2009 World Superbike Round 5 - Monza, Italy

Max Neukirchner, Suzuki World Superbike Team
Photos and text: Ducati Corse, World Superbike, Suzuki Racing and Yamaha Racing.

Fabrizio's First Win at Monza

The Italian public were witness to a race that finished in the best possible way for the Ducati Xerox Team at the Italian circuit of Monza on Mother's Day.

Michel Fabrizio took his first ever Superbike win and his team-mate Noriyuki Haga followed him across the line to take second, after Ben Spies, who was leading into the Parabolica, ran out of fuel. 

Haga did not have such a fortunate time in Race 2 but Fabrizio again returned to the podium, this time in second, concluding his most successful Superbike weekend yet.

Race 1 was spectacular right from the opening seconds as, immediately after the start an accident occurred involving several riders as they rode through the first curve, necessitating a red flag and a restart. 

Up and coming Max Neukirchner unfortunately broke his right femur and suffered three broken bones in the lower leg and foot during the accident.

Nearly an hour later the race began again and both the Ducati riders got off to a flying start.  For the first four laps, the Ducatis led the race in first and second place respectively.  They were then passed during the fifth lap by an ever faster Ben Spies, yet they were able to hold second and third, both doing their utmost to catch the American rider.

Having closed the gap significantly by the last couple of laps, neither rider expected that Spies’ bike would come to a stop just short of the finishing line, allowing Michel to cross the line first, followed two tenths of a second later by his team-mate Noriyuki.

In Raced 2 both Ducati Xerox riders made another strong start with Noriyuki in the lead after the first corner but at the very next bend he was hit by a bird that caused an immediate loss of sensation in his right arm.

He continued on for another lap despite having lost many positions but the blow that he had taken was so strong that he was unable to brake at the Parabolica causing him to come off the bike.  The ensuing battle between Fabrizio and Kiyonari allowed Spies to increase his lead, but Michel was not giving up and won the battle with the Japanese rider to finish once again on the Monza podium, this time in second place.

The doctors of the Clinica Mobile saw Noriyuki immediately after his accident and Doctor Corbascio declared that Nori has suffered from a severe contusion to his right bicep, but that there are no fractures, just a laceration of the muscle.

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – winner, Race 2 – 2nd):  “I am so happy with today’s results.  It’s gone well all weekend so I knew I had the chance to fight for the win and at last I’ve done it!  Midway through race one I was having trouble with the gears, especially when Ben passed me, but I didn’t give up and fought till the end.

It’s a shame for Ben that the race finished as it did because it makes mine a bit of a false win but I’m very pleased of course.  Race 2?  Well Ben deserved the win in the first race so I’m pleased he took it instead in Race 2.  I had to ride the second bike in Race 2 and for some reason I found it tricky at the start, I didn’t have a great feeling and couldn’t push but after a few laps I just concentrated on reaching the podium again and then it became easier.

I thank my whole team for giving me such a fantastic bike this weekend. The double win I’ll leave for the next race!”

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 – 2nd, Race 2 - DNF):  “Right at the start of Race 2 I was hit by a bird on my right arm; it hurt a lot and I lost all sensation, with strong pain and pins and needles in my right arm and hand.  I tried to continue to race but it was too difficult to ride and as a result I unfortunately fell.

Yes it hurts but I should be back in top shape very soon.  Race 1 went much better for me of course and I really enjoyed the racing against Ben and Michel.  I though at the end that I would surely end third but then Ben’s bike stopped so close to the finish line and I finished in second as a result.

I’m sorry for him as he deserved the win and this year me and him will continue to battle it out.  Despite the Race 2 result I still hold a 54 point advantage and so I’m satisfied with that.”

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (15th, 1st):  "Race one was a tough pill to swallow, it was a hard one to get by but that's racing I guess.  Race two I had a clear strategy and made sure I got into a really good rhythm in the first 12 to 14 laps to build a safety buffer.

Obviously we had a problem at the end of race one which I didn't want to repeat so slowed a bit there and short shifted a bit to make sure everything was good to the end.  The bike was good and could have run fast times all the way through but I wanted to make sure we got this one in the bag.

