Race Results
The weather was kind to the World Superbike
Championship today as the rain disappeared and the
sun came out while Haga and Corser took three
podiums between them; one on each step of the
podium.
Noriyuki Haga took the win in race
one and rounded it up with a second place in race
two, while Troy Corser finished third in the first
race and fifth in the second.
Race one started well for Haga as he
went from eighth to second in the first few laps.
Undeterred by the gap that Bayliss had created
between first and second, Haga just put his head
down and reduced the margin lap by lap until the two
riders were tire to tire on lap 14.
Haga made his move on the next lap
with a traditional Haga-style close pass and then
just kept going. He finished the race a clear
11 seconds ahead of the rest of the field; his
fourth win of the season.
Corser got off to a poor start in
race one, almost high-siding in the second corner,
and he slid back to ninth before turning the power
back on and making way up through the field again.
By lap eight he had made his way to fourth position
and was hunting down Biaggi 6.2 seconds ahead in
third. By lap 18 the gap had reduced to
nothing and Corser tried valiantly to pass Biaggi In
the end he had to settle for third as his tires wore
off.
The second race of the day got off
to a mixed start with Corser dropping to sixth and
Haga climbing to fifth. Haga wasted no time in
passing through the field to once again chase down
lead-man Bayliss. Corser meanwhile was
challenging Xaus for fifth; a challenge he won going
into the first turn. He then focused on
finding a way past Toseland for fourth place; a
battle which was to last the rest of the race with
the riders in the order in which they had begun.
By lap nine Haga and Bayliss were
dicing with each other and, on lap 14, a mistake by
Bayliss gave Haga the chance he was looking for and
he grabbed it to take the race lead. But, four
laps from the end Bayliss managed to get past Haga,
who was forced to settle for second.
Team Yamaha YZF rider Shinichi
Nakatomi had a good day’s racing taking 11th in race
one and 15th in race two. Race one was the
highlight of the day for the young Japanese rider
and he takes six points away with him.
Today’s results have boosted Haga’s
second place standing; he is now only 41 points
behind first with two rounds still to go.
Noriyuki Haga (1st and 2nd –
Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team): “I feel happy
with my result in both races today. The first
race was the perfect result; even though my tire
started to wear off I was able to take the win.
I made a minor suspension change for race two but
then didn’t get as good a start as I wanted because
of a small mistake."
"This meant I had to use more rear
tire during the race to chase and challenge Bayliss.
Towards the end the tire started sliding and I just
couldn’t keep up the pace with Troy."
"Today has reduced the margin on my
championship challenge; it has given me more
potential to win and I’m now feeling more focused
than ever and I’m going to push right to the end for
the title. I’d like to thank the team and
Öhlins for all their efforts in getting the bike
working right this weekend.”
Troy Corser (3rd and 5th –
Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team): “The first race
was pretty good, although I didn’t get off the line
very well and had to then work hard to get back up
the front. The bike was handling very well but
I just couldn’t get past Max for second place.
We made quite a few changes to the bike for the
second race and made some handling alterations.
It made an improvement and I was all over Toseland
in the corners."
"Overall I’m a bit disappointed with
my results because I was expecting better. The
chassis was really well this weekend and I’m
confident for the next race at Vallelunga.”
| 2007 World
Superbike - Lausitzring, Germany Race
Results |
| Pos. Rider Manu. Nat.
Total Time |
| Race 1 - 24 Laps |
| 1 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha
JPN 40'2.923 |
| 2 Max Biaggi Suzuki
ITA 0'11.007 |
| 3 Troy Corser Yamaha
AUS 0'11.628 |
| 4 Troy Bayliss Ducati
AUS 0'22.156 |
| 5 Roberto Rolfo Honda
ITA 0'26.082 |
| 6 Regis Laconi
Kawasaki FRA 0'26.381 |
| 7 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki
ESP 0'36.870 |
| 8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati
ITA 0'43.465 |
| 9 James Toseland Honda
GBR 0'44.258 |
| 10 Karl Muggeridge
Honda AUS 0'45.233 |
| 11 Shinichi Nakatomi
Yamaha JPN 0'52.553 |
| 12 Ruben Xaus Ducati
ESP 1'1.959 |
| 13 Jakub Smrz Ducati
CZE 1'17.989 |
| 14 Steve Martin Yamaha
AUS 1'19.224 |
| 15 Yoann Tiberio Honda
FRA 1'36.627 |
| |
| Race 2 - 24 Laps |
| Pos. Rider Manu. Nat.
