2009 World Superbike: Spies came, saw and conquered!
Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) won the first race and then controlled the situation in race 2 to take his and Yamaha’s first ever World Superbike Championship title in front of an 86,000 crowd in the final round of the series at Portimao. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), points leader going into the decider, crashed out in race 1, making things easier for the Texan, who was fifth in the second race. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) took the win in race 2, while Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) and Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) were the other podium finishers.
Race 1
Race 1 was dominated from start to finish by Spies, who took his fourteenth win of the season and overhauled Haga in the title chase. The Texan, who rocketed away from the line, comfortably held off any attempts at an attack from Biaggi, then upped his pace to go on to take a solitary chequered flag. With this result Spies had a 15-point advantage over Haga, who lost the front and crashed on lap 7 while making up time in fifth place.
The runner-up slot in the first bout went to Rea, who got the better of Biaggi after a terrific duel. The best Ducati rider to the line in fourth place was Shane Byrne, in one of his best races of the year, while fifth went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati), who compromised his race with a bad start. Leon Camier had a good run to sixth for Aprilia, while Ruben Xaus finished eighth on the first BMW. Both Suzukis failed to finish, Yukio Kagayama crashing out and Sylvain Guintoli was forced to retire.
Ben Spies: “It was actually a really tough race, at first I was just going for the win, getting to the front and not worrying about anything. Then when Haga was out I had to win to get as many points as possible for race 2. Once you have a gap, you don’t want to be stupid and throw it all away.”
Jonathan Rea: “It took a little bit of time for my tyres to get right in but when they did they were good until the end. The team and the bike have been working really good and I can’t thank them enough. It’s the first time I’ve ever had such a result in race 1 and I’m sure in race 2 I’ll be strong again.”
Max Biaggi: “I didn’t maybe have the chance to set up the bike the way I want and I had a few small problems, and then sometimes I made a few mistakes and this lost me some tenths. But I’m pleased with the result, even though I’m so sore from the accident yesterday and I didn’t think I could do the whole distance.”
Race 2
Spies monitored Haga all the way in race 2 to take the fifth place that was enough to give him the 2009 title. The American only had to finish sixth, but he preferred to shy away from any direct confrontation and together with Haga’s second place, the result gave him the title by six points. Fabrizio scored his third win of the season after a terrific scrap with Rea, who took the final podium slot, while Shane Byrne was again a protagonist of the race and finished fourth. Biaggi looked spectacular on the track, but the Italian made several errors and could only finish in sixth, while team-mate Leon Camier ran another convincing race in seventh, ahead of Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) and Corser (BMW), while this time both Suzuki riders Guintoli and Kagayama finished in the points.
Ben Spies: “First I’ve got to thank Yamaha for giving me everything I needed to win. It was really good, we did what we had to do and it was difficult to do that because the pace was quite fast and I saw that there were a couple of people behind me. I knew that if Nori won I had to be sixth, so I tried to stay out of trouble. It was spectacular, I can’t thank Yamaha enough and everyone who’s been behind me for my first year here. It’ll sink in in the next couple of days!”.
Michel Fabrizio: “Both Jonathan and I showed that we’re going to be up at the front next year and we’re going to do a lot of these battles. I really wanted that win, Johnny made a mistake here at the last curve, maybe a gear slipped or something, and for me it was all OK. Just as well because otherwise it would have been difficult to overtake him.”
Noriyuki Haga: “This weekend we had a problem with the rear tyre and in the first race we made a mistake with the tyre choice and I crashed. Second race was quite good, I was worried for the tyre life, but I started to push and I am happy for second position. Unlucky for today for the title but I try to do my best for next year and congratulations to Ben for the world title.”
Jonathan Rea: “With Michel I was racing for my own championship position and it seemed to be a little bit of a fight and I had to do something on the last lap to win the race and get fourth in the championship. I tried everything but made a mistake which allowed Michel to get past. But this is my best weekend of the season with a double podium.”
