Yamaha’s WSBK rookie rider Ben Spies took a spectacular double win in the second round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Losail circuit in Qatar. The 24 year-old Texan powered to his third win in the opening four races, dominating both today’s 18-lappers and twice finishing ahead of Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia), who were classified second and third to make up identical podiums.
Race 1
Poleman Spies made his attack six laps from the end, and immediately pulled out a gap that allowed him to administer his lead until the flag. There was a great scrap for the runner-up slot between Haga and Biaggi, with the Japanese rider getting the nod. For Aprilia it was their first podium since returning to WSBK, and the Italian manufacturer’s competitiveness was confirmed by fourth place for Shinya Nakano. Fifth went to Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate), the first Honda rider to the flag, who managed to hold off the attacks of the determined British duo of Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) and Tom Sykes (Yamaha World Superbike). Troy Corser scored an encouraging ninth place for BMW, while Kawasaki notched up their first points in this year’s championship with a 14th place for Broc Parkes. Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare) and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had disappointing races, both riders crashing out.
Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike): “It was an extremely tough race, I had an OK start and when I got to the back of Nori and Max, we were all very strong on separate parts of the track. I was lacking a little bit off the last corner and it was very hard to make the pass, but once past, I put my head down and was able to keep it clean for the win despite a couple of mistakes.”
Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox): “It was quite hard at the end, I got a good start and after a few laps I was able to pass Max on the straight. A few laps more and he passed me again and it was difficult for me to catch up. I pushed on the last lap and did it and was very happy with the result.”
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing): “I tried to keep up and have a good rhythm without losing concentration. We have a new bike and every session we try to improve, but it’s not easy to win right away. These guys did a great job, I rode very hard and today I was comfy, both front and rear, and looking good.”
Race 2
Spies also went on to take the win in race 2, confirming himself and his Yamaha to be the strongest combination in this early part of the season. This time the Texan had a different strategy, taking control in the early laps of the race and then gradually pulling away. Behind there was another terrific scrap for the runner-up slot between Haga and Biaggi, and once again second place went to the Japanese rider, who holds on to his points lead in the table. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda Racing) scored an excellent fourth place, but was unable to get in amongst the podium battle. Fifth place went to Sykes, while Neukirchner just got the edge over Nakano in a photo-finish. BMW made a major leap forward with Corser running fifth in the early stages, both the Australian and Xaus scoring top 10 points finishes. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had a day to forget with a second DNF finish in two races.
Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike): “Nori set a really good pace the first few laps. We were lacking just a little in acceleration and it was hard to race with him, but I put my head down and closed up, kept the same rhythm and passed him. It was a better race for me than the first one because I could concentrate on my lines, but it’s going to be hard making up points on him if he keeps finishing second. It was a perfect weekend, they’re not always going to be like that but we’ll take them when we can.”
Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox): “I am really tired but happy for the result in race 2. When Ben passed me, I tried to stay with him but he is very fast. In one second he was going to 100 metres so I could not catch him! We made a good job, and I am leading the championship. Today, for me, Ben is ten years younger than me so that’s why I lose!”
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing): “It was a great race, we confirmed our potential and the feeling we have on this track, which has always been good to me. I think the bike works well, we still have to improve but we are very pleased with the result. For sure we know these guys are a little bit quicker, they run hard and deserve what they did, but I am confident to improve during the season and get some good points.”
