All the results, reports and quotes from SBK Rnd 2 at Portimao

1. SOFUOGLU 41
2.  LASCORZ 40
3.  LAVERTY 30
4.  FORET 22
5.  SALOM 19
6. HARMS 18
7.  DAVIES 17
8.  ROCCOLI 17
9.  PIRRO 16
10.  FUJIWARA 15
11.  REA 14
12.  DISALVO 12
13.  PRAIA 7
14.  LUNDH 3
15.  CHARPENTIER 3.

Racing at Portimao today proved difficult for the Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio, who had to fight hard for points, having started the races from the fifth row of the grid; the two races brought identical results for the factory riders, two eighth place finishes for Nori, two 11th places for Michel.

In the morning warm-up Noriyuki had picked up his pace with respect to yesterday, completing eight fast laps and concluding the short session in third position. Michel, still working to improve grip, finished in fifteenth place.

Race 1 – Both riders were aware that they needed a blistering start in order to help their chances of carving their way through the pack from the fifth row, and Nori was able to do this in Race 1, rocketing from eighteenth to ninth position straight off the line. Michel, caught up in traffic, remained in sixteenth position for the first lap but had worked his way up to twelfth by lap two. During the fifth lap Haga was able to pass Corser and on the same lap team-mate Fabrizio passed Corser’s team-mate Xaus. From mid-race on, and now in eighth position, Noriyuki remained there, with Corser and Toseland chasing him down, until three laps from the finish where he briefly moved up to seventh place before Toseland, on the very last lap, pushed him back down to a final eighth position. In the second half of the race, Michel made a couple of mistakes, going off track twice and allowing both Smrz and Xaus to take advantage and move ahead of him. Smrz later crashed but Michel was unable to catch Xaus, thus closing the first race in eleventh place.

Race 2 and the Ducati Xerox pair made a carbon copy start, with Noriyuki slicing through the pack from eighteenth to ninth position and Michel in sixteenth. The Italian then made up five positions within the first three laps before tucking in, in eleventh position, behind team-mate Haga. The two Ducati 1198s had trouble catching the Suzuki of Guintoli, and although Nori closed the gap two-third of the way through the race, getting past Corser in the process, he didn’t manage to pass the Frenchman, and make it stick, until the very last lap, to take eighth position overall, exactly as he did in race 1. Although Michel held eleventh position from lap 8 right until the end of the race, he lost a little ground to Nori in the final laps, citing difficulty in braking.

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 – 8th , Race 2 – 8th)
“We’ve worked hard all weekend and today finally I had slightly better feeling with the bike but it was very difficult to score great results from the fifth row. In race 1 I made a good start, which I knew was essential if I wanted to make some good points. I tried to push as hard as possible but by the last five laps or so I was lacking rear grip and this meant that my traction was very much affected. The second race was quite similar, the tyre performed better but I had a hard time getting past Guintoli, and again finished eighth. I apologise to the team, the fans and the sponsors for my poor results but at least I was able to make up a few positions and take some points. Now we look to start challenging for the podium every weekend from Valencia onwards. The important thing is not to crash, and to take as many points as possible each race. Biaggi and Haslam have demonstrated their strength both here and at Phillip Island and we hope we can be back up there on the podium at Valencia.”

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – 11th , Race 2 -11th)
“Let’s say that this weekend we were not able to refine the set up of my 1198 as we had hoped to. I continued to have the same problem, the same lack of feeling at the front, in both races. We made many modifications over the weekend but it didn’t make much difference; I just never felt right on the bike. At the start of race 2 I managed to make up a few places straight away by pushing as hard as I could but after a few laps it became more and more difficult to turn; I went off track a couple of times in race 1 and then I went straight two or three times in the next race. We of course hope for much better results at Valencia, where I need to start from the front rows.”

