WSB Silverstone Race
TROY BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) MAKES IT SEVEN WINS ON
THE RUN IN SILVERSTONE WORLD SUPERBIKE
Silverstone (UK), Sunday 28 May: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox)
made it seven wins on the run in the European Round of the
World Superbike Championship at Silverstone with his third
successive double victory this season. With his closest rival
Troy Corser (Suzuki) picking up a DNF and a sixth place, the
37 year-old Australian now has a lead of 76 points in the
championship with seven rounds still remaining. Japan's Noriyuki
Haga and Britain's James Toseland both offered stiff opposition
to today and the Yamaha and the Honda rider twice finished
behind the Australian to make up identical podiums.
"In 2002 I was lucky enough to win six in a row and
I was thinking about that before this weekend but on Friday
and Saturday I was throwing myself down the road getting sorer
and sorer and I thought it was maybe a good time just to get
some points, but racing changes your view of things,"
commented Troy. "I saw Corser crash in the first race
and so I decided to make the most of the situation and not
give in to Nori today. I really fought hard for the wins and
that makes a good difference in the points for me against
Corser. After the first race we tried a softer tyre and changed
the suspension a bit, my main man Ernesto Marinelli did a
great job and I could ride the bike half-a-second faster in
the race. I feel sure that if we had gone with the same tyre
it would have been much harder so a big thanks to him and
all the guys in the team. Now we go on to Misano, where my
999's gone pretty well in testing, so I'm confident for that
race as well."
Lorenzo Lanzi had a difficult weekend from Friday onwards
and the young Italian was unable to do better than a thirteenth
and a sixteenth place in the two races.
"For race 2 we fitted a slightly softer rear tyre like
Troy but I didn't like it very much and I went slower than
in race 1," declared Lorenzo. "However unfortunately
everything about my race performance was due to the start
and the bumping and barging at the first corner. I even passed
the line on lap 1 next to last. You can't pretend to win races
that way. In the first race I was lucky because I managed
to stay upright after the incident at the first corner. At
Misano Adriatico for sure we will work hard to start further
up the grid because if you want to get good results you have
to start up at the front. The most important thing is to try
and get the first two rows in Superpole, which at least gives
you the chance of getting good results."
RACE 1: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 2. Haga
(Yamaha); 3. Toseland (Honda); 4. Xaus (Ducati); 5. Pitt (Yamaha);
6. Walker (Kawasaki); 7. Laconi (Kawasaki); 8. Muggeridge
(Honda). RACE 2: 1. Bayliss; 2. Haga; 3. Toseland; 4. Pitt;
5. Barros (Honda); 6. Corser (Suzuki); 7. Xaus; 8. Walker.
POINTS (after 5 of 12 rounds): Riders -
1. Bayliss 225; 2. Corser 149; 3. Haga 133; 4. Toseland 129;
5. Barros 113; 6. Pitt 103; 7. Lanzi 62; 8. Xaus 56; etc.
Manufacturers - 1. Ducati 226; 2. Suzuki 161; 3. Honda 156;
4. Yamaha 153; 5. Kawasaki 75; 6. Petronas 4.
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