SBK Race 1 1 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 | SBK Race 2 1 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R | SBK Championship 1. Spies 462 Manufacturers: |
FIM Supersport World Championship Mission accomplished for Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport)! Thanks to a four place in the final round, the British rider took the 2009 title in his debut year in the championship. The race win however went to Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), who did what he had to do and won but Crutchlow was impeccable in fourth and took home a well-deserved title. The runner-up slot went to Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who finished the championship in third place, a result that was made easier by the retirement of his chief rival Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com). It was a good day also for Triumph, who saw Garry McCoy step onto the podium for the second time this year, and Chaz Davies finish in seventh. Fifth place went to Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea), who got the better of Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini), who scored his best result of the season. It was a disappointing day for Massimo Roccoli (Honda Intermoto Czech), who crashed out, while Honda, thanks to Laverty’s win, took the category’s constructors’ title. Results: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 35’17.044 (156,173 kph); 2. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 3.443; 3. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 13.874; 4. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 15.144; 5. Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 16.608; 6. Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 20.008; 7. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 22.007; 8. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R622.034 Final points: |
Supersport Race 1 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR | SS Championship 1. Crutchlow 243 Manufacturers |
Team Reports
— Yamaha
Spies makes history with Yamaha to claim first ever World Superbike victory
Ben Spies and Yamaha made history today, claiming the first ever Word Superbike title for the Yamaha World Superbike Team. In yet another Ben Spies Masterclass of riding, The American rookie sensation took a race win and a well executed fifth place finish to lift the title for Yamaha for the first time. Race one saw a textbook performance from Spies, taking the holeshot on the first corner and leading from the first lap. Perfectly executed lines and smooth riding saw him cross the line nearly two seconds ahead of a determined Biaggi who had stalked him for the entire race. Championship rival Noriyuki Haga crashed out six laps into the race, leaving Spies some breathing room for race two.
With the extra points behind him and less pressure for an outright race win Spies kept himself in check for race two, monitoring Haga’s position and keeping a steady race pace as he counted the laps down to victory. The American let a couple of riders passed then tucked in behind Biaggi for a number of laps. After the Italian rider ran wide a couple of times, Spies turned on some extra speed to pass him and brought his championship winning Yamaha R1 home in fifth place to take victory.
Spies can now claim 14 Superbike race wins and 11 pole position race starts in his rookie year, breaking all records since the championship began. He leads the standings with 462 points, six clear of rival Haga.
Yamaha World Superbike rider Tom Sykes unfortunately missed out on the last two races of the 2009 Championship. The British rider continues to struggle with an injury sustained to the Labrum in the shoulder socket following a collision with Carlos Checa at the previous round in Magny Cours. Sykes gave 100% effort in the early riding sessions of the weekend but struggled to cope with the very physical Portimao circuit. The Yamaha Superbike Team expressed disappointed not to have been able to end their one year relationship with Tom on a high note, but supported his decision not to ride, putting riders safety and health first.
Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (1st, 5th)
” I’ve got to thank Yamaha for giving me the bike I need to win. We had a really good first race, in the second we did what we had to do to win. It was quite difficult to keep it in check as the pace was pretty fast, I saw I had a couple of people behind me and I knew that if Nori won I had to be in sixth and that’s where I was so I tried to get a bit of a gap on them and stay out of trouble. Max came through the inside of me and ran off a couple of times which really freaked me out so I went to get past him and then settled in for some nice fast laps to the end. It’s been a spectacular day and I can’t thank those people enough that have been behind me. It’s been incredible to do it for Yamaha, and especially in my first year here. I don’t think I really realize what’s happening right now but I’m sure it’s going to hit me in a couple of days!”
Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team
“We came here this weekend aware of the injury but still looking to give it everything and end the season on a high. Unfortunately further x-rays yesterday at the Clinica Mobile revealed a potential crack in the bone which riding is aggravating further. I’m not able to ride to my best ability so unfortunately for my health needed to sit out the last two races. I’m very disappointed for the team as I wanted to repay them for the hard work they have put in for me all year.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“I feel great! This is the first time I’ve had this victory feeling. I was so nervous for this whole weekend. Ben showed us that the speed he had was ok but I know Nori very well and Ducati as well so I was always worried that something was going to come. Fortunately we finished very well. I want to thank everyone, not just the people here in the team and Yamaha but the people at home, mine and the team’s families, they give us a lot of support and are patient, I think it is hard for them to so thank you to my wife!”
Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe
“A fantastic day for Yamaha! Today was the crown of a year’s hard work for Ben and the team. From the first moment we started to work with Ben it was clear he was something special. He did an amazing job in his rookie season, not knowing many of the circuits in Europe. This victory is also very well deserved for the team who have given 100%. I know how hard we have all been trying and coming close for such a long time. This championship success is a clear testimonial of the competitiveness of the new R1 and a validation of Yamaha’s vision of production bike development and so is also shared with the engineers in Japan.”
Crutchlow takes control to deliver the World Supersport title for Yamaha
Cal Crutchlow was on incredible form at Portimao today, displaying an intelligent level of riding belying his age as he set himself a comfortable race pace to maintain his points advantage over rival Laverty and ultimately take the well deserved World Supersport title. Crutchlow started well and settled into a fourth position spot behind Lascorz until the third lap when the Spanish rider crashed out, promoting him to third. He maintained his position until lap seven where he let Gary McCoy through at the end of the start finish straight and dropped back into fourth again. Crutchlow then tucked in behind McCoy and followed him home to the finish line for victory and the title of World Champions for himself and the Yamaha World Supersport Team.