—  Althea Ducati

A dry track and warm conditions at Portimao today for the second round of the World Superbike championship. Thanks to the strong results achieved during the qualifying sessions and yesterday’s Superpole, Checa started from the front row and Byrne from the second. In the first race both Althea Racing riders were immediately among the frontrunners and after a few laps, Byrne was up in fourth position, followed by Checa in fifth. Soon after however Carlos and Shakey lost contact with the leading group and battled on as part of the chasing group. Checa pushed right to the end to reach the podium places but concluded a hard-fought race in fourth position, with Byrne behind in sixth. In the second race both Checa and Byrne made a good start and were in seventh and eighth place respectively during the initial laps. A good race pace allowed Checa to reach the leading pack, moving into fifth and then quickly into fourth position, while Shakey unfortunately remained in eighth. In the last laps Carlos picked up his pace as he did everything to try to reach third position but he was unable to pass Crutchlow and finished once more in fourth position while Byrne crossed the line seventh.

Carlos Checa : “I am happy with the great job we’ve done this weekend and the two fourth place finishes. Of course getting onto the podium would have been better but I don’t think that we could have done better than we did today. In race 1 I didn’t make a good start and I wasn’t part of the leading pack. Race 2 went better, even though my start again was not great, but at least I was able to stay with the fastest guys. Unfortunately what I gained through the corners, I was then losing on the straight and so it would have been useless to take risks. Now we go to Valencia, a track where we tested a few months ago and where I’d like to do extremely well in front of my home crowd of course.”

Shane Byrne : “In race 1 the setting of my 1198 was not quite right and I was not able to push to the max, also because I’m still not 100% fit. Before race two my technicians worked hard on my Ducati and it was a lot better for that race. I am satisfied with the results even though I know that me and my bike have the potential to do better and to push for race wins. Now we move on to Valencia. We tested there over the winter and I am sure that we will be able to further improve and fight for the positions that count.”

Genesio Bevilacqua – General Manager : “Unfortunately the difference between our bikes and the four cylinders is very apparent here and so we are of course happy with these positive results. Checa has proved to be in great shape and had two fantastic races today. Shakey has been suffering a little after yesterday’s crash but is getting back to achieving the kids of results that we know he is capable of obtaining. We hope that in Valencia we will not suffer quite so much against the four cylinders, which really caused us a problem here.”

—  Yamaha Report

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow showed solid race craft in the second superbike race today, confidently sticking with race leaders Max Biaggi and Leon Haslam to stand on the World Superbike podium for the first time. After dropping to fourth initially Crutchlow capitalised on his opportunity to move up when Johnny Rea was pushed wide by Haslam going into the first corner on lap three. He was never more than 0.3 seconds from the lead, taking his well earned podium in third at the finish line. Team-mate James Toseland wrapped up the day in race two with style, charging through the pack from 15th, overcoming a number of competitive riders to cross the line in sixth, nearly ten places up from the start.

Race one proved to be a display of consistency and determination from British rider Toseland. Starting from a less than perfect 15th on the grid, Toseland gradually worked his way through the pack. The final lap saw him close down a half second gap, taking Haga on the last corner to steal a well deserved seventh place finish at the line. His team-mate Crutchlow spent the majority of the race in third until an unfortunate low-side crash three laps from the end dropped him to 15th. He managed to pass 14th placed rider Tom Sykes on the last lap to stay in the points.