| SBK Race 1 1 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 | SBK Race 2 1 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 | SBK Championship 1 HAGA 85, |
| FIM Supersport World Championship The second round in Qatar saw the crowning of a new talent in World Supersport. Thanks to a perfect slipstreaming dash to the line, Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) scored his first win in the category. The Irish rider held off the attacks from reigning champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) to take the win. Former points leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) only finished fourth after making a mistake at the final curve, which opened the door for Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) to gain his first WSS podium. Seven Hondas placed in the first ten positions, including the Veidec Racing and Hannspree Althea machines of Robbin Harms and Matthieu Lagrive in fifth and sixth. Garry McCoy took the ParkinGO Triumph 675 to an encouraging seventh place, while Joan Lascorz could only manage thirteenth with the Kawasaki. Massimo Roccoli (Intermoto Czech Honda), Phillip Island podium finisher Anthony West (Stiggy Racing) and Barry Veneman (Hoegee Suzuki) made up the top 10. |
| Supersport Race 1 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 37’06.285 (156,595 kph) | SS Championship 1 PITT 40, |
| Team Reports — Yamaha Yamaha rider Ben Spies lived up to the hype again in Qatar today, riding an incredible two races to take his second and third consecutive victories in the Losail heat. Dropping to fifth from the start of the first race, the three-time AMA champion moved up to third position on lap four to tuck in behind race leader Max Biaggi and second placed rider Noriyuki Haga for most of the race. The super calm Texan waited for his moment six laps from the end to make his move. As Haga moved out to look up the inside of Biaggi, Spies took the opportunity and passed him on the inside, before taking Biaggi on the next corner as the Italian race leader ran wide. From the moment he took the lead Spies win was never in doubt as he cleanly pulled away from the battle for second. Spies’ team-mate Tom Sykes had a frustrating start, dropping several places up to ninth position before fighting his way back through to finish seventh. Race two saw Spies dominate again, after initially dropping a couple of places from the start line, he moved up behind Haga and Biaggi again before moving out to take the lead on lap seven. The American superstar then put in a sensational performance of perfect laps, increasing the comfort zone until taking the chequered flag in style, comfortably ahead of second place Haga. Spies leaves Qatar in second place in the standings, ten points behind Haga in the championship. Spies also takes the new lap record for the Qatar circuit away with him this weekend. Tom Sykes got a better start to race two and fought with Yukio Kiyonari and Troy Corser in the opening laps for fifth position. Fighting behind the leading pack Sykes held his own with an impressive race pace, putting in consistent laps to finish the race in fifth position. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team In the second race Nori set a really good pace first for a few laps so I just tried to keep the same rhythm. Eventually I managed to get past and just kept my head down and tried to open up a gap. It was a hard race, but a better race for me than first one as I could concentrate on riding my lines. Hopefully when we go to Valencia we’ll be up there fighting at the front again! A good weekend for the team, they’re not always like that but we’ll take them when they come.” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager World Supersport rookie Cal Crutchlow put everything into a tough ride for his second race of the championship, fighting with rivals Eugene Laverty, Andrew Pitt and Kenan Sofuoglu for the coveted podium positions. A missed gear in the closing laps cost Crutchlow valuable time, however with tires fading he made it back up and finished the race third following a dramatic pass on Sofuoglu in the final lap. Crutchlow’s team-mate Foret had a tricky start, and was then held up to 15th place avoiding trouble on the track. The Frenchman got onto a good race pace but an unfortunate high-side left him out of the race on the 3rd lap. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager — HRC Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) came within 0.223 seconds of his first 2009 podium finish in race two at Qatar today, making up for his disappointment at qualifying 12th in Friday’s Superpole. His fourth place in the second race was the single best result by a Honda Superbike rider in the second round of the championship, although Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) came close to matching it in race one. In the first 18-lap contest Checa finished fifth from his seventh place qualifying position in Superpole. Kiyonari’s dreadful start delayed his push forward but he lapped consistently to move up to eighth at the end of the race. Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) and Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) battled it out for 11th in the opener, with Haslam getting the better of his fellow ex-BSB rider. Tommy Hill (Hannspree Honda Althea CBR1000RR) took the final point for 15th, while Roby Rolfo (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) entered the pits to retire with only three laps gone. He would also retire in race two. Behind Kiyonari’s impressive push forward in race two, Rea managed to secure an eighth place finish, ahead of a tight group of three riders, only one second behind him. One of those riders was Haslam, who took his second 11th place finish of the day from an 18th place grid start. Checa was being held back by chatter problems in right hand corners in race two, but persevered to finish 13th. Rolfo and Hill failed to finish after suffering technical problems. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) was 20th in race one and 21st in race two. After four races in the opening two rounds, Noriyuki Haga leads the championship on 85, with today’s double race winner Ben Spies second, on The 18-lap Supersport race in Qatar was a fabulous multi-rider fight throughout, just like the opening round at Phillip Island two weeks ago. There was a different victor this time, with Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) capitalising on his second place grid spot and winning from fellow front row qualifier Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR). Today’s win was the first for Laverty in World Supersport, and also the first for his Parkalgar Honda team. He was riding a 2009 specification CBR600RR, with Pitt and Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) on 2008 machinery. Pitt posted a new lap record, 2’02.577, on lap 12. Pole man Cal Crutchlow was third on his Yamaha, with Sofuoglu third in qualifying but fourth in the race, albeit only 0.711 seconds from the win. He suffered in the race somewhat after crashing twice earlier this weekend. In the championship chase, Pitt’s two runner-up places so far put him on 40 points, with Sofuoglu on 38, and Laverty on 36. Privateer Robbin Harms went fifth in the Qatar race on his CBR600RR, with Matthieu Lagrive (Hannspree Honda Althea CBR600RR) sixth in both race and qualifying at one of his favourite circuits. Phillip Island podium finisher Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) had a tough time by comparison today, ninth in the race after being 12th on the grid. Laverty’s team-mate Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) worked hard through practice and the race to take 12th place, from a qualifying spot on the fourth row. Mark Aitchison (Hannspree Honda Althea CBR600RR) looked set for a top six finish but he crashed out, and restarted to finish 15th, securing a single point. Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) moved up from 19th pre-race to 14th in the final classification. All eight Supported Honda riders finished in the points today and Honda now has a 21-point lead in the Manufacturer’s Championship after two rounds. WSB Rider Quotes Ryuichi Kiyonari said: “In race one I had a very bad start and had to push hard at the beginning. After that it was difficult to keep the lap times. We changed the tyre for race two and things felt much better, but, again, I had to push very hard and was maybe a bit too aggressive with the throttle at the beginning, trying to catch the leading group. When I reached Biaggi, I didn’t have enough left to get past him.” Carlos Checa said: “I had quite bad chatter again in race one. We thought we had eliminated this problem after Phillip Island, but it was back and gave me quite bad arm pump. Unfortunately, it was even worse in race two and I also had a bad start, which meant I had to try to pass many other riders. With the problems we had, I didn’t really have the confidence to push as hard as I wanted. We’ll work on everything before we get to Valencia and hope for better things there.” Jonathan Rea said: “Today has been one of mixed emotions. In fact, it’s been quite a weird weekend. We were right up there on Friday and Saturday morning, but went the wrong way and Superpole was not good. So, we went back to Friday’s settings for the races today and I got a pretty good start in the first one, but got bad arm pump. The guys in the Clinica Mobile sorted it out for race two and everything felt much better; but from 17th on the grid, I couldn’t quite catch the leading group so I had quite a lonely race.” Leon Haslam said: “The race pace has proved that we could have definitely run in the top five. I had terrible starts in both races and obviously running off the track in race one didn’t really help, but coming through in eleventh in both races with the pace I ran I have to be happy with that.” Tommy Hill said: “Race one was a little bit harder than everyone planned. After a good start I pushed very hard and I found a fast pace. I was able to overtake some riders but during the middle race I was losing rear grip and I just could not run the pace of the guys in front of me. I had a bit of a battle with Haslam but riding over the limit meant I made a couple of small mistakes and he passed me. My second start was as good as the first one, but starting the fifth lap I felt some vibration coming from my bike and we had to stop.” Roby Rolfo