Total Time |
| 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati
AUS 39'49.291 |
| 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha
JPN 0'1.353 |
| 3 Max Biaggi Suzuki
ITA 0'13.001 |
| 4 James Toseland Honda
GBR 0'14.641 |
| 5 Troy Corser Yamaha
AUS 0'15.210 |
| 6 Ruben Xaus Ducati
ESP 0'25.830 |
| 7 Roberto Rolfo Honda
ITA 0'29.752 |
| 8 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki
ESP 0'29.947 |
| 9 Max Neukirchner
Suzuki GER 0'30.552 |
| 10 Karl Muggeridge
Honda AUS 0'33.815 |
| 11 Regis Laconi
Kawasaki FRA 0'39.323 |
| 12 Lorenzo Lanzi
Ducati ITA 0'42.592 |
| 13 Michel Fabrizio
Honda ITA 0'50.755 |
| 14 Steve Martin Yamaha
AUS 0'53.598 |
| 15 Shinichi Nakatomi
Yamaha JPN 0'56.284 |
Qualifying
Lausitz Superpole - Clever Fonsi Foxes Field
Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse)
soared away early in a wet Superpole contest to
score the best lap time of 1’50.681 and thus secure
his first career Superpole.
He had gambled that the weather
conditions would worsen and as expected the rains
came down heavier and heavier after his hard first
lap push, destroying any chance of the following
riders beating his strong showing. In a day of
double joy for Kawasaki, Regis Laconi (PSG-1
Kawasaki Corse) took second fastest time, albeit
almost four seconds slower than his team-mate.
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was
third quickest in the session despite falling and
also running onto the gravel at a later stage, while
the 2005 champion Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia)
also secured a front row start in what were
frequently challenging conditions on the wet Lausitz
tarmac.
James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate
Honda) was one of the early fallers in Superpole,
caught out by a sudden cloudburst as the leaders
started out on slick tires on a dry track in the
first minutes. He recovered and scored a
second row start, in seventh.
He will be joined on row two by
Lausitz "rookie" Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra) who was fifth, with double faller Ruben Xaus
(Sterilgarda Ducati) sixth. Noriyuki Haga
(Yamaha Motor Italia) completed the front row,
ensuring that all the championship’s ‘big guns’ are
on the front two rows.
Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany)
rode to ninth place in Superpole, one up on one of
the session’s double fallers Roby Rolfo (Hannspree
Ten Kate Honda). The second factory Ducati of
Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) also slid into the
gravel in Superpole leaving the 2005 season Lausitz
race winner only 11th on the grid.
Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda)
overcame his own fall to ensure that he would finish
on row three. Austrian wild-card rider Martin
Bauer (Holzhauer Racing Promotion Honda) improved on
his pre Superpole 16th to go 13th in the 50-minute
Superpole session, while Karl Muggeridge (Alto
Evolution Honda) was 14th, after suffering two falls
- one of which dislocated his shoulder temporarily,
the other which took the tip off of a finger.
The plucky Aussie will line up on
row four for Sunday’s races. Shinichi Nakatomi
(Yamaha YZF Team) scored 15th place in Superpole,
while Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra)
did not complete one lap, and thus starts 16th on
the grid.
|
2007 World Superbike
Championship - Lausitzring, Germany |
| Superpole Qualifying -
September 8, 2007 |
|
1 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Kawasaki
ZX-10R 1'50.681 |
|
2 55 Laconi R. (FRA)
Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'54.559 |
|
3 21 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati
999 F07 1'55.196 |
|
4 11 Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha
YZF-R1 1'55.360 |
|
5 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Suzuki
GSX-R1000 K7 1'56.746 |
|
6 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati
999 F06 '57.271 |
|
7 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Honda
CBR1000RR 1'57.384 |
|
8 41 Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha
YZF-R1 1'57.782 |
|
9 76 Neukirchner M. (GER)
Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6 1'58.528 |
|
10 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda
CBR1000RR 1'59.127 |
|
11 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati
999 F07 2'01.899 |
|
12 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA)
Honda CBR1000RR 2'02.021 |
|
13 45 Bauer M. (AUT) Honda
CBR1000RR 2'02.197 |
|
14 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS)
Honda CBR1000RR 2'02.930 |
|
15 38 Nakatomi S. (JPN)
Yamaha YZF-R1 2'05.278 |
|
16 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN)
Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7 1'38.980 |
Race Preview
This weekend sees the return of the
World Superbike Championship after the traditional
summer break.
