Corser goes third after dramatic Brno races
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) moved from fourth
to third in the championship standings after securing a second
and a fourth place finish at Brno, as his team-mate Noriyuki
Haga rode with all his spirit and skill to take sixth in race
one and salvage a seventh from a pitlane start in race two.
Corser was on top form once more on raceday and in the 500th
World Superbike race, the 13 points he took for his race two
fourth place put him into overall third place in the championship,
12 points behind Max Neukirchner and 91 behind today's double
race winner, Troy Bayliss. Each race saw Corser lead and fight
for the podiums, for Haga Brno was a hard fought battle with
two brilliant displays of riding to overcome firstly a third
row grid position, and then a start from the pitlane.
In the first 20-lap race Corser contested the win until the
final few laps, when eventual winner Troy Bayliss had taken
a lead Corser could not make up, and he had to settle for
second. Haga kept his championship points score on the move
with a sixth place finish, moving through the field from 12th
grid position.
In race two Corser's rear tyre spun on the wheel rim, and
that caused an out-of-balance vibration that stopped him from
taking his second podium of the day and a chance of his first
race victory for Yamaha. Haga had a problem with his machine
on the sighting lap and had to start the second race from
pitlane, slicing through the pack to secure a top seven finish.
Haga remains fifth in the championship standings, with a
total of 210 points to Bayliss' 309. The battle for second
place right now features four riders all separated by only
20 points.
Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) was
a superb 12th in race one at what is his favourite track,
but neither David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) nor Sebastien Gimbert
(Yamaha GMT94) finished the race, with Gimbert taken to the
medical centre for checks. In race two Nakatomi was 15th,
Checa was 16th and Gimbert, who was declared fit to ride again,
was a retiree in pitlane.
Troy Corser (2nd and 4th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB
Team)
"In race one I was reasonably happy and the bike was
working well for the first half of the race. The rear tyre
just dropped off a little bit and we lost a few tenths after
that. When Troy came past I tried to go with him but he had
a bit more grip coming off the corners. But other than that
we were pretty even. I pushed as hard as I could to stay with
him but was careful not to throw away second. In race two
we had a problem from about lap four or five. As has happened
in the past we have spun the tyre on the rim and there was
a vibration through the bike in every part of the track. From
then on it was a case of just holding on to see where we ended
up. I kept looking back to see who was behind and just kept
pushing as much as I could. If the tyre had not have spun
on the rim then we would have been up the front. It's just
disappointing because I was feeling good and the bike was
good. We moved up to third today, which is a positive thing,
but it could have been much better."
Noriyuki Haga (6th and 7th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB
Team)
"In race one my qualifying position did not help me,
but I caught up to pass Neukirchner at the end and got some
points. I'm not sure what was the problem with the bike in
race two but the engine was not working right and I had to
swap my bike. We swapped some settings from race one to race
two on that spare bike and it worked quite well. I enjoyed
the race because I had to make many passes, which was very
exciting. I hope from this point on we can work in a good
direction until the end of the year and improve our championship
position."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia
WSB Team)
"Troy rode very well today and took a podium finish that
puts him third in the championship. So it is good news that
he has moved up the rankings even if he had a problems in
race two. There is nothing obviously wrong with Nori's bike
in race two, we will find out in the workshop, and he rode
really well from a start in pitlane, passing many riders because
his race pace was very good. With a normal start he would
be in front."
Shinichi Nakatomi (12th and 15th - Team YZF Yamaha)
"For me today race one was best. I like Brno very much
to ride on and enjoyed the race very much. I found the second
race to be harder but still enjoyed it and was happy with
my result."
