SBK Race 1
Leon Haslam wins maiden world superbike race
History was created early this afternoon when Briton Leon Haslam held off Italian Michel Fabrizio in a thrilling finish to the opening world superbike race at Phillip Island.
Haslam, who started from pole position, was stalked all the way by Fabrizio and Japan’s Noriyuki Haga (Ducati), but was seemingly on track for a flawless victory before running wide at Turn 10 on the final lap.
That intensified the battle between him and Fabrizio, but the 26-year-old managed to hold on and win by the barest margin in world superbike history – 0.004secs.
Previously, the closest finish was Carl Fogarty’s 0.005sec victory over Colin Edwards at the Italian circuit of Monza in 1999.
Haslam is now the 10th Briton to win a WSBK race, and it was Suzuki’s first victory since 2008.
Haga, who was racing under some duress after a high speed crash in this morning’s warm-up session, completed the 22-lapper in third, with Honda’s Jonathan Rea (Honda) coming out on top of a pulsating multi-rider scrum for fourth position ahead of Max Biaggi (Aprilia), Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki) and Carlos Checa (Ducati).
Troy Corser was a solid ninth on his BMW, with fellow Australians Andrew Pitt (BMW) and Josh Brookes (Honda) 15th and 19th respectively.
Queenslander Chris Vermeulen crashed out of the race on lap four after losing the front-end of his Kawasaki at Turn Four.
Other riders to hit the ground included Yamaha duo James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow, with the former suffering a nasty highside at Turn Nine.
— Race One Interviews – 1st Haslam – 2nd Fabrizio – 3rd Haga
— World Superposrt
Irishman Eugene Laverty (Honda) has waltzed to a crushing victory in the opening round of the Supersport World Championship at Phillip Island.
Laverty’s 21-lap blitz saw him claim a start to finish 4.359sec victory over Kawasaki’s Joan Lascorz, with 2007 world champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) claiming the final spot on the podium.
Japan’s Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) was also heavily involved in the stirring battle for second, but crashed at Turn Four with two laps to go. He remounted to finish the race in 11th, with four riders still behind him.
But Laverty certainly didn’t make any mistakes, and if he wasn’t already the championship favourite before today, his irresistible form in the season-opener has now made sure of it.
David Salom (Triumph) and Fabien Foret (Kawasaki) completed today’s top five, with 15 riders completing the distance.
Australia isn’t represented in this year’s World Supersport title.
— SBK Race Two
Spain’s Carlos Checa (Ducati) has become the first privateer to win a world superbike race since 2008 with a vintage performance in race two at Phillip Island this afternoon.
The former 500cc grand prix winner timed his run to perfection, passing race one winner Leon Haslam (Suzuki) with only two corners to go, and then valiantly holding off his rival to the chequered flag.
Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) was a close third from Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli in another signature Phillip Island blanket finish, while Troy Corser (BMW) was the best of the Australians in seventh.
Queenslander Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki) wasn’t so fortunate, crashing hard at Turn Nine and bruising his left hip. He also fell off in race one.
The victory was Checa’s third in WSBK since he switched over to the production bike-based championship in 2008.
That was also the last year that a privateer managed to rise above the factory presence in WSBK, when Ruben Xaus won on a Ducati at Misano.
After a slow start from the front row of the grid, Checa finally joined the front-running quartet of Haslam, Fabrizio, Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) and Guintoli about half race distance, and from there it was a matter of jockeying for position in preparation for the final frantic run home.
Haga eventually dropped off the pace to finish fifth, and just 0.837secs separated the top four at the end of the 22-lapper.
Jonathan Rea (Honda) was sixth, forced to slice his way back through the pack after running off at Turn Four on lap one, with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) finishing behind Corser in eighth.
Australians Josh Brookes (Honda) and Andrew Pitt (BMW) were 14th and 15th.
After round one of 13, Haslam leads the championship on 45pts from Fabrizio (36), Checa (34), Haga (27), Guintoli (23) and Rea (23). Corser is eighth on 16pts, while Vermeulen will have to wait until round two in Portugal on March 28 to open his account.
