Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) won both
races at the Valencia round of the 2006
World Superbike championship on April
23.
The two Aussie Troys -- Bayliss and
Corser -- had the race pretty much to
themselves in two epic battles not seen
for some time in World Superbike.
The revitalization of the Japanese
brands, Ducati and even the Pirelli spec
tires have all come together this year
to provide a great spectacle with superb
racing.
While Bayliss held on to a slim lead
in both races, World Superbike Champion
Troy Corser raced his Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra GSX-R1000 to two second
places, giving him enough points to stay
in contention. And to make things
even more interesting, Ducati Xerox
rider Lorenzo Lanzi scored his first
World Superbike points by also doubling
in third place.
He led Troy Bayliss (Ducati) for the
best part of the two 23-lappers but had
to give way to his fellow countryman in
the closing stages both times. But team
mate Yukio Kagayama had a weekend to
forget: After his concussion yesterday
and badly bruised right hand, he was far
from fit but battled hard in the opening
race for a well-deserved sixth place.
The second race was following a similar
pattern until he lost the front going
into the first hairpin and crashed out. Fortunately he didn’t do any further
damage to his right hand but hurt his
right leg in the process.
Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider
Fabien Foret scored his first points of
the season with a 15th in race one and a
13th in race two.
The Sports Car Racing Association of
the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP)
announced last week that the Yamaha
Motor Corporation has extended its
partnership with Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca, an agreement that will ensure its
support of the facility through 2010.
A "Proud Sponsor of the Red Bull U.S.
Grand Prix", Yamaha has contributed a
significant portion of the $7 million in
safety modifications and improvements
carried out this year at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca. This comes off the
back of 2 million dollars worth of
changes contributed to by Yamaha that
allowed the MotoGP World Championship to
return to the United States and Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca in 2005.
The 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix was
the largest event in the 50-year history
of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with a
weekend attendance of 153,563.
"After the success of last year's
event, we all jumped at the opportunity
to continue our relationship with SCRAMP,"
said Bob Starr, Corporate Communications
Manager of Yamaha Motor Corporation.
"The funds will ultimately be used to
improve rider safety and ensure everyone
will enjoy MotoGP racing here in the
U.S. for years to come."
The Yamaha Marketplace, the
well-known and highly attended vendor
area located in the lakebed area of
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, will also
continue to operate through to 2010. The
Yamaha Marketplace contains vendors
representing all areas of motorsports,
motor sport memorabilia, motorcycling
and motorcycling accessories. The
Yamaha Marketplace also received
significant expansion in 2006, allowing
more areas for fans and will also
include an 8,000 square foot official
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca souvenir
superstore during the Red Bull U.S.
Grand Prix.
"Without Yamaha's initial involvement
with SCRAMP, there would not have been a
Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca," said Gill
Campbell, CEO/General Manager of Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca. "To know that
Yamaha was willing to step to the plate
and continue that support through 2010
allows us to continue to host the MotoGP
World Championship for the foreseeable
future and keep Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca among the world's premier racing
facilities."
The 2006 U.S. MotoGP 2006 race at
Laguna Seca will take place on July
23rd.
*Yamaha RD56, 1965
-
This model was a further evolution of the
RD48 that debuted in 1962. The engine was
fitted with a pump-operated forced
lubrication mechanism that was the
predecessor to Yamaha's Autolube system. The
chassis was also redesigned with a
feather-bed type frame and new strengthened
suspensions front and rear.
With these
improvements it was such a frequent winner
in domestic and international races that the
RD56 came to be called the "world's fastest
250cc racer". A dominant force in the 250cc
class of the World GP, Phil Read rode it to
successive rider and manufacturer World
Championship titles in 1964 and '65,
spreading the Yamaha name worldwide.
Engine type: Air-cooled 2-stroke 2-cylinder
249cc
Maximum power output: Over 50ps/11,000rpm