Circuit Length: 5403
Temp: 25
Crowd: 63000
Weather: Hot and Sunny
2008 WSB Czech Republic - Brno 20/07/2008
Race 1 - 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 40'22.724
2 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'1.468
3 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'3.272
4 Max Biaggi Ducati ITA 0'3.475
5 Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda JPN 0'3.791
6 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'9.120
7 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'9.358
8 Carlos Checa Honda ESP 0'11.787
9 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'17.228
10 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 0'17.705
11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'22.347
12 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'25.563
13 Niccolo Canepa Ducati ITA 0'25.699
14 Fonsi Nieto Suzuki ESP 0'34.064
15 Gregorio Lavilla Honda ESP 0'36.545
Race 2 - 20 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 40'16.436
2 Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 0'0.928
3 Max Biaggi Ducati ITA 0'1.259
4 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'1.785
5 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'3.942
6 Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda JPN 0'7.910
7 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'11.297
8 Fonsi Nieto Suzuki ESP 0'11.375
9 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'13.103
10 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 0'18.978
11 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'19.106
12 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'20.556
13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'21.775
14 Gregorio Lavilla Honda ESP 0'26.372
15 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'26.922
16 David Checa Yamaha ESP 0'27.109
Best Lap
Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 2'0.298
Rider Standings 20/07/2008
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 309
2. Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 230
3. Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 218
4. Carlos Checa Honda ESP 215
5. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 210
6. Fonsi Nieto Suzuki ESP 161
7. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 148
8. Michel Fabrizio Ducati ITA 147
9. Max Biaggi Ducati ITA 146
10. Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda JPN 115
11. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 96
12. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 83
13. Gregorio Lavilla Honda ESP 78
14. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 77
15. Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 64
19. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 29
23. David Checa Yamaha ESP 7
24. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 7
Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Ducati 373
2. Yamaha 317
3. Suzuki 277
4. Honda 247
5. Kawasaki 64
RACE REPORT 20/07/2008
Parkes fourth in tight Brno race
Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) fought hard for
a podium finish at Brno but had to settle for a fourth place,
and third in the championship standings overall.
Parkes did not get his customary strong start from pole position,
dropping back to 7th in the pack at the start of the race.
He then had to expend energy in the early laps making up places
to make sure he was in contention near the end. Parkes was
unable to jump out of corners with the same sharpness that
had helped him to his fifth pole position in a row after qualifying
on Saturday, and was unable to attack in the final few laps.
The race was won by Jonathan Rea, from Andrew Pitt and Josh
Brookes.
In the championship standings Broc is now third, on 100 points
with Pitt on 133, Brookes 101 and Broc's injured team-mate,
Fabien Foret, on 97.
Parkes' team-mate Fabien Foret remains in Hospital under
observation following a crash on Friday which left him with
cracks in his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He is due to be released
shortly but will be out of action for up to three months.
The Yamaha World Supersport Team are currently considering
alternative riders whilst Foret is recovering.
Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by
Leoni) got into the top ten after a disappointing
qualifying session yesterday and now sits inside the top ten
in the championship standings, ninth on 40 points. David Salom
(Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) held on for the race
to score the final point on offer for 15th position.
Broc Parkes (4th - Yamaha World Supersport Team)
"I'm not too happy really. I felt I couldn't battle with
other riders today, in the exits of the corners the other
riders pulled a bit on me. My start wasn't too good either
but I was with the front guys anyway after a few laps. When
I got back right to the front group I couldn't fight for the
win. I was hoping for a podium on the last lap but I was on
the limit, so I was done."
Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport
Team)
"We had some problems with the rear tyre during the warm-up,
but we solved those and we decided to stay with the gearing
we had because it helped the tyre wear. But after the race
it is always easy to say we should have done something different.
The pace was OK but on braking Broc could not pass. It was
our plan to follow the top group anyway but then you have
to be able to pass at the end of the race."
Massimo Roccoli (10th - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini
by Leoni)
"Today it was a very good race because the bike was very
fast, the settings were OK the grip was good. For me qualifying
was terrible and I am sorry for the team because they had
to work really hard over these three days. Next Sunday in
Misano there will be some Italian championship races, and
that will let me prepare my mind for Brands Hatch."
