, to take fourth with two laps to go. Muggeridge, meanwhile, started strongly, running in second place in the early stages, but a loss of rear grip dropped him eventually to sixth.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager:
“The results are a little disappointing, for sure, but Chris’s lap times prove he can be up there with the leaders if he can get a good start in race two. Karl was doing very well in the first part of the race and underlining his qualifying position but his rear grip started to drop off five or six laps before the leading bunch. I’m sure that a couple of changes for the second race will see Chris and Karl move up in the results.”

Chris Vermeulen - fourth
“I was struggling with grip in the early stages and dropped two and a half seconds off the front runners on the first lap. From there on it was difficult because it’s so hard to pass here. It’s hard enough on a Supersport bike but on a Superbike it’s even tougher. I touched Karl when I passed him and Chris (Walker) once as well; and I was right on the kerb a couple of times too. Chris was always going to be tough in front of his home crowd but if I can get a better start, then race two can be better.”

Karl Muggeridge - sixth
“We haven’t quite got the rear setting right and that’s what caused the grip to drop off after around 15 laps. I was running pretty comfortably at the start but it’s so difficult to pass anyone here and when I got passed by Laconi coming out of Clearways, it was hard to put a move back on him. I think we can make a little change to the rear to improve things for race two just to stop the rear spinning up so much.” 

Superbike Race 2

In the second of this afternoon’s two eighth round World Superbike championship races at Brands Hatch, GB, Chris Vermeulen added a third place to his fourth from race one. The race was won by Japan’s Noriyuki Haga after a thrilling battle with series leader, Troy Corser, who finished second.

In front of a typically large Brands Hatch crowd who watched five different manufacturers fill the first five positions, Vermeulen’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, crashed out of third place on the second of 25 laps around the 4.2km Kent circuit, breaking a small bone in his right hand.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager:
“That’s bad luck again for Karl who was doing well from second place on the grid and feeling good on the bike. I think that a podium was possible for him today and it would certainly have been deserved. Chris’s race seemed to be a copy of race one because it was lost in the first five or six laps. As soon as he got past the slower riders, he was lapping at the same speed as Haga and Corser. But it’s good to have another podium and I think we have improved the CBR1000RR some more this weekend. We’re looking forward to our home race at Assen in three weeks, where we’ll be looking for some more success.”

Chris Vermeulen - third
“I just got another bad start again and it’s so hard to pass the guys I was with because they’re all so fast round here. I was a little faster than them but by the time I eventually got past, the first two guys were just gone and, although I could match their lap times, I just couldn’t catch them. I slowed up a little towards the end because there was no point crashing out. We changed the rear spring for race two and the bike definitely felt a little better and it’s good to be on the podium again. At least I’ve been able to open the gap a little on Laconi in the championship and we’ll head for the team’s home round in Assen looking for something even better.”

Karl Muggeridge - DNF
“I’m pretty upset with myself to be honest. Haga had just passed me on the inside at turn three and I was trying to square off the corner and get him back at the next one. I just gave it too much and the bike let go and spat me off. I think I tried to hold onto it a little too long because I’ve cracked a little bone in my hand. It’s nothing too serious and should heal pretty well in a couple of weeks. It’s such a shame because the changes we made to the bike after race one were spot on and it felt really sweet. I reckon I could have been on for a good result but I’ll just have to try for that again at Assen.”
 

Supersport Race

Winston Ten Kate Honda rider, Sébastien Charpentier, scorched to his sixth World Supersport championship win of the season in this afternoon’s eighth round at Brands Hatch in southern England. The Frenchman won the exciting 23-lap race ahead of fellow Honda rider, Michel Fabrizio, by less than one second with Charpentier’s team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara, finishing in sixth place.

The win gives Charpentier a commanding 74-point lead in the championship with just four rounds and a potential 100 points remaining this season, while Fujiwara retains second place in the table, just seven points ahead of Curtain.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager:
“That’s the team’s twelfth World Supersport championship win in a row and maintains our 100% record for this season. I am especially delighted with this victory because it means Sébastien has the potential to wrap up the championship at the next round, which is our home round in Assen. We will keep on working hard from race to race, though, to keep Sébastien in a winning position. I’m a little disappointed for Kats, who spent most of the race on his own. His qualifying position promised more so we’ll be hoping for better results in the races to come. He still holds second place in the championship but we’ll have to help him to beat his rivals if he is to retain that position.”

Sébastien Charpentier – first
“It was a very exciting race and Michel (Fabrizio) was in very good form today and pushed me all the way. He was very fast when he was behind me but, whenever he got in front, he seemed to slow the pace and was gesturing for me to come back past. I had no problems today, though, and I was able to push a little bit hard towards the end to make it a little more comfortable. It’s another complete weekend with pole position, fastest lap and the race win. It just shows how good this bike is and how hard the team has worked. I’m looking forward to Assen and hope I can give them a big thank you present there.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara – sixth
“I didn’t get a very good start and lost touch with Sébastien and the leaders quite early. About halfway through the race I started to lose rear grip and was starting to slide into corners and then again as I tried to accelerate out. I spent the second half of the race trying to chase Foret and Chambon but I could not get any closer to them. It’s a shame because I was happy with my race set-up and the way I had adapted to riding the bike again. I will be looking for a much better result the next time out at Assen and I’ll keep trying to close the gap on my team-mate.”