Crutchlow’s team mate Fabien Foret dropped one place off the start line to eighth as the race got underway, and then spent the duration chasing down seventh placed rider Aitchison for the next spot. As the pace continued he was unable to catch him but was fast enough to keep his spot, crossing the line in eighth position. Foret takes eight points from the race, and so will keep his fifth place in the 2009 World Supersport Championship.
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (4th)
“Fourth is the worst finish I’ve had this year! Obviously I’ve had a couple of DNFs but when I’ve finished fourth has been the worst. I just wanted to bring it home. I didn’t need to push Eugene. He’s been riding really well all weekend and keeping the pressure on me. I didn’t want to get into any battles, I followed Kenan at the start but his pace was just too fast so I let him go. I let Gary past then settled in behind him and let him bring me home for the race so thank to him. It’s been a tough season and all credit to Yamaha they’ve done a fantastic job, I’m elated! I want to thank the team and all my sponsors for their support, and my family, my dad and my mum and Lucy my girlfriend who has put up with me!”
Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (8th)
“it was a tough one today. I really wanted to be a bit closer to the front of the grid but I wasn’t so happy with the feeling in the front end in qualifying. We made some improvements for the race but it still wasn’t perfect so I just kept my head down and did the best I could to keep a consistent pace. I want to say a big thank you to the team for all their support this year, and congratulations to Cal for winning the title.”
Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager
“We are delighted with the results from today, I think everybody at Yamaha must be happy with Valentino and Ben and Cal all winning. Of course for me I’m especially happy for Cal and our team for winning the championship. We rode a really tactical race I have to say and he brought it home and did the job really well, I think he was the fastest guy out there the whole season. I want to thank the team who have worked so hard to make this possible for him as well. Fabien worked hard today despite not having 100% confidence with the feeling of his bike and was consistent throughout to the finish.”
Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe
“It’s great to see a rider like Cal progressing in his career with Yamaha, from his early success with the R6 cup to World Supersport Champion today. He has shown dominating speed on so many occasions this season and today showed his maturity to grab the title. The R6 as a production bike continues to build on its racing heritage as confirmed today here in Portimao. The team did a super job and it is with mixed feelings that we have not yet been able to finalize our plans for 2010 with them.”
— HRC
Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) finished the 2009 World Superbike championship as top Honda rider, in overall fifth place, partly thanks to second and third place finishes today in Portimao.
Rea, fourth in Superpole and therefore starting from the front row, was not quite able to get into contention with pole man and early leader Ben Spies in race one, but finished only 1.697 seconds down at the flag.
In race two Rea was leading near the end of the race, after an aggressive and controlled ride, but dropped from first to third on the final lap.
Again he was less than two seconds from the winner, this time Michel Fabrizio. Jonathan ended the season with 315 points in total, narrowly missing fourth place by just four points.
The championship itself was decided in the very last round, with Ben Spies taking a win and a fifth place, and with it the overall title in his rookie year, by only six points from Noriyuki Haga.
Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) saw his first race end in a crash after he had also fallen in warm-up and needed several stitches in a right elbow injury. He had qualified fifth but fell when he accidentally changed gear in a corner. In race two he had to retire, scoring two DNFs for the day, but holding onto his overall sixth place, and 241 points.
Race one delivered Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) nine points for his seventh place finish, having started the race from only 12th place on the grid. In the second 22-lap contest he had to retire on lap eight. Seventh overall is his final reward.
Matthieu Lagrive (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) posted ninth in race one and 13th in race two, and despite doing only a handful of races he took 19th place in the final rankings.
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) could not overcome the effects of his recently broken collarbone and despite riding on Friday he withdrew before final qualifying. He ends the season 11th overall.
LAVERTY WINS THE RACE BUT NARROWLY LOSES THE TITLE FIGHT
Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) had an almost immaculate Supersport race weekend at his team’s home circuit of Portimao, winning the 20-lap race, securing pole position, and finishing the season only seven points from the championship win.
Some 19 points behind new champion Cal Crutchlow entering the 14th and final round of the season, championship rookie Laverty rode his heart out to win by 3.443 seconds from 2007 World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR). With Crutchlow riding to a safe fourth, Laverty had to settle for second in the championship battle.
Laverty’s fourth win of the year contributed to Honda winning the Manufacturers’ Title, by 13 points after 14 rounds.
Sofuoglu was a clear and clean second in this race, having qualified fourth and therefore starting from the front row. The winner at this race last year, he ran hard through the entire 20-laps, but he was unable to touch the real race pace of Laverty in what were hot and dry race conditions. Sofuoglu finished his year third overall, after new lap record holder Joan Lascorz retired with a technical problem.
Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) moved up to sixth in the championship, after finishing today’s race 11th. He had qualified 11th, but could not get his machine to turn the way he wanted to in race conditions.
A ninth place in qualifying was translated into fifth in the race by Mark Aitchison (Althea HondaCBR600RR) and he ends the year ninth overall.
For Portuguese rider Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) his home round placed him tenth, not the result he looked for but also another strong points score for his team after a bad start to today’s race. He was 15th overall.
Flavio Gentile (Althea Honda CBR600RR) finished in 19th place and out of the points today.
Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) was unable to ride at Portimao and finished the year seventh overall.
SBK Rider Comments
Jonathan Rea: “This is my best weekend so far in the season, and I have to thank the team for all the help this year to get me to this point. In the second race I had real good fun with Michel Fabrizio but I had my own championship battle to worry about against Biaggi. I pushed really hard and wanted to win that race badly to finish off the season on a high note, but congratulations to Michel, he rode a great race. I am already thinking about coming back next year and I’m really looking to it.”
Leon Haslam: “In race one we had a few issues with the setup using a too hard front tyre. I ended up crashing because I was touching the shifter, which was too bad as it would have been an easy top five finish otherwise. In race two we got the settings loads better and I just got past Spies and was in a big group of riders, up to the front-runners. This was not the best of weekends but it has been a fantastic year so we just have to forget about today with the injuries and the crashes.”
Carlos Checa: “Race one was very frustrating because we suffered from the same problems we had during qualifying yesterday. In race two, we improved the bike a little, going a little bit softer in the rear and changing the tyre. It definitely made things better because while everyone else’s pace was slower than in the first race, I was able to improve my lap times. I was just passing Kagayama when I had a problem with the bike and the race was finished.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari: “You can imagine that I am very disappointed to miss out on this final race of the season. I am especially sorry for my team, who have worked so hard this season. I would also like to apologise to Honda and the sponsors of the team. I wanted to race but, after I spoke with doctors and the team, we decided that it was not possible.”
Matthieu Lagrive: “I’m not so happy with my today results and I’m just a little disappointed because of my two bad starts. In both races I suffered the same problems we endured during the full weekend and the feeling with my bike was not so good. In race one I was able to overtake a lot of riders despite some grip lacking on my rear tyre. In race two in middle of the race I fought in a group of riders and I worked hard to make some passes.”
WSS Rider Comments
Eugene Laverty: “Pole position and a win but Lascorz took the lap record from me, which wasn’t very considerate of him! But that was a perfect race other wise. Right from the beginning I got a gap over Kenan and was able to maintain that. I was looking at his pit board too and he had six seconds over the rider behind and I thought he would let up, but he never did. I was able to ride within myself and take the win, and the test we did last week really helped us. I didn’t think when I came into the championship would could compete for the title, but I ended up only a few points from the championship win.”
Kenan Sofuoglu: “My first goal this weekend was to stay in third place in the championship and that was safe when Lascorz stopped. But he stopped right in front of me and I lost the connection with Eugene, even though I managed to catch him a bit near the end, but it was too late. It’s been a tough season but my goal will be to come back strong next year. The bike is ready to win the championship again and that’s what we will be working for.”
Andrew Pitt: “We changed the bike setting for the race but went the wrong way and ended up fighting a front-end problem we’ve had all weekend, and a lot of the season – the bike just not turning. I’d like to thank the crew for all the efforts they’ve made all year to turn things around, but I guess it just hasn’t been our year. I would also like to pay tribute to Kenan, who has been a great guy to have as a team-mate.”
Miguel Praia: “Not the result I wanted at my home round but my start did not go well, I lost a couple of places and it is hard to overtake here. I would overtake riders and then go wide again, so I passed and was re-passed. We got another top ten finish but the competition was very strong today.”
Mark Aitchison: “Today the race for me was not so bad and at the end the result was quite good, but in the beginning I suffered some problems with the gearbox. I hit a false neutral on two occasions and unfortunately I lost a lot of time because of that. In general I’m happy with my racing season and I want to thank all the team for their hard work and also to my sponsor for their assistance.”
Flavio Gentile: “Starting from twenty-third place on the grid was always going to be difficult. I cannot say that I am happy with the result, but I have to be satisfied after the troubles we have had this weekend. Portimao was a new circuit for me to learn and we found it difficult to obtain a good setting for the bike.”