— Crowd Figures were similar to 2009 on Friday and Sunday but Saturday crowd was down around 20%.
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— Ducati Report
The crowds at Phillip Island were today treated to two spectacular Superbike races, the first of which resulted in the closest ever finish in Superbike history, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) crossing the line just 0.004 of a second behind Leon Haslam on the Suzuki. Less than a second behind Michel, in third place, was his team-mate Noriyuki Haga. Race 2 was also extremely hard fought and some very close racing which made for great viewing saw Michel battle his way to a third place finish with Nori just behind him in fifth.
This morning’s warm-up passed without incident for Michel, who registered the fourth fastest lap time but unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for his team-mate Noriyuki, victim of a 250 km/hour crash on entering in the first corner after being knocked from his 1198 by Xaus. The doctors of the circuit’s medical centre declared him fit to ride, although the Japanese rider had suffered some bruising to his back, as well as a severe blow to the right forearm which swelled to such an extent as to require an pain-relief injection before the race.
Despite the difficulties in warm-up, race 1 began very well for both Ducati Xerox riders, Michel holding second position and Noriyuki, fast as lightning in his start, making up several position, to rocket from tenth to third position through the first corners. Right from the second lap the gap between the leaders, Haslam, Fabrizio and Haga, and the chasing pack, led by Jonathan Rea, began to increase and by mid-race the top three had built a five second advantage over fourth placed Rea. In the final four laps Michel tried to find a way past the young Briton but it was not to be and a final charge to the finish line led to a photo finish, with the result being declared the closest ever finish in a Superbike race. Michel crossed the line a mere four thousandths of a second after Haslam, with Haga following less than a second behind to snatch the third spot on the podium.
Race 2 began in exactly the same way as the first, with Haslam, Fabrizio and Haga again off the line quickest to take an immediate lead. Haslam’s team-mate Sylvain Guintoli soon joined the fray, as did Carlos Checa mid-race, and a five-way battle for supremacy ensued. Nori, still suffering after the earlier crash, could not keep pace with the other four but held fifth position, taking home important points in the process. Checa, on board Althea Racing’s Ducati 1198, waited until the last lap before passing both Fabrizio and Haslam to take the lead, leaving the Italian and the Briton to battle it out for second.
A very strong start for the Ducati Xerox Team as far as the championship standings are concerned, Michel in second position with 36 points, Nori fourth with 27 and their combined performances today putting Ducati in joint first place with Suzuki in the manufacturers classification.
Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – 2nd , Race 2 -3rd)
“I had a great battle with Leon in Race 1. In the last four laps I tried to understand where I could attempt to get past him but it wasn’t easy so I pushed on right to the finish line and, to tell the truth, I thought I’d done enough! Leon and I were right there together as we crossed the line, and on the big screen I could see my wife celebrating in the box – but the result was decided by the photo finish and I had to settle for 20 points this time. The great thing about the Superbike championship however is that there are two races…. My team did not make any changes to the bike before the second race and I was again able to make a good start but it was a very difficult race. I stayed there with the leading pack but I realized it would be very hard to win, and in the last four laps it became more difficult to fight. I am very happy with today’s results, which put me in second place on the leaderboard after round 1. It will be a very long and challenging season but we’ve made a good start today.”
Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 – 3rd , Race 2 – 5th)
“My result in Race 1 was really good as far as I’m concerned as I had had a crash during the warm-up and suffered from a bit of arm-pump during the race. I was confident that I could make a good start from 10th position and I did so and then I tried to keep up with Michel and Leon but my arm led me to make a few small mistakes. Anyway I really enjoyed the race and the points I made in the race are definitely a good start for the championship. In the second race my arm played up more and it became harder to brake, I felt very tired physically. But all in all, with regard to the classification and bearing in mind this morning’s accident, it didn’t go too badly; I finished third and fifth and we take home some good points.”