said: “Both races were very complicated. I had an electrical problem in the first race when the bike just suddenly stopped. I felt quite confident after my start in race two. For five or six laps the feeling with the bike was really good and felt I could improve my position. Then the bike started to vibrate in the front and I had difficulties cornering. I just got slower and didn’t manage to hold onto my position. Then I lost speed and dropped back before I had to retire completely.” WSS Rider Quotes Andrew Pitt said: “I gave everything I had during the race and, although I didn’t win, at least we’ve bagged another 20 points. We struggled early in the weekend but the team has worked really hard again to put a good bike underneath me. Congratulations to Eugene and the Parkalgar Honda team. They were knocking on the door last season and deserve to be there. Bring on Valencia, when we’ll have the 2009 CBR to play with and the straight is a little shorter!” Kenan Sofuoglu said: “I’m not so happy, really. After my two crashes yesterday I was a little bit nervous and then I was losing some speed on the straight to everyone else. I had to try and make up for that by braking late into the corners and that made me a little tired and I began to feel the knocks I received yesterday. Then I made a mistake going into the final corner, when I was third, and this allowed Crutchlow through. Still, I have some more points and it’s not such a bad result considering the tough weekend we’ve had.” Robbin Harms, 5th place, said: “I am more than happy with my result. We had to start from the beginning on again this weekend and we made some big changes. Thanks to my crew I felt stronger every lap during the practices and they gave me a perfect prepared Honda CBR 600RR. My start was good and I was able to follow the front guys. I tried to keep my head cool during the whole race and because my bike wasn’t the strongest one of the field, I didn’t took any unnecessary risks. However, I am here to get a good result. Because of my team I was able to take that fifth place. The way they build up the weekend was great. When we work like this the whole season, I am sure that we are going to take more top five positions.” Matthieu Lagrive said: “It was a good race and I finished in sixth place but I’m not really happy because I was not able to push hard enough to get through the pack. That was the best we could do today. We worked very hard during the practice to improve the set up of my Honda but for sure we need to continue to work to be more competitive.” Anthony West said: “I am just not very happy with the whole weekend. The set up of the bike was good, my crew did a good job on that, but there was just no horsepower. I had a good start and was out with the front group but just kept being overtaken on the small straights between the turns. They just seemed to have more power than me. I came here to win and am disappointed I didn’t get a good result.” Miguel Praia said: “It was important for me that I finish the race after having two crashes in qualifying in just 10 minutes. That meant I didn’t have a good chance at qualifying and starting from 14th was always going to be difficult in the race. I think I could have competed with the group in front fighting for seventh if I had got away a little quicker but overall I am happy with a good 12th place.” Gianluca Vizziello said: “My team has given me good bike to ride for this race, I’m not disappointed with the result, but I know we should be further up front. We will have to work on the issues we encountered here in Qatar and will hopefully get some better results in qualifying in the next race, so we can move closer to the front of the field.” Arie Vos, RES Software Veidec Racing Team, 17th place, said: “Today’s race went pretty well. Of course I would have taken a point with me back home, but I came a little too short today. My machine was not perfect because the first time that I was really able to push, was during the race. I could not do that during the practices so actually I needed a different set-up. Despite that, I felt comfortable on the bike and I needed that. I had a long winter sleep – maybe for about 2 years- and in this championship you just cannot permit to get weak for only a second because everybody is riding fast. I learned a lot this weekend and when we go on like this, I am confident about a good result in the upcoming races.” Jesco Günther, RES Software Veidec Racing Team, DNF said: “Immediately after the start they pushed me to the outside and I lost some places. After I was very mad for a moment, I could continue the race and climb up to the fourteenth place. I had the right rhythm and it went pretty easy till I lost the control of the front end and crashed, four laps before the end of the race. Afterwards a defect in the front seemed to be the reason of my crash. Of course I am fed up with this but if I take a look at my laptimes and the way I build up the race, I can only be satisfied. Unfortunately we are leaving Qatar without any points but I am sure that these will come when we go on like this.” Mark Aitchison said: “I am really disappointed with today’s result. When I crashed I was not pushing so much but unfortunately in a corner