Crutchlow heads to Valencia in tenth position with 25 points, Toseland heads to the third round in Spain in 11th, tied on points with his team-mate with 25.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (14th, 3rd)
“It was a tough day today from the first race, I made a stupid mistake, my own fault I was pushing too hard. We’ve made big steps from Australia, all credit to Yamaha they’ve done a fantastic job. We came here fighting but unfortunately in the first race I went down and Johnny Rea got through and got the podium. I’m looking forward to the next weekend in Valencia, if we can continue doing a good job and getting the success we’re starting to experience it’ll be a good season, let’s keep the ball rolling. The team have put in a sterling effort this weekend. Well done to Max Biaggi and Leon Camier as well.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (7th, 6th)
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do but we’ve made massive improvements. We really deserved the third and sixth in that last race, After Cal’s Superpole he was unlucky to crash in the first race so I’m really pleased with his result in the second. The potential of the bike is very good, once we use the full power of the engine we’re right up there. It was only my crash that stopped me being on the front row I think. I was a bit sore today and my head was bit fuzzy after its knock yesterday so I wasn’t completely on form. Considering that and starting from 15th on the grid we achieved some good results. It’s a shame we started on the back foot this year but we’re moving on and we’re keeping on pushing.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“For sure we’ve made a great improvement after Australia, we got a Superpole and we got our first podium. I think this will be helpful in continuing to improve. I’m optimistic that what Cal achieved today can be what we expect to have for the next races. James is also improving, I’m sure that without the crash in Superpole he would have been starting from the first or second row and would have achieved even more during the races. He showed us that he’s finding his rhythm with the bike. A big thanks to all the guys in the team who have done a great job getting us back to being competitive, it’s something I really appreciate.”

—  BMW Report

Race 1: Both BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders, Troy Corser (AUS) and Ruben Xaus (ESP), made good starts. bTroy moved up from 8th on the grid to 3rd , Ruben climbed from 10th to 7th . Unfortunately, neither of them could keep their positions and they finished the race in 9th and 10th respectively. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) won the race.

Race 2: History repeated: Both riders started the race well, moving up a couple of positions. Again, during the race both Troy and Ruben lost ground. While Troy managed to finish in the top ten for the fourth time in a row, Ruben ended up 12th . Again, the race winner was Max Biaggi.

Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Result Race 1: 9th , Gap to 1st: 00:24.514 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:44.036 min
Result Race 2: 10th , Gap to 1st : 00:16.377 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:43.699 min
“Race 1 really was a struggle. The bike was changing quite a lot and we lost grip quite early on. It seems the bike is very sensitive to grip – whether it is from the asphalt or from the tyres. For race 2 my crew changed the bike a bit. The guys worked on the suspension settings in order to give me more grip. It was a little bit better for a little longer. While I started to fight the bike in the first race after six laps, I was able to go over half the race distance in race 2 without major difficulties. Still, this is not where we want to be. I am happy we have time to test tomorrow without any pressure.”

Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Result Race 1: 10th , Gap to 1st : 00:32.427 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:44.337 min
Result Race 2: 12th , Gap to 1st : 00:27.964 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:44.463 min
“Today has not been too bad. We had good starts in both races, and I was in touch with the top guys. However, after a few laps I began to struggle with the bike and my laps were not as good as in the beginning. This weekend has definitely helped me regain some of my rhythm. My confidence has been building all weekend, and I have had great support from everyone at BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Tomorrow we have some work to do in the test, but I am relatively happy with our progress this weekend.”

Berthold Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director):
“I am happy that Ruben is back. This weekend helped him a lot to recover his self-confidence. Although we hoped for better results after the great race starts for Troy and Ruben, overall we can view the weekend as positive. We have had far worse days in Portimão. On the technical side, today we learnt we have to improve some chassis settings so both Troy and Ruben can ride the bikes with less tyre wear. The guys simply do not have the grip needed on the rear tyre when exiting corners, which is why they cannot really push. For sure we would have loved to move up the ranks quicker, but we have to accept that racing in this championship is really tough.”

Portimão also hosted the opening round of the 2010 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup and witnessed the first win of BMW Motorrad Italia STK rider Ayrton Badovini (ITA). Hendrik von Kuenheim, President BMW Motorrad, said: “Congratulations to the BMW Motorrad Italia STK team. Ayrton’s win on the BMW S 1000 RR in the inaugural race of the 2010 season proves the competitiveness of the bike. Compliments to Serafino Foti and his crew.”

—  Suzuki Report

Team Suzuki Alstare’s Leon Haslam took a pair of superb runner-up spots in today’s second round of the Superbike World Championship in Portimao in Portugal and increased his series lead at the same time.