— Althea Ducati
Cloudy sky and dry truck today in Phillip Island for the first World Superbike races of the season. The Althea racing team riders worked on the last minute adjustments of their Ducati 1198 bikes during the morning warm up, in order to be ready for the two 22-laps Superbike races. Due to yesterday Superpole upshots, today Carlos Checa lined up from the first row and Shakey Byrne from the fifth.
In race one not a good start for Checa. The Spanish riders did not take advantage from his start from the first row of the grid. In the first few laps Checa was sixth and teammate Shakey, after quite a quick start, was seventeenth. Near to the middle of the race Checa was battling for fourth in a group of six riders while Byrne made up several places up to fourteenth.
Checa ended the first race in seventh place and Byrne obtained the fourteenth position. Also in race two Carlos did not start quickly from the first row, ending the first lap in eighth place. Fifteenth place for Byrne in the first few laps. As the race proceed Checa was able to recover some position and near to the middle of the race he reached the first group of riders in fifth place.
Also Byrne recovered quickly and in a few laps he was up tenth position, but caught up in the third group of riders, he was unable to make much progress and concluded in twelfth place. With few laps to go Checa moved up to fourth position and with some incredible overtaking he worked his way up through the field to pass Guintoli, Fabrizio and Haslam to take the lead on the very last lap snatching an extraordinary first victory for Althea racing team.
Carlos Checa :”The second race was perfect. In race one we chose a tyre that was perhaps too hard for the conditions and I found it hard to brake. In race two we selected a better tyre and I could brake much more strongly, I also had a very good pace and was able to pass riders fairly easily. My style of riding actually seemed to mean that tyre wear was less of a problem for me than for some other riders. By the last lap I was up in second and I could finally get pass Haslam. I wanted to pass him earlier but it was impossible and he didn’t leave me space to pass until the very end. I am of course extremely happy with the result, it is my first race with the Althea team and on the Ducati 1198 and we have a good package with which to fight this season. My thanks go to the entire team for their hard work and dedication.”
Shane Byrne :” The first race I made it was very difficult for myself, I knew I had to make as many passes as possible to get near the front. I pushed to pass Guintoli and Sykes and couldn’t make it, so had to go straight. A small problem with the rear brake and it was hard to turn, but anyway I recovered and had good rhythm so I was happy with it, though not so happy with the result. The first thing to say about race two is congratulations to Carlos and to the whole team for the win. Genesio and the team have put together a very competitive machine. There are too many fast riders to be able to start from 18th and expect a good finish, but I got up as far as about tenth place which wasn’t so bad, having been caught up in battles with several riders. Today we have seen that there are many riders that can fight for race wins, the level of riding is very good. We go home and concentrate on preparations for Portimao.”
Genesio Bevilacqua – General manager :”What can I say? An incredible day. It’s the first round of the season and as a team we were well prepared but we didn’t expect a Carlos Checa in such amazing form today. It’s difficult to win a race at this level and we are extremely satisfied. We worked very hard over recent months to be ready for this weekend, during testing, and so this is an amazing result. Shakey was unfortunately not in perfect shape after the earlier crash but he made good pace in race two and we look forward to Portimao where we know he can be strong. Particular thanks goes to Ducati as it is due to their support that we are here today and celebrating this success. Thanks also to the whole team as their hard work over recent months had led to this incredible result today.”
— Yamaha Report
Challenging start to the season for Yamaha Sterilgarda at Phillip Island
It wasn’t an easy start for Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland today at the season opening race in Phillip Island Australia. Race one saw both riders crash out, Crutchlow losing the front having run wide on onto a dirty section of track on lap two and Toseland highsiding on the fifth lap.
Race two saw a fiercely contested battle for points with both riders fighting off riders including Biaggi, Corser and others to stay within the top ten. Combined with a less than perfect set up on both bikes and struggling for grip the riders put in an incredible ride to bring their bikes home in the points, Crutchlow in ninth and Toseland tenth.
Crutchlow moves on to round two in Portimao in 12th position in the championship on seven points, team-mate Toseland sits just behind in 13th with six points.