Circuit Length: 5403
Temp: 25
Weather: Hot and Sunny
2008 WSS Czech Republic - Brno 20/07/2008
Race 1 - 18 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 37'35.093
2 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 0'0.020
3 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'1.433
4 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 0'1.853
5 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'2.237
6 Gianluca Nannelli Honda ITA 0'12.032
7 Russell Holland Honda AUS 0'12.221
8 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 0'12.787
9 Vesa Kallio Honda FIN 0'15.334
10 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'15.780
11 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 0'23.645
12 Gianluca Vizziello Honda ITA 0'23.758
13 Ivan Clementi Triumph ITA 0'24.074
14 Didier Van Keymeulen Suzuki BEL 0'24.621
15 David Salom Yamaha ESP 0'26.866
Best Lap
Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 2'4.062
Rider Standings 20/07/2008
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 133
2. Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 101
3. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 100
4. Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 97
5. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 92
6. Joan Lascorz Honda ESP 81
7. Craig Jones Honda GBR 80
8. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 50
9. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 40
10. Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 38
11. Gianluca Vizziello Honda ITA 37
12. Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 36
13. Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 36
14. Gianluca Nannelli Honda ITA 33
15. Ivan Clementi Triumph ITA 21
23. David Salom Yamaha ESP 9
Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Honda 190
2. Yamaha 138
3. Triumph 51
4. Suzuki 47
5. Kawasaki 40
RACE REPORT 20/07/2008
Pirro sixth after Brno Superstock battle
Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) was the top scoring
Yamaha rider in the 12-lap Superstock 1000 Cup event, as he
took sixth in a lonely race after a bright start.
Pirro is now fifth in the championship table on 73 points,
23 points from new leader Brendan Roberts. Brno race winner
Maxime Berger was away and clear after Xavier Simeon enjoyed
an early lead, with Roberts an eventual second, from Alessandro
Polita.
Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team)
ran off track at high speed and skillfully remained on his
machine to bring it to a safe halt , but found damage to his
bike that stopped him continuing. He scored no points, and
is now 12th overall, on 25 points.
Michelle Pirro (6th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini
by Leoni)
"3rd 4th laps were ok but eventually the tyres began
to go and it was impossible to turn properly in the corners
and get on the power at the same time"
Claudio Corti (12th - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team)
"we were ok for the set up and ready to battle for the
victory. The podium was possible today. Unfortunately the
engine lost a screw and leaked oil causing me to go off. "
Baz still leads after Brno podium finish
Loris Baz was close to another win in the European Superstock
600 race at Brno, but a loss of front tyre grip in the last
lap stopped him from being able to mount a successful last
corner challenge on winner Patrick Vostarek. Baz is still
in the overall championship lead, on 117 points to Vostarek's
110. More good news came in a race where Five Yamaha machines
filled the top six places, as Gino Rea held of his team-mate
Dan Linfoot to secure a podium finish in third. Such was the
pace of the front two that Rea was 16 seconds down on Baz
at the end of only nine laps, and the lap record was beaten
by two and a half seconds.
Loris Baz (12th - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team)
"I tried my best to win but in the last couple of laps
the front end was tucking under and I had a few slides, so
I could not push any more to pass Vostarek. Our bike was good
up the hill and it was a close race. We still have the lead
in the series, which is the most important thing."
Circuit Length: 5403
Temp: 25
Crowd: 63000
Weather: Sunny
2008 Superstock Czech Rep. - Brno 20/07/2008
Race 1 - 12 Laps
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Maxime Berger Honda FRA 24'58.402
2 Brendan Roberts Ducati AUS 0'3.043
3 Alessandro Polita Ducati ITA 0'3.100
4 Andrea Antonelli Honda ITA 0'3.367
5 Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 0'5.709
6 Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 0'10.032
7 Chris Seaton Suzuki AUS 0'13.380
8 Matej Smrz Honda CZE 0'19.510