The Eurospeedway circuit is
Germany's youngest track and was built in Lausitz to
help rejuvenate the old mining area following the
closure of many coal pits.
Although the circuit was first
conceived in the 1980s building work didn't start
until 1998. Development of the circuit was
dogged by financial crises as well as local
petitions both for and against the track but it was
finally opened in August 2000 in front of an 110,000
strong crowd. The circuit is built on 370
hectares, which is almost twice the size of Monaco
and features seven different track layouts.
Yamaha Team Report
The Yamaha Motor Italia World
Superbike Team are fired up and raring to go.
With Noriyuki Haga in second place and 66 points
behind the current championship leader, the team has
worked hard during the weeks since the last round at
Brands Hatch to ensure that the fight for the title
will go right to the wire this weekend at the German
circuit in Lausitz.
Prior to the summer break, the
Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team claimed
three podium positions at Brands Hatch, with Haga
taking a second position finish while Troy Corser
took second and third. Yamaha also took their
150th World Superbike podium with Corser's race one
second place.
Corser's best result at Lausitz to
date is third, which he has achieved twice, but
following a few weeks rest he is determined to
improve on this result.
"It's been good to have a rest from
racing for a few weeks as it's given me time to get
some training in. I now feel a lot more
refreshed and am focused and raring to go for the
last three rounds," Corser says.
"Lausitz is quite a different track
to many of those on the calendar and I like it for
that reason. It's a bit like an American track
with the infield section and grandstands around the
outside. From a riding point of view it's
quite challenging for set-up and you also have quite
an unusual turn at the end of the straight where you
join the infield section," Corser says of the track.
"This weekend I'm going all-out to
win; I've gone well at Lausitz in the past and
Nori's previous results there show that the Yamaha
also goes well so it should be a good weekend."
Haga has an impressive previous form
at the German circuit with a pair of second places
last year and a second and a third in 2005, as well
as the fastest lap of both races that year, which
gave him his 25th fastest lap of his World Superbike
career.
"Last year was a difficult race for
me at Lausitz because I hurt my wrist there in the
last practice session on the Saturday. I'd
been doing some long runs and was on a final one
when I almost high-sided twice which sprained my
wrist. I had to have pain killing injections
for the race which, in my opinion, hampered my
results," Haga says looking back to last year's
race.
"Even though I got two second places
I feel I could've done better under other
circumstances. The bike was good then and it's
even better now so this weekend I'm determined for
the race win."
Talking about his riding style, Haga
says "During the summer rest period I've given much
thought to how I can improve my riding and I'm going
to be trying a slightly new riding style this
weekend to see if it has any effect. Don't
worry; the usual Haga-style will still be there
though!"
Suzuki Team Report
After a five-week break, Team Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra's Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama are refreshed
and ready for the 11th round of this year's
Superbike World Championship.
Both riders tested at the track in
June this year, so it will be one circuit that
Biaggi will not be seeing for the first time.
Kagayama took a superb win in the first race last
year and fourth in the second and will be hoping for
more of the same this year.
Max Biaggi: "Although I
have not raced at Lausitz, I tested here earlier
this year so at least I know which way the track
goes round! Although it's not a hugely
demanding circuit, it is a track where you need a
good rhythm if you are to lap quickly. So,
once again, a good set-up is important.
Getting a podium in the last round, at a circuit I
was racing at for the first time, was very important
for me."
"I have confidence in my own ability
and I always give 100% and I will be going to
Lausitz with the same attitude. If everything
goes well, there is no reason why I cannot take a
podium - though two would be better!"
Yukio Kagayama: "Last
year I had good results in Lausitz so I would like
some more of the same this year. The track is
OK, though it is not the most difficult track in the
calendar. It is mostly flat and there are some
slow corners and sometimes it can be a bit of a
one-line track."