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (DNF, 9th)
“Race one was unfortunate, I felt we had good pace and were running up in the top five quite comfortably, I just made a little mistake. I was a bit better than Rea into the hairpin so had to run wide to avoid him and lost the front on the dirt. The second race was hard, I felt like I had no grip from the start and still some chattering. If we had better grip we could have pulled more out of it. We need to go back to the drawing board and work some stuff out.”
James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (DNF, 10th)
“I really needed to finish the second race after the crash in the first. To only finish 14 seconds from the front with the issues we’ve had this weekend is not so bad. I was really disappointed with the first race, with my injury on Friday I wanted to have two good finishes today. Full credit to the team they’ve tried so hard but unfortunately we haven’t had the software here to solve the issue. We know what the problem is and I’ve given enough feedback and input to give the guys a direction to go in. We’ve got a lot of work to do, no doubt, but even with all the problems we’re not actually that far away. The package, the power, the balance and the suspension have come on leaps and bounds. On to Portimao now, it’s a long season so we can do it.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“It was definitely a really tough weekend for us. We solved some problems, and some we still have to work on. As we spent the two day test and the first day of the race weekend resolving the chatter issue, qualifying and race day was our first opportunity to really test the 2010 bike set up. We’ve seen that we have the potential to do well so we will go home and start working on the solutions to be ready to fight for the Portimao races. The team have worked really hard over the last few days to try and solve the issues and both Cal and James have given 100% to meet the challenges.”
— BMW Report
A good end of a tough start at the 2010 Superbike World Championship season opener for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport: While Ruben Xaus (ESP) did not race today, Troy Corser (AUS) finished twice in the top ten.
Warm Up: Ruben collided with Ducati Xerox Team rider Noriyuki Haga (JPN) just before turn 1. Luckily, neither of the riders suffered any serious injuries. However, Ruben felt disoriented after the collision. After consultation with team doctor Dr. Vincenzo Tota and the team management, Ruben decided not to participate in today’s races.
Race 1: Troy started well into the race, moving up six positions from 13th to 7th . The Australian ended up in 9th position, while Leon Haslam (GBR, Team Suzuki Alstare) won the race in a photo finish four thousands of a second in front of Italian Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team).
Race 2: At the start, Troy tried to ride on the outside of turn 1, but had to go wide in order not to touch the competitor in front. Troy finished the race in 6th position. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) won the race.
Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Result Race 1: 9th , Gap to 1st: 00:20.291 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:32.820 min
Result Race 2: 6th , Gap to 1st: 00:12.026 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:32.256 min
“I had a good start in the first race and gained a couple of positions. Unfortunately the tyre dropped quite quickly, and I was unable to push as much as I wanted but it was still a good result. We changed the position of the bike a little bit before the start of the second race and things were a lot better. The grip was a lot better immediately, and it was easier to do consistent lap times. I was able to push and fight in the second race like I wanted to in race 1. I had to work really hard to pass James Toseland towards the end of race 2 but I did and managed to pull away slightly. Overall, we can be happy with what we achieved here today at Phillip Island.”
Ruben Xaus: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR – Results Races: Did not start.
“During Warm Up, when I was behind Nori just before turn 2, I felt aspiration. When you hit the brake there, normally you have head wind from the sea. This time I was unable to avoid him and hit his bike. This weekend things went completely wrong. I feel sorry for Nori, for my team and for BMW, as I was not able to manage the situation well over the course of the weekend. I now have to recover.”
Berthold Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director): “The weekend was like a roller coaster. We had a lot of difficulties to fight with: We had to manage the pressure on the team, we faced some technical issues and of course I feel sorry for Ruben who decided not to race due to his crash in today’s Warm Up session. However, the team kept focussed and did a fantastic job. We are definitely closer to the top teams than last year. Thanks to everybody in the team, and thanks to Troy who had a great race in race 2. We can now travel back to Europe with our heads held high. Also congratulations to Reitwagen Racing who did a really good job this weekend.