the front tyre slid and I crashed. Nothing more I can say. My start was pretty good and I felt confident to go forward but I didn’t really have the pace to match the front guys.” — Ducati In the second round of the 2009 World Superbike Championship, taking place today at the International Circuit of Losail in Qatar, Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) returned to the podium after powering his 1198 to a second place finish in both of this afternoon’s races. In Race 1 Noriyuki made a great start and was up in second place behind Aprilia’s Max Biaggi for the first twelve laps before both riders were passed by American Ben Spies on the Yamaha who held the lead to take the win. Noriyuki and Max spent the last few laps battling for second and it was the Ducati Xerox rider who kept the pace to ride his 1198 to a second place finish, taking important championship points in the process. Unfortunately Michel Fabrizio had less success and after making up several places, from fourteenth to seventh, in the first seven laps, a technical problem meant that he had to deactivate the bike’s anti-spin, without which he suffered a fall. In Race 2 it was once again Noriyuki, Max and Ben who fought for the lead, with Ben ultimately winning and proving that he had the stronger package on track today. Noriyuki was determined to repeat his first race performance and finished once again ahead of Biaggi, replicating the podium of Race 1. Michel did not make the best start and was down in seventeenth place in the first lap. He tried to catch up as he did in the first race but the lack of rear grip forced him to stop in the garage where the rear tyre was changed. Michel exited once again and registered his fastest lap of the race but concluded his race early due to the two lap gap that had built up during his pit-stop. Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 – 2nd; Race 2 – 2nd) Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – DNF; Race 2 – DNF) — BMW BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus rode superbly in both the two 18-lap races in Doha today and earned themselves three top ten placings! Troy finished ninth in both races and Ruben took 13th in race one and followed that with a hard-fought for tenth in race two. Today’s tremendous results were all the more spectacular considering that Ruben and Troy had started the races from the fourth row of the grid after a problems in Superpole yesterday. But almost more special than the top ten finishes was the sight of Troy in fourth place after two laps of race two! The Aussie had blasted off the line superbly from 16th on the grid and stunned everybody by crossing the line in fifth place at the end of lap one. By lap two he had stormed into fourth – a position he held until lap four. Although he ended the race in ninth, his spell in fourth place made up for all the disappointment the past two days and gives Troy, Ruben and the whole team a tremendous boost before the next race in three week’s time. Troy – Race 1: 9th, Race 2: 9th Ruben – Race 1: 13th, Race 2: 10th Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director) — Triumph Team ParkinGo Be1 Racing is satisfied with today’s result, as Garry McCoy finishes seventh, after overtaking several riders. The Australian was involved in several melees in the first corner. As a consequence, he ended up in twentieth place. As the TV cameras focused on the ferocious battle at the front of the field, McCoy quietly demonstrated both his class and the Triumph’s speed by matching, and often surpassing, the pace of the podium men as he carved through to take seventh place by the final lap. Without the significant time penalty incurred in the first corner melee, McCoy could well have pushed for Triumph’s first world championship podium finish. Meanwhile, Nannelli had a solid ride to work his way into a points scoring position, only to make a mistake on the last lap and drop back to 19th at the flag. GARRY McCOY | Triumph Daytona 675 | 7th place: “I’m very satisifed with today’s race but not with the result. I finished the race at only 9 seconds from the winner. I know I could’ve fought for the podium if I hadn’t been hit at the first corner. Nevertheless, we’re getting better and better and I’m confident that very soon we’ll have great results. After today’s result I’m sure we’re going to score a podium in the near future”. GIANLUCA NANNELLI | Triumph Daytona 675 | 9th place: “What a disaster!!! I thought I would have a great race, unfortunately the start ruined it all. I went off track and lost a lot of time. I tried to recover, I knew I could do well. I recovered a few positions but I touched an opponent’s bike and went off track again. It’s a real pity. I really wanted to finish in the top 10. I hope to redeem myself in Valencia”. GIULIANO ROVELLI – TEAM MANAGER: “After such a race I am really pleased. Garry’s final result is very good but I’m especially happy with his performance. We’ve had the proof that we’ re quickly reaching the top teams’ level. Unfortunately, we’re not very lucky, we hope to redeem ourselves in the next round at Valencia. I also have to congratulate the entire team who have done a great job enabling Garry to pull off a spectacular recovery”. |