Haslam fought tooth-and-nail with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) in both 22-lappers and lost out on victory by the narrowest of margins – two 10ths-of-a-second in race one and just over a 10th in race two. Haslam’s tally of 40 points keeps him top of the standings, 16 ahead of second-placed Biaggi.

It was always going to be a hard day for Suzuki Alstare team-mate Sylvain Guintoli, who started from the third row of the grid, but the Frenchman put in a pair of solid performances, finishing 13th in the first race and ninth in the second.

Leon Haslam – Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 2nd:
“If anybody had told me before the start of the season that I would’ve won one race and taken three podiums in the first four races, I would not have believed them. It’s a great feeling to win a race, take three runner-up spots; and be leading the championship and my aim is to try and maintain this kind of consistency as long as I can.

“Today’s races were very hard and I had a lot of fun battling with Max: His bike is fast and there were a couple of places where he could get on the gas quicker than me, but my bike was good on the brakes. I did pass him quite a few times, but making it stick was a different matter. The grip-level was down in race two, but it was the same for everybody, and the lap times were generally down on race one.

“The first time I jumped on the Suzuki Alstare bike I thought it was a good package and all the good work the team has done has proved how good it is. Of course, there are always some areas to improve and we’ll be going to the next round in Valencia hoping to put one over Max and all the other riders.

“I’ve had one victory and now I want more!”

Sylvain Guintoli – Race 1: 13th, Race 2: 9th:
“To be honest, I feel like I messed up the weekend a bit. Race one was a complete disaster and it all started when I braked too late for turn one on lap two and had to go straight on. That cost me a lot of positions and time and I was in 22nd place at the end of that lap and had a lot of catching up to do. After that, I never really found my rhythm and perhaps 13th was not too bad considering.

“The second race was better, but in this championship you cannot afford to be average. You have to be on your game at all times. I don’t know why, but I feel that I didn’t start the weekend quite right and then it was always going to be difficult. The bike is really good, so it’s me who has to raise the bar and perform. But I intend to attack Valencia right from the start of the weekend and be in a good position come race day.”

—  HRC

Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) looked on course for two podium finishes at Portimao but had to settle for one, securing third in the opener then being forced out of the second 22-lap contest. Rea earned his podium place by a combination of determination and a little good fortune when Cal Crutchlow fell while trying to stay ahead of Rea, with two complete laps to go.

Jonathan was still the top Honda scorer today and his 16 points from race one gave him 39 points in total, moving him to sixth in the championship rankings. He had qualified fifth in Superpole. Max Biaggi won each race for Aprilia, with championship leader Leon Haslam second on both occasions for Suzuki. Haslam has 85 points, Biaggi 69 after four races and two rounds.

In the second race of the day in Portugal the only Honda scorer was Max Neukirchner (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) who posted 15th in the race, after qualifying 13th. He had struggled in qualifying and like Rea, had suffered a high-speed fall before raceday.

Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image CBR1000RR) finished one race, the first, as did substitute rider for Broc Parkes; Sheridan Morais (ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR). Iannuzzo was 23rd on the grid, Morais 21st, meaning he just missed Superpole qualifying.

Sofuoglu Back To Winning Ways In Second Round

Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) went from second on the starting grid to his first victory of the season at Portimao, but it was a hard fought contest, with any one of four potential winners on show at one stage.

After pole position rider Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) had led for most of the early laps Sofuoglu and Kawasaki rider Joan Lascorz caught and passed Laverty, and the Irish rider eventually pushed too hard in turn four and lost the front. He re-started to finish 11th, despite losing his front brake master cylinder and much of his bike’s bodywork in the crash.

Laverty had to surrender his championship lead to Sofuoglu today, who is now on 41 points, Lascorz 40 and Laverty 30.

It was a double celebration for the Hannspree Ten Kate team as third place qualifier Michele Pirro (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) overcame his no-score in round one last month by earning his first Supersport podium finish in third. He was having some issues with rear grip later in the race, but on lap two he had set a new lap record of 1’45.180.