— Ducati
A bittersweet finale for Noriyuki Haga and the Ducati Xerox Team today when they lost the World Superbike riders title by just six points, after the Japanese rider crashed out of Race 1, to then finish on the podium, second, in Race 2. Already winners in the constructors championship, the Ducati factory team fought until the final lap of this last race but unfortunately they couldn’t do enough and it was Yamaha’s Spies who lifted the trophy. Michel Fabrizio, fifth in the first race, made a great recovery from eleventh position at the start of Race 2, to eventually win the race ahead of his team-mate, thus consolidating his third position in the final championship standings.
Race 1 did not go at all to plan for the Ducati Xerox Team. Japanese rider Noriyuki made up three positions with a strong start, progressing immediately up to seventh place, from where, in the space of four laps, he was able to catch up to both Haslam and Byrne. In the course of the fifth lap, Haga, followed by his team-mate Michel, was able to pass Haslam but unfortunately on the very next lap Haga unfortunately lost control of his Ducati 1198 and fell going into a corner, unable to restart his machine to continue the race. Michel, registered the fastest lap of the race before witnessing Nori’s accident from behind. He then maintained his fifth position for the remainder of the race, suffering from a lack of rear grip from the fourteenth lap onwards which meant he was unable to make up time to catch the leading pack.
In the second race, having changed both his bike and the tyres, Noriyuki made a better start and after two laps was positioned fifth. A couple of laps later Michel passed him, aiming to catch Byrne and Rea up ahead. Fighting the two British riders for several laps, the Italian finally got ahead of both of them during lap thirteen, only to lose the lead once more to Rea a few laps later. Haga in the meantime caught the leading group, passing both Biaggi and Byrne to move up to third position. An error by Rea during the very last lap allowed both Ducati Xerox riders through and Michel and Noriyuki thus closed in first and second, another double win for the team at this final event of 2009.
During the 2009 season, Noriyuki Haga has achieved an impressive collection of 8 race wins, including 2 double wins, in Valencia and Kyalami, and 19 podiums in all. Michel clocked up 15 podiums, 3 of which were race wins, and together the two riders have amassed a total of 838 points. Ducati has won the constructors title with an advantage of 67 points over second-placed Yamaha.
Noriyuki Haga (2nd in classification, 456 points)
“All weekend I have had problems with the set up of the bike, mainly with the tyres that didn’t give me total confidence. Usually we have a package that works well at every track and here too we didn’t change so much with regard to the setting, only really tyres. In Race 1 we mounted two hard tyres and they didn’t perform as we’d hoped, they didn’t give me the necessary grip so it was hard to brake and unfortunately I fell even though I wasn’t pushing so hard. We changed bikes for Race 2, just to be sure, as well as changing tyres of course. This time I had more grip and was able to make a good race. Unfortunately second in the race was not enough to take the title and it’s a real pity, but I must say that I have had a great first year with this fantastic team that always provides me with a good bike. I thank my whole technical team, Ducati, the sponsors and the Clinica Mobile who have taken good care of me throughout the season. My compliments go to Ben who has been such a strong rival this year and even though he is going to MotoGP next year, I am sure we will remain friends. This week we’ll start testing in preparation for next year. This year was a new adventure with Ducati and we’ll continue to give 100% in 2010.”
Michel Fabrizio (3rd in classification, 382 points)
“The first race was very difficult. I didn’t make the best start but immediately started to push to make up time. Then, following behind Nori, I lost concentration for a minute when I saw him go down. I then tried to catch the leading group but I didn’t have great feeling with the front tyre and then, about eight laps from the end, the rear tyre started to drop off too. In Race 2 on the other hand I was able to fight hard against Rea. The last time we raced together, at Misano, he got past me so it was my turn to do the same to him today. It was only for the fact that Rea made a mistake on the last lap that I was able to pass him as he was very strong today. I am very sorry for Nori of course but we demonstrated that we are strong and, for me, both Ben and Nori are winners because they have given us a fantastic season’s racing, fighting until the very end for the title.
— Suzuki
New Alstare Suzuki rider Sylvain Guintoli raced to 10th place in the second race at today’s World Superbike 14th round at Portimao in Portugal after failing to finish the opening leg.
Both he and team mate Yukio Kagayama were forced to pull out of race one due to technical issues and in Kagayama’s case, being hit from behind, before both bounced back to take 10th and 11th places respectively in the second leg.
Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) had a 15-point point lead over Ben Spies (Yamaha) before today’s title showdown, but that evaporated when he crashed out after just six laps of the first race. Spies won the race, with Jonathan Rea (Honda) second and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third, giving Spies a 15 point lead going into the final race of the year. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) won the second race, with Haga second and Rea third, but Spies took fifth place to take the title by just six points.
