Round 12, Vallelunga, Italy
Sunday 30th September
Circuit: 4.110 kms. Crowd: 80,000 (weekend) Conditions: Dry,
mostly sunny 16C.
MAX WINS AT HOME!
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi won the
first race at Vallelunga today, much to the delight of his
legions of fans who had packed the 4.110 kilometre circuit.
He then followed that up with a hard-fought for runner-up
spot in race two and now moves into second place in the championship,
29 points behind series leader James Toseland. Max overtook
Bayliss after three laps of the first race and then immediately
began to extend his lead lap by lap. He took the chequered
flag by a comfortable margin, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) second,
Toseland third, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) fourth, Michel Fabrizio
(Honda) fifth and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) sixth.
In race two, Max once again battled Bayliss for the lead and
looked as if he was going to pass the Australian at the two-thirds
distance mark, but he ran wide at one of the turns and lost
ground. That was the breathing space Bayliss needed. Although
Max charged back at Bayliss, the gap was too great and he
was forced to settle for second place. Third went to Haga,
ahead of Troy Corser (Yamaha), Roby Rolfo (Honda) and Ruben
Xaus (Ducati). Series leader Toseland crashed in race two,
but remounted and finished 11th. Max’s team mate Yukio
Kagayama was unable to race today, due to pain in his right
hand and knee - the result of his crash in Lausitz two weeks
ago.
Max Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 2nd
Winning the first race here in front of my home fans is an
incredible feeling. It’s been a long time since I raced
at Vallelunga, but the last time I was here, I won! So it’s
good to come back with a win. It took me a few laps to get
going in race one, but once I got past Bayliss and into the
lead, I was able to run at my own pace. I kept an eye on my
pitboard and ran consistent laps and that was good enough
to take the win. Winning a race is always special, but to
win at your ‘home’ track in front of your own
fans is even more special.
Race two was very difficult race. There was a lot of cement
dust on the track after an oil spillage in the race before.
In some places there was so much dust flying around that it
got on to my visor and it was hard to see where I was going!
We all settled into the race after a few laps and I caught
Bayliss and was ready to make my move. But, in one turn, I
nearly hit him and avoiding him I ran a bit wide. That was
the key moment of the race, because it gave him a bit of a
gap. My tyres were spinning a bit, maybe because of the higher
temperatures, but it was the same for everybody. I am a little
disappointed because I really want to win both races today
- for myself, my team and all the fans.
Yukio DNS
I knew this morning that it would not be possible to race
in my condition, so I made the decision before the warm-up.
It’s a big shame because I wanted to race, but not if
I would be a danger to the other riders or if I could not
ride safely. My injuries need time to heal up, so I am not
sure about Magny-Cours next weekend. I will see how it all
feels in the first day of qualifying and then make up my mind.
Results
Race 1: 1 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra), 2 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 3 Toseland (GB-Honda), 4 Haga
(J-Yamaha), 5 Fabrizio (I-Honda), 6 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 7 Laconi
(F-Kawasaki), 8 Nieto (E-Kawasaki), 9 Nakatomi (J-Yamaha),
10 Iannuzzo (I-Kawasaki),
Race 2: 1 Bayliss, 2 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare
Suzuki Corona Extra), 3 Haga, 4 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 5 Rolfo
(I-Honda), 6 Xaus (E-Ducati), 7 Lanzi, 8 Nieto, 9 Nakatomi,
10 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki),
Points: 1 Toseland 396, 2 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare
Suzuki Corona Extra) 367, 3 Haga 363, 4 Bayliss 341, 5 Corser
267, 6 Lanzi 192, 7 Xaus 187, 8 Rolfo 177, 9 Neukirchner 136,
10 Fabrizio 123, 12 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra) 116,
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