Local rider Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) was on course for a strong finish, probably a career best, when a technical issue intervened and he had to slow and eventually retire in the pits. He completed 15 laps of the 20. He had qualified eighth, for a second row start.

Class rookie Gino Rea (Czech Intermoto Honda CBR600RR) improved from 12th to eighth as he battled with his own team-mate Massimo Roccoli (Czech Intermoto Honda CBR600RR) all through the race. Roccoli was simply happy to score points at an unlucky track for him and went from 14th to ninth.

On 11 April the third round of the World Superbike and World Supersport championships take place at another popular venue, Valencia in Spain.

WSB RIDER COMMENTS

Jonathan Rae, Ten Kate Honda: “I had a big crash on Friday and had to rebuild my confidence through the rest of the weekend, and then someone let the brakes off going into turn one in the first race. I locked the front brake and went straight into the gravel, which was scary. I really needed to get away with Max and Leon, but I caught up to Crutchlow and he was making quite a few mistakes when I put some pressure on him. I got third place but I don’t think it was gifted and I think would have got it anyway. In race two I was holding my own with Biaggi but messed up the last corner on lap five, I think, so Leon and Crutchlow got by. I was still feeling pretty comfortable, but then heard a funny noise going down the straight a couple of laps later, so I pulled in the clutch and that was it.”

Max Neukirchner, Ten Kate Honda: “We have struggled to get the right balance for the bike all weekend and, even though we’ve had some good ideas, we haven’t really found one that works. We’ll keep working though and, luckily, we have a test here tomorrow, which I hope will give us some opportunities to find a way forward. The biggest problem I have is getting the bike to turn and hold a line going into the corners. It means I’m having to brake earlier for each turn.
We’ll look at things again tonight and hopefully make some progress before we go to Valencia in two weeks time.”

Vittorio Iannuzzo, Scuderia Corse Italia: “The first race was not so bad, particularly after some problems in practice and losing some track time, but it would have been good to finish in the points and not just miss out by one place. We used more engine braking in race two but we had no time to test and it was a bit too much. We tried it because we want to improve but I had to retire.”

Sheridan Morais, ECO CRS Grand Prix: “In the first race I thought I knew this track but I didn’t, because I spent the early laps just riding with the other guys, learning the way round. We started doing some good times at the end and I was happy with that. In race two we made some changes to set-up and it was looking not bad until the bike just stopped. We have made some big progress which stands us in better stead for Valencia.”

WSS RIDER COMMENTS:

Kenan Sofuoglu, Ten Kate Honda: “Yesterday after qualifying I told my mechanics there was only one problem and it was that I was not good enough. The bike had a lot of potential and I promised them that I would show them the potential today. In warm-up I set a new track best of 1’44.683. In the race my plan was to just look at how things went then with seven or eight laps left I took the lead and pushed a bit. I knew I would fight with someone and it was Lascorz who passed me, before I got him back. My motivation was only for the win this weekend, and finally I won. My bike is one of the best on the track and we have more improvements to come soon.”

Michele Pirro, Ten Kate Honda: “I am very happy with my first podium in Supersport, especially because practice did not go that well. In the race I was not on the final pace because I did have a few grip problems later on, but it was great to run with the winners and finally get a podium. Compared to Australia, where I did not finish, this is fantastic.”

Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda: “I used up my tyre a bit to get away from them and I was struggling a bit with a full tank of fuel at the start. Just about the point when Lascorz passed me I was feeling comfortable so I pushed on again, but those guys had some good pace today. I was trying to keep up when they went past and I was losing some initial grip and sliding in some areas, so I had to ride hard to stay with them. I just touched the kerb on turn four a little bit, just fractionally, but that was enough.”

Gino Rae, Intermoto Czech Honda: “I had a good fight and won the battle I was in, but it was not what we could have achieved. I could brake a bit later than the other guys but I did not have the mid-corner speed. I had a crash in free practice yesterday morning and lost a lot of set-up time. Now we have to work on the race setting for the chassis and electronics.”