— Suzuki Report
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam recorded his first ever World Superbike win in the first race of this year’s Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island today.
He led the race from start to finish and took the flag, just 4000ths-of-a-second ahead of Michel Fabrizio (Ducati).
He and his Suzuki Alstare team mate Sylvain Guintoli then disputed the lead for most of the second race, but Haslam’s dreams of a double were dashed right at the death by Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati). Nevertheless, his tremendous win in race one and runner-up spot in the second puts him on the very top of the Superbike World Championship, nine points ahead of his nearest rival.
Also encouraging for the team was Guintoli’s ability to run at the front and be in contention: The Frenchman led his team mate eight laps out of 22 and did not look out of place at all. This was his first race of the year, on the new 2010 GSX-R1000 bike, with a new team, but he also showed that he too will be a force to be reckoned with this year. Although he missed out on the podium, he did receive a trophy – for the fastest lap of race two – so he did not leave Phillip Island empty handed.
Leon Haslam – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 2nd:
“I am so happy to get my first WSBK win and it feels great! I want to thank the team and all the staff back at the workshop for all their support and hard work and I’d also like to thank Francis and Patricia Batta for having faith in me.
“The first race was such hard work and it was impossible to relax for a second. I knew that I had Michel and Nori breathing down my neck, but I just kept concentrating on my lines and my braking points and tried to hold them off. I realised that Michel was in my wheeltracks going into the last turn and would try and use the draft to get past me, but I kept my head down and charged to the flag. At the end, I didn’t know if I’d won or not, but when I realised that I had, I was so unbelievably happy and it was such a fantastic feeling. All weekend I knew that a win was possible, but thinking about and it happening are two different things.
“In race two, I had some problems with rear traction but I still thought I could win. I had a great fight with Sylvain and when I finally got ahead of him and made it stick, I thought he might act as a buffer between me and the rest. Then suddenly, Carlos was there. He dived under me just three corners from the end, on the last lap. I tried to get it back, but he managed to hold me off and take the flag. But it feels good to take a win and a second in my first race with the team and it feels fantastic to be leading the Superbike World Championship.”
Sylvain Guintoli – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 4th:
“I have really enjoyed today and it’s been great fun. I can’t remember the last time I was leading a World Championship race, so to lead quite a lot of race two was a great feeling and now I want to do it again. When I was in front, I felt comfortable and I knew I could keep up a good pace. Everything felt very smooth and it was all going to plan until I made a small mistake and Leon and then Carlos went through. Carlos and I touched in turn 8 when my elbow was in contact with his front wheel and then I tried a bit too hard to get back straightaway when perhaps I should’ve been a bit more patient and that’s where I lost ground.
“I could’ve made a better result in the first race if I hadn’t had such a bad start. My pace was good, but I was too far off the leaders, but I am learning about WSBK race pace and also the fact that the races are longer than what I have been used to. I am very happy with all the work we’ve done and am enjoying riding this bike so much. It was nice to get a trophy for the fastest lllap in race two and I hope that it will just be the start of many to come. I am looking forward to Portimao and my next trophy.”
— Ten Kate
Jonathan Rea took fourth and sixth place finishes in today’s two World Superbike championship races at Phillip Island in Australia, as Leon Haslam and Carlos Checa took the wins.
After struggling to find the right set-up for the fast 4.445km circuit, Rea started both 22-lappers from the second row, moving up to fourth place in race one. The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland fought off the advances of Max Biaggi to cross the line in fourth.
Rea began race two in similar vein after his crew made some changes to the front of his CBR1000RR Fireblade. However, a mistake at turn four on the opening lap left him on the grass and Rea rejoined in last place before fighting his way back through the field.
His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, was relatively satisfied with 12th place in race one, having experienced problems during qualifying which resulted in 17th place on the starting grid.
The German also ran on at turn four in the second outing but was unable to make up enough places to get back into the points, eventually finishing in 16th place.