"Because of the first chicane and
series of bends before the first long straight, it
is very important to get a good start. If you
don't, the first riders can pull out a gap and then
it's very hard to catch them up and challenge for
the lead. I want to be in the top three at the
start of both races and be fighting for the podium
places at the end."
|
 |
|
Lausitzring Race Circuit |
|
|
Lausitzring Track Data
Track length: 4265m
Track opened: 2000
2006 World Superbike winners: Kagayama
(Suzuki), Toseland (Honda)
2006 World Superbike fastest lap: 1'38.635 (Bayliss,
Ducati)
World Superbike lap record: 1'37.623 (Bayliss,
Ducati, 2006)
Circuit tel: +49 (0) 357 543 1110
Circuit website: www.eurospeedway.de
|
|
2007 World Supersport
This weekend also sees the season resume for the
Yamaha World Supersport Team and Parkes is joined
once again by Tommy Hill following his good
performance and fifth place finish at Brands last
month.
The star of the Brands weekend,
though, was Parkes who took his first victory of the
season which puts him in fifth championship place
going into the 11th of 13 rounds.
The team actually returned from
their summer break last week when they attended a
test at Magny-Cours. Despite wet weather
hampering the test, the team gained some good data
and set-up options in addition to brushing away the
cobwebs in anticipation of the start of the final
push to the season finale.
Parkes didn't race at Lausitz last
year due injury sustained in a crash at Assen but he
took second in 2005, proving his capability on the
R6 at this circuit. This weekend he will be
looking for a good result, not least because the
German round is the home round for the Yamaha World
Supersport Team.
"Although I didn't race at Lausitz
last year because of my Assen crash I've normally
had good results at this circuit, including when I
rode in World Superbike here in 2001 and 2002.
The track is good; it's very technical and demanding
because the corners are pretty tight and there
aren't a lot of straights. It's also quite a
tough track for hard braking," Parkes says.
"Brands was a real boost to my
confidence and, with good results also in the last
three races, I'm looking to get some more wins
before the end of the season and I'll be working
towards one this weekend."
This weekend's race comes hot on the
heels of Yamaha's announcement of their WSS rider
line up for 2008. Parkes will continue to ride
the R6 for the Yamaha World Supersport team and will
be joined by Fabien Foret for next season.
"I'm really excited to be staying
with the team for a fourth year," Parkes says. "I'm
getting back to peak fitness following my accident
at Donington earlier this season and I'm getting to
the point where I wanted to be originally. I
really like the team and am positive I can do a good
job for them next year. Foret is a strong team mate
to have and it'll be good to have two of us in the
team who can push the bike's development even
further."
Tommy Hill is reunited with Parkes
for this weekend; his second race partnering the
Australian in the Yamaha World Supersport Team.
Hill's first appearance with the team was last month
at his home track in the UK where he brought the
bike home in a credible fifth position. Tommy
has been drafted in from the Yamaha Virgin Media
Optima Loans British Superbike Team for this
weekend's race following a good test session with
the team last week at Magny-Cours.
"I've never been to the Lausitz
circuit before so it's not going to be easy this
weekend. I need to get to know the track
before I can start to focus on my times but I learnt
the Magny-Cours circuit quite quickly last week and
the team say that circuit is harder than this one so
I'm hopeful of being able to put in some good times
by the second practice session," Hill says.
"I'm looking forward to working with
the team again - they are so professional and good
to work with. I'm also keen to get back on the
R6 again. I want to be on the podium this
weekend and right now I don't see why I shouldn't
be."
As a point of note Jason O'Halloran
recently took the Australian Supersport Title.
19-year old Jason was a guest rider for the Yamaha
World Supersport Team in Brno in July, where he
finished a credible 12th.
FIM Superstock 1000 Cup
Brands Hatch provided a dramatic race for the Yamaha
Superstock riders with Corti taking third after a
race-long battle for all three podium positions
while Van Keymeulen was forced to retire after
running wide off the track. Umbria Bike rider
Matteo Baiocco maintained his championship lead
despite finishing fourth and Corti's team mate,
Pirro, struggled with some arm pain, eventually
finishing in ninth.
This weekend Baiocco will be looking
to increase his 12-point lead but he will have to
watch out for Corti and Van Keymeulen, who won at
Lausitz in 2006 and 2005 respectively. Pirro
is hoping to have resolved his arm-pump issues in
order to return to this season's previously good
form. With only 51 points between Pirro in
seventh and lead-man Baiocco, he is certain to be
keen to finish on the podium in Germany.