Sylvain Guintoli – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 10th: “Generally, this has been a great learning experience and I am very happy how it has all gone. The team and I gelled right from the start and we have worked together very well this weekend and that’s good news for the future. I had a technical problem in race one and had to pull out of the race. So, I was so happy to finish race two, be ahead of Yukio and get a top-10 result. This series is tough for sure, but I am really looking forward to the challenge and fighting all these guys. This weekend was no pressure for me and I enjoyed myself on this track. I am looking forward to the tests here on Tuesday and Wednesday and getting to understand the bike more and more. ”
Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 11th: “I am angry about my last race with this great team because it did not go as I wanted. On the first lap of the first race I was hit from behind by Camier and that caused me to crash. He must have missed his braking point by a long way, but the really bad thing is that he kept upright and carried on to finish the race, whereas I was down in the gravel. That was not a good start to the day and I came back to the pits feeling very angry. After the second race, he came to see me and he apologised for hitting me, so then I did not feel so bad. My bike was too badly damaged to use in race two, so I had to use my spare bike instead. This bike had a different set-up and was more aggressive to ride, so it was not easy to push it hard. I think this bike had a different engine character and it was just not as rideable as my number one bike. I did my best, but I ended 11th and that did not make me feel happy.
“I am sad because this is my last race with the team and we have had many good times together, especially in my first year with them in 2005. Some mechanics have changed from my team to my team mate’s team, but most of the mechanics have worked with me at some stage and that makes it feel like a big family. I want to thank Francis Batta, Patricia, the whole team and everybody concerned for all their hard work and support during these five years. I will miss them all, but maybe I will get a wild card ride in England next year and see everybody again. Once again, many thanks to everybody.”
— BMW
Despite bad luck in Portimao today, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport are more than happy with their first year in the Superbike World Championship and are already looking forward to 2010. The team always knew that this year was going to be hard, but Troy, Ruben and the whole team have performed better than many expected in their first year of World Superbike competition, taking seventeen top finishes during the season. The bad luck today, once again befell Ruben Xaus. He was behind Carlos Checa (Honda) in race two, when Checa’s engine blew up and showered the front of Ruben’s bike with oil. Ruben saw the oil, but there was no time to take avoiding action and he was highsided between turns one and two, breaking his right leg in the process. Ruben had only recently come back from injury, so today’s accident was a hard blow for him and the team, but despite that he was soon back in the garage smiling and telling the team how much the bike has improved.
Troy also had some bad luck today in race one, when a severe case of chattering forced him to pull into the pits and change the rear tyre. He later returned to the pits and changed the front tyre, but the problem persisted and he was unable to get into the points.
American Ben Spies (Yamaha) won the first race and, with previous championship leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) crashing out, went into race two with a healthy 15-point series lead. Second was Jonathan Rea (Honda), with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) third. Race two was won by Michel Fabrizio (Ducati), and although Haga was second, Spies took fifth place and, with it, the 2009 World Superbike Championship title.
Troy – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 9th
I had a big problem with chattering in the first race and pitted twice to change first the rear tyre and then again to change the front. However, the problem carried on, so I just had to keep going as best I could to give some info to the engineers. We’re not actually sure if it was a problem with the tyres or something else, but no doubt the guys will look at all the data and sort it out. I used my number two bike for the second race and it had only done a handful of laps so I wasn’t as familiar with it as my number one bike. It felt OK up until about half race distance, but then the grip went and the bike started spinning quite a bit. I couldn’t get enough forward push without it spinning and that prevented me from pushing any harder. There are some areas we need to work on, but it’s hard trying different things during a race weekend when you also have to qualify well. Some of the problems only happen after a tyre has done 12-15 laps and we don’t often do long runs in practice because we are trying to get a good bike set-up. Today has been a bit frustrating because the bike is improving, but sometimes it improves and then we get a new problem to solve. We just need more time on the bike and more laps, but I really feel that the bike has the potential to be a contender and I am keen to work hard with the team and make that happen.
Ruben – Race 1: 8th, DNF
Just an unlucky day for me, or maybe it has been an unlucky season. Checa’s bike blew up and covered the front of my bike with oil and obviously some of it went on to the front tyre. That caused the crash, so I am happy that the crash wasn’t my fault, but I am unhappy with the result. This season has been hard for us all, but we knew that before the start and it is thanks to all the hard work everybody has put in that we have had so many top ten finishes. Considering that this is our first season, I think we should be happy about what we have achieved so far – and there’s much more to come, I’m sure of it. The bike has improved since the last time I rode it and that makes me eager to find out how much more I can push it. The team are fantastic and the team spirit has been superb right from the start. It’s not nice ending the season with a broken leg, but there was nothing I could do about the crash and I prefer to think about the potential of the bike and working with Troy and the rest of the team to put it on the podium.
Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director)
The season has been a long, hard one, but the time has gone very quickly and I am surprised that we have now come to the end. It has been a wonderful experience and one of the most exciting years of my life. I’m sorry about the stupid crash that caused Ruben to break his leg, but these things happen in racing and it was good to see him back in our pits chatting away to the team about how the bike is right now, instead of talking about his injury. We managed seventeen top ten finishes this year and I think you can say that is ‘mission accomplished’. We’ve had ups and downs and have not been far off the podium at times and that is a testament to the potential of the bike. We know we have to improve in some areas and I can assure you that this will happen before next season begins. This is our ‘rookie’ year and I think the whole team can feel happy and proud about our first season. I would like to thank Troy, Ruben, all the mechanics, engineers, InFront, Pirelli, all the background staff, and all our sponsors for all their hard work and support in a great first season. I would also like to congratulate Ben Spies and Yamaha for taking the world title this year. Spies has shown what a class act he is and his team have supported him well throughout the season and they deserve the title. Final thanks also, to all our competitors this year, for making our life difficult, but also for making us work harder and keep improving. See you all next year!
— PBM Kawasaki
In their final rides for the Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team, Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada posted their best cumulative score of any race meeting this season together when they contested the final round of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship at Portimao in Portugal today.
Following on from a contrasting qualifying session, which saw 32 year old Japanese Tamada claim 15th on the grid, three places ahead of disappointed 27 year old Aussie Parkes, the pair were hoping for a decent showing on their final outing for the Paul Bird Motorsport Team-run supercasino.com, Vent-Axia, Kick Energy and Henleys-backed Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10Rs.
In race one, the pair battled hard and helped by a high attrition rate, Parkes crossed the line in 11th place, one place ahead of his team-mate after 22 laps of the tortuous 4.5km Algarve track, despite tyre problems as the race progressed.
Race two saw both riders in green make disastrous starts but with refreshing tenacity, Parkes clawed his way up to 12th at the flag with Tamada missing out on a point by finishing in 16th place.
Whereas in Miller, stand-in rider Jamie Hacking combined with Parkes to score 14 points from the two races but the tally of 13 points from a single race weekend at Portimao marked the best performance of the two regular riders, Parkes and Tamada.
After a difficult debut season, Parkes ended up 18th in the series with a total of 51 points, scoring in 15 of the 28 races whereas Tamada’s season was blighted by injury, him finishing 27th in the standings with just 12 points from three points scoring rides.
Parkes’ best result was a hat trick of tenth places (Valencia, Monza and Imola) with Tamada’s best result also being tenth in Brno. Hacking’s seventh place finish at his home round in Miller was the team’s best result of the season and Kawasaki’s best result since Regis Laconi’s sixth place finish in 2007 at Lausitzring. Kawasaki’s final placing in the Manufacturers’ standings was 7th with 72 points.
Broc Parkes: “In the first race we didn’t have much grip from the start so I couldn’t do much to push into the top ten but I had some good battles and was happy enough to finish in eleventh with some solid points. In the second race I felt the bike was better and we had more grip with more consistent lap times but the best I could do was twelfth. I felt that we’ve hit a bit of a wall towards the end of the season as we’ve had a couple of hard races but I feel the bike will get better and better with testing. Obviously I’m disappointed that I can’t help with the development but I’d like to thank the team for their hard work and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of 2009 and I hope I can remain in this paddock for 2010.”
Makoto Tamada: “I didn’t have very good starts today so it made it a little more difficult to make passes and move ahead but I was genuinely happy that I could finish both races which is the first time this year aside from Phillip Island. The bike feeling was better in the second race than the first but I had a very bad start and had to move from last place to 16th and this was the best I could do. It has been a very difficult year for me with injuries and bad luck but the team have done a great job and I hope they continue to progress. As for my future I am still looking but I hope to remain in this paddock for next year.”
Paul Risbridger, Team Manager: “It’s a positive end of season for the team and it was good to see the bike working well at this circuit and although our qualifying could have been better we still managed good race pace and both riders finishing in the points was a bonus. To the team’s credit we had consistent and reliable bikes this weekend but two, top ten finishes would have been great. Our thoughts now move to 2010 and our winter testing programme, we’re looking forward to further development with the ZX-10R and the challenges ahead. Finally I’d like to thank both Broc and Makoto for their commitment this year and wish them the very best of luck for their future plans.”
— Triumph
ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing ended the World Supersport Championship on the podium.
Garry McCoy confirmed, after Valentino Rossi, that “Old hens make the best soup”.
The Australian took third place, as he did at Donington, after a brilliant race during which he fought and defeated the new World Champion Cal Crutchlow after a great battle.