Massimo Roccoli, Intermoto Czech Honda: “A big fight, and a big fight with my team-mate as well. It was a good result for the team all round, because eighth and ninth gives us both good points. For me the weekend was difficult because we had a lot of set-up problems and made many changes to the set-up. I think the big problem is that I just don’t like this track!”

Miguel Praia, Parkalgar Honda: “I was comfortable behind Fujiwara and Foret when I caught them and I wanted to attack them straight away, but I just didn’t have the tyre left. My pace came down a little bit but fifth was definitely possible, as I started to save my attack for the last few laps. Then something went wrong and I had to retire.”

—  Kawasaki Report

The Kawasaki Racing Team might have been down to just one rider for round two of the 2010 Hannspree World Superbike Championship at Portimao this weekend but it turned out to be a double points haul for Yorkshireman Tom Sykes who recorded a 13th place in race two to go with his 15th place in the opening race.

With Australian Chris Vermeulen only able to do one lap of Friday morning’s free practice due to difficulties in bending his right knee after his big Phillip Island crash a month ago, and despite a huge effort by rider, team and the medics, the 27-year-old from Brisbane was subsequently withdrawn from the meeting leaving 24-year-old Sykes from Huddersfield as the Paul Bird Team’s only representative in Portugal.

Aboard the factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Sykes showed good speed during the practice sessions inside the top ten and eventually managed to qualify in 12th position and on row three of the grid after Superpole.

In the opening race, Tom maintained his 12th place early on but a mistake saw him drop back to 16th where he battled for most of the race before grabbing 15th at the flag after a battle with pole-setter Cal Crutchlow who had crashed and remounted.

Race two saw Sykes get a poor start and was again relegated to 16th position where he ran for most of the race once again. Despite setting good lap times, he couldn’t get a clear run and was held up by several riders in front but as the race progressed, he managed to claw some places back to finish in a respectable 13th position for the Penrith-based team, thus scoring his second points of the day.

Tom Sykes: “I qualified more or less where I expected to and was happy to start on the third row once again. We didn’t have the perfect set-up but we’d made steady progress all weekend so it was unfortunate to have not made the step up in the races. I struggled with my starts and found it difficult to get past the traffic in front of me. I’m a bit frustrated in myself to be honest as I was trying hard to overtake but just couldn’t get the grip coming into the corners or on the brakes to make the move. We still have work to do but I’m confident in the team and the package of the ZX-10R and with a bit more time we can hopefully start to close the gap and work towards a few more points.”

Chris Vermeulen: “I came into Portimao with the intention of riding but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Friday morning’s practice was the first time I’ve had the chance to jump on the bike since my crash at Phillip Island where I did some damage to my right knee. I tried to go out on the bike for free practice but the movement in my right knee was really restricted and I couldn’t quite get my leg onto the footpeg. I tried pain killing injections at the Clinica Mobile but it didn’t seem to make any difference. For some reason or another, the knee just won’t bend that far, I can go around left-hand corners but I can’t get my foot or my knee into position to go right. So unfortunately both the team and I decided to call it quits for this weekend and to try and focus on improving my knee hopefully for the next race in Valencia in two weeks time. From now until Valencia my aim is to source additional medical advice and to get on with an intensive physiotherapy program to try and get as much movement in that knee as possible. I’m obviously disappointed I missed the race at Portimao, not just because it’s the start of the season with a new team and bike but also because it’s the first race in my racing career that I’ve actually had to withdraw from a meeting. The team and I have been continually making positive progress so fingers crossed I am going to be fit for Valencia.”