Jonathan Rea – 4th and 6th
We’ve had problems all week, really, from the test last weekend, right through this one. We knew it would be hard, so, if fourth and sixth is a bad weekend, I’ll take it. I was pretty happy with fourth, because I had to fight for it all the way. We changed the front a bit for the second race and I think it caught me out as I braked for the hairpin on the first lap. I had to let off the brake and by the time I got back on track I was last. It gave me a pretty strong motivation actually, and I really enjoyed riding through the field and passing I think maybe 16 other riders, which was a lot of fun. Now we’re looking forward to getting back to some tracks where we know the bike works and to fighting for some podiums again.
Max Neukirchner – 12th and 16th
Well, it hasn’t been a fantastic weekend and we struggled to find the right direction from the very start. We made some more progress during warm-up this morning and in race one I was able to make up some places from my grid position. We made a big change to the rear of the bike for race two and it felt pretty good for the early part of the race. I was following Biaggi quite closely in his slipstream and ended up braking a bit late for turn four and losing maybe 20 seconds. I had a bit of a lonely ride after that and it was a disappointing finish to the weekend. We came here to do a better job than this and we’ve got some more work to do to get back on course at the next round.
Ronald ten Kate – team manager
I think Jonathan probably got the maximum out of the weekend that was possible. He rode very well in race one but the bike was a little bit off and his crew did a great job for race two when it was very competitive. A little mistake at Honda corner gave Jonathan some work to do but to come back from last to sixth was a marvellous job. However, only wins and podiums count so we’ll be chasing them once again when we return to Europe. Max has had a tough first weekend and its probably one to forget. The only positive is that the changes made for race two got him up to speed but, once he had run off the track, it was a difficult race.
Kenan Sofuoglu finished third in today’s opening race of the 2010 World Supersport championship at Phillip Island in Australia. The race was won by fellow Honda rider Eugene Laverty.
Starting from second place on the grid, Sofuoglu overshot turn four on the opening lap and was fighting his way back into contention when he crashed at high speed on oil from another rider’s machine, hurting the leg he broke in a pre-season training accident.
His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Michele Pirro, also crashed out after having his machine and helmet covered in sprayed oil. However, both riders made it back to the team garage when the race was red-flagged and were able to make the full restart.
Both Pirro and Sofuoglu were fighting in the leading group, but Pirro was forced out of contention when his tyre deflated, leaving Sofuoglu to battle it out for the final podium position.
Kenan Sofuoglu – 3rd
We were happy to get the restart after I crashed on the oil but as soon as the race started again I knew that I had a problem with the tyre. Actually, we knew there might be a problem before the race but I am still very disappointed at the result. Towards the end of the race, I thought that Lascorz must be going slower as well because, for sure, I had to slow down a lot just to make it to the flag. I will take the points from the weekend and have to be satisfied with the podium result, but it has not been a good weekend and I will be trying my best to make up for this by winning at Portimao.
Michele Pirro – DNF
In the first part of the race, before the flag, everything was OK, but then suddenly my visor was covered in oil and I crashed. The bike was badly damaged but I was able to ride back to the pits to make the restart. Again, I felt comfortable but then there was something badly wrong with the tyre. I had to stop but I wasn’t sure if it was broken or if there was a puncture. When the bike came back there was no air in the tyre. It’s very disappointing to start the season like this, so I want the next race to come very quickly but we must wait four weeks.
Ronald ten Kate – team manager
Clearly the first part of the race caused us some problems, with both riders crashing on other riders’ oil and having to use their spare machines for the restart. Kenan, especially, took quite a beating in his crash and we had to get some pain-killing injections to allow him to ride again. In race two it took him some time to get into a rhythm but, considering everything, I think we must be satisfied with his podium. Michele had even worse luck – first crashing and having to switch bikes, and then getting a problem and having to retire with a completely deflated tyre. The weekend has given us some tyre wear issues but Michele has not had so much of them as Kenan. His problem is therefore a surprise and a shock, especially because it looked like his first podium with the team was a possibility.
— Triumph Report