The second podium in Triumph’s history in World Supersport has a special meaning and is the perfect ending of a fantastic season for Giuliano Rovelli’s BE1 team.
Chaz Davies rode a positive race as well, as he finished seventh after fixing the issues that slowed him down in practice and scored another great result, after the fourth place at Imola.
Thanks to this excellent season finale, ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Racing climbed up two spots in the manufacturers’ standings where they finished fifth, while Garry McCoy finished eighth in the riders’ standings.
GARRY McCOY | Triumph Daytona 675 | 3rd: “I’m really happy to have ended the season in style, with a second podium result in the team’s young history. We did a great job this weekend, the bike was just perfect so I could give 100%. I got a good start and I was fifth at the end of the first lap, and I kept that position into the fourth, when Lascorz, who was in front of me, crashed. I then overtook Crutchlow after three more laps. He was really close behind me for a while then I opened a gap between the two of us of about two seconds and kept it until the chequered flag. I want to thank the entire team for a great job done this season. We got better everytime and we did all this together despite the fact that not some many people thought that was possible”.
CHAZ DAVIES | Triumph Daytona 675 | 7th: “I’m really grateful to Giuliano who gave me the opportunity to race in World Supersport. I rode only three races but I believe I did well although I know I can definitely improve, especially in qualifying practice. I got a good start today, I engaged in a nice duel with Foret and overtook Veneman by the end and finished seventh”.
GIULIANO ROVELLI – TEAM MANAGER: “It was a fantastic way of ending the season: with a podium. We worked hard, we improved the bike so much that we got twice on the podium and scored many great results as well. I have to thank Garry McCoy who proved that the entire squad lead by Lucio Nicastro did a marvellous job. I’m also happy with Chaz Davies’ performance who scored two great results without even knowing the tracks but did very well on his Triumph Daytona 675. These results repay us for the efforts we have made and motivates Triumph to continue and hopefully you’ll se us again in 2010, when we should set even higher goals”.
— Minor Classes
Superstock 1000
Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox) crowned the title he won at Magny-Cours in the best possible way by going on to take a dominant win in the final round at Portimao. For the Belgian rider, who has always been on the podium this year, it was the fifth win in ten races, a clear sign of his supremacy and that of Ducati, winners of the last three titles. Claudio Corti (Suzuki Alstare) did everything possible to keep up with the pace of the new champion, before settling for second place a couple of laps from the end. Third went to Javi Fores (Kawasaki Pedercini), who beat off René Mahr (TKR Suzuki) in a sprint finish. Poleman Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda) made an early mistake and was unable to recover, but he did finish ahead of fellow Frenchmen Loris Baz (MRS Yamaha) and Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Yamaha). It was a race to forget for Daniele Beretta (Ducati Xerox), who crashed in the early laps and was unable to hold on to his fifth place in the championship.
Results: 1. Simeon X. (BEL) Ducati 1098R 21’26.494 (154,198 kph); 2. Corti C. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 3.594; 3. Fores J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 4.566; 4. Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 4.779; 5. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 11.496; 6. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 12.115; 7. Barrier S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 12.166; 8. Jezek O. (CZE) Honda CBR1000RR 16.196
Final points: 1. Simeon 225; 2. Corti 168; 3. Berger 138; 4. Fores 132; 5. Barrier 92; 6. Beretta 85; 7. Jesek 76; 8. Baz 61; 9. Mahr 48; 10. Giugliano 43. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 225: 2. Honda 172; 3. Suzuki 170; 4. Kawasaki 132; 5. Yamaha 126; 6. Mv Agusta 26; 7. Aprilia 15
Superstock 600
The European Superstock 600 Championship battle had a terrific ending as Britain’s Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda) scored a third place finish in the race to take the title by just one point from Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno), winner today ahead of Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha), who finished third overall in the standings. The race revolved around the duel between these three riders, who repeatedly exchanged positions and the result went right down to the line. Danilo Petrucci (Yamaha Trasimeno) was immediately out of the equation as he lost touch with the leading trio, while poleman Eddi La Marra (Honda Lorini) crashed on the sighting lap before taking his place on the grid.
Results: 1. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 18’07.948 (151,948 kph); 2. Lonbois V. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 0.455; 3. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 0.507; 4. Karlsen F. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R6 12.942; 5. Petrucci D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 13.069; 6. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 13.304; 7. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 13.314; 8. Morelli N. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 13.630
Points: 1. Rea 154; 2. Bussolotti 153; 3. Lonbois 151; 4. Petrucci 146; 5. La Marra 104; 6. Guarnoni 104; 7. Guittet 78: 8. Kerschbaumer 76; 9. Karlsen 43; 10. Morelli 42