Paul Risbridger, Team Manager: “It was a big blow to the team losing Chris for this meeting on Friday and we hope that he can make a speedy recovery and be with us again for the Valencia race in a couple of weeks time. We continued to make progress during free practice and qualifying and were pleased with Tom’s qualifying position where he started on the third row of the grid for the second consecutive race. Unfortunately Tom wasn’t able to improve his position from his starts in both races and we did not show the pace we’d seen in the practice sessions and therefore it was disappointing to finish outside the top ten. However with two point scoring finishes, we are showing consistency and we are looking forward to a productive test this week prior to Valencia where we hope we can grab a few more points which I feel that we deserve.”

— Reitwagen BMW Report

The second round of this year’s Superbike World Championship will not be fondly remembered by Team Reitwagen BMW. Some small technical problems and a crash put paid to any thought of top fifteen finishes today, but the team are positive that improvements can be made and are looking forward to the next round in Valencia and getting back to making progress. Neither Andrew nor Makoto finished race one, but they both managed finishes in race two despite technical problems.

Italian Max Biaggi (Aprilia) won both races today, after terrific battles with Briton Leon Haslam (Suzuki), with the victories going down to the wire in both 22-lappers. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took third in race one and fellow countryman Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) took third in race two.

Andrew Pitt – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 20th: “Well, not the best of days, but sometimes racing is like that and you just have to put it to one side and get on with. I was actually pretty happy in race one – up to the crash – and felt I was lapping pretty consistently and at a good pace. I had a good battle with Sykes and Lanzi, but Sykes was holding me up and I could see the group ahead pulling away, so I thought I’d better pass him. I went to outbrake him, but hit some bumps and lost it instead. We had to use the second bike in race two and there was a problem with the speed sensor or something touching it and the bike kept cutting out on the inspection lap. So we had to pit and the mechanics changed a wheel and that meant I had to start the race from the pit-lane and half a lap down. It was a very lonely race and I did wonder what I was doing out there, but by staying out I was able to give the team information on how the bike had been. I feel we’re getting to the limit of what this bike can do in its current condition, so we need to push ahead with some new stuff as soon as possible and carry on the progress again. We’ll have some stuff to try in Valencia and I’m hoping that we don’t have any technical problems and I can battle for points again.”

Makoto Tamada – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 19th: “We needed to try and get good settings and keep making progress, but I believe that this bike has potential and we will improve quite a lot. The bike had an electronic problem in race one and I had no choice but to pull in. It was a shame, because my start was not so bad. My start in race two was not so bad, but there was a lot of pushing and shoving into the first couple of turns. I had some problems with the traction control and also the setting of the engine braking was not quite right, so it was difficult to go any faster. But, like Andrew, I stayed out on the track so that I could give as much information as possible to the team.”

Andy Werth (Sporting Director): “Of course we are all a bit disappointed, but we need to be better prepared technically. Despite some problems (software and hardware), both riders stayed out. By doing so we gained some useful information and that is always good. In the end, today was more like a test session than a race, but that’s not the way we intended it to be. We struggled (as many privateers do) but it’s up to us to work hard and improve and that’s what we’ll do in Valencia.”

The arrival in Superstock 1000 of the S1000RR was an immediately successful one, as Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) took the win after race long rival Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Racing Junior) ran off track and lost 2.5 seconds on the final lap. Third was Loris Baz (MRS Racing Yamaha) meaning there were three different machines on the podium.

Results: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 21’18.245 (155,193 kmh); 2. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2.744; 3. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 13.154; 4. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 13.800; 5. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 15.304; 6.La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 15.861; 7. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 16.727; 8. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 17.334; 9. Petrucci D. (ITA)Kawasaki ZX 10R 20.558; 10. Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 22.386

Championship standing (after 1 Round of 10): 1. Badovini 25; 2. Berger 20; 3. Baz 16; 4. Barrier 13; 5. Bussolotti 11; 6. La Marra 10; 7. Giugliano 9; 8. Antonelli 8; 9. Petrucci 7; 10. Savary 6

Manufacturers standing: 1. BMW 25; 2. Honda 20; 3. Yamaha 16; 4. Suzuki 9; 5. Kawasaki 7; 6. KTM 5; 8. Aprilia 4