2006 Superbike World Championship Round 11, Imola, Italy
Circuit: 4.959 kms. Crowd: 86,500. Weather: Dry, mostly sunny
27-28 C.
Sunday 1st October
DISAPPOINTMENT FOR MAX!
It was a disappointing Imola for Team Alstare Engineering
Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner, who left the Italian circuit
with no points after two DNFs. A crash on the opening lap
of race one, which resulted in his bike taking out Alstare
Suzuki Corona Extra’s Yukio Kagayama, was followed by
a tumble after twelve laps of race two.
The first race was won by Alex Barros (Honda), with James
Toseland (Honda) second and Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) third. Pitt
led the early stages of the race before being passed by Bayliss
(Ducati), Toseland, Haga (Yamaha) and Barros - all on the
same lap. Barros charged to the front on lap twelve and from
then on in was never headed on his way to his first ever WSBK
win. Bayliss finished fifth and that was enough to take the
2006 title.
In race two, Bayliss took the win he and the huge partisan
crowd wanted so much - with Barros runner-up and Kagayama
third.
MAX
I am very disappointed today, especially after such a good
Superpole. I do not know what happened in the first crash,
because I braked at the same point I had used through qualifying
, but this time I just crashed! Unfortunately my bike took
out my fellow Alstare rider Kagayama and I’m sorry about
that.
My second race was a slow-speed crash at Tosa. This time I
just lost the front and down I went. It’s not a good
feeling to have two crashes on the same day and the only good
news, if there is some, is that I didn’t hurt myself.
On a positive note, every time I get on the bike, I learn
some more, so I hope I’ll be able to learn a lot more
at Magny-Cours next weekend.
Results
Race 1: 1 Barros (Bra-Honda), 2 Toseland (Honda ), 3 Pitt
(Yamaha), 4 Haga (Yamaha), 5 Bayliss (Ducati), 6 Lanzi (Ducati),
7 Nieto -(Kawasaki),8 Muggeridge (Honda), 9 Abe (Yamaha),
10 Laconi (Kawasaki), Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Engineering
Corona Extra) DNF,
Race 2: 1 Bayliss, 2 Barros, 3 Kagyama (J-Alstare
Suzuki Corona Extra), 4 Pitt, 5 Toseland, 6 Haga, 7 Lanzi
(I-Ducati), 8 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 9 Corser (Aus-Alstare
Suzuki Corona Extra), 10 Laconi (I-Kawasaki), Max Neukirchner
(D-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) DNF,
Points
1 Bayliss 393, 2 Toseland 295, 3 Haga 293, 4 Pitt 239, 5 Barros
231, 6 Corser 218, 7 Kagayama 193, 8 Lanzi 152, 9 Walker 140,
10 Nieto 139, 18 Max Neukirchner 22,
|