The Yamaha team did great regrouping after race one and me too I think! Hopefully we can keep going and improving from here.  I want to say congratulations for Michel in race one, but I couldn't give it to him so easily in race two."

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Spies Makes it 5 in a Row at Monza

The World Superbike Championship is gearing up for round five this weekend at the legendary circuit of Monza in Italy. 

The Monza circuit, built in 1922 is now the oldest European circuit to still be used regularly and is steeped in tradition.

Ben Spies comes to Monza still second in the championship on 120 points, chasing leader Noriyuki Haga with a 60 point deficit and looking to close the gap. 

Spies' Team-mate Tom Sykes arrives at the Italian circuit in confident mood having consistently improved over the season and taken good points away from both races at Assen. As the British rider gets more familiar with the new 2009 R1, podium finishes are looking inevitable. He currently sits sixth in the standings on 70 points, leading Max Biaggi by 15 points.

Spies is philosophical following a mix weekend's action at Assen, "Assen was a really mixed bag," he stated.  "During the first race I didn't have the same feeling I'd had all weekend on the bike and had to ride really hard through it.  The second race felt really good but I made a small mistake, I barely touched the grass going in to turn one and lost it.

"Now we're moving on to Monza and I'm going to ride as hard as I can as always.  There will be a lot of family and friends there so I'm going to give it everything I've got and still try to have some fun.  We've made a couple of mistakes this year in the championship but it's still there for the taking, just a bit further off."

"Hopefully both Tom and I will have a good weekend and we can fight with Nori for some points.  The circuit is awesome, having tested here I can see why it's so special so I'm really excited about turning the wheels on race day and really experiencing it."

Spies on Pole Once More
To the delight of The Yamaha World Superbike Team's home crowd rider Ben Spies effortlessly rode his R1 to take an incredible fifth consecutive Superpole of the year, again breaking the lap record in the process.

Having spent the two qualifying sessions fine tuning his set up for race day, Spies took it relatively easy for the first two Superpole heats, ensuring he made it through to the final eight without using a qualifier tire.

As the final heat started, out came the new Pirelli qualifier tire with its distinctive yellow stripe, and the lap time tumbled as Spies displayed what is now becoming almost expected, a scorching Superpole lap and a new lap record.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st, 1'44.073):  "It's been really good here at Monza this weekend.  The approach has been a bit different, we've kind of tried to sneak up on everyone and been working really hard on the race setup through the sessions.

We've been working quietly away in the garage and I think the bike is going to be really good in the race.  I really wanted to get this one for Yamaha on their home track so it was great to be able to take the Superpole for the team.  It looks like it could be a bit of a dogfight tomorrow, hopefully we'll have some guys up there to mix it up and shake up the points a little bit."

Technically Speaking - Monza
by Tom Houseworth (Crew chief for Ben Spies)

"Monza is one of the tracks where we have a couple days of testing under our belt so it's a more familiar circuit to some of the others so far.  The time we had there was very important as now we have what we think is a good base set up to start the weekend on our Yamaha R1.

Gearing, which is critical on the circuit, should be very close and geometry and overall setup should be in the ballpark according to our data and the lap times Ben ran at the test.

The track is quite a bit different than the last round at Assen, with long straights and chicanes connecting them although surprisingly the settings are not that far from the Assen settings with just some tweaks here and there.  To race well here stability on the brakes is very important as well as having the bike transition well.

It should make for interesting racing as the ability to draft on the straights may allow quite a few guys to swap the lead in the race.

In terms of setting up in practice we're going to try doing things just a bit differently this time, both bikes will start with the same basic setup and we'll try both and see if there is any difference.

If we are close on the settings we'll chose the bike Ben is most comfortable on and fine tune from there.  We are hopeful everything is close and the feeling is there so we can start looking at race rubber early and be able to adjust for track temp and conditions.

Once this looks good we'll do any fine tuning with the traction control and be ready for Sunday.  Of course we want to be near the front; we'll see how it goes! It should be a fun weekend as it's the home race for the team and almost everyone will have friends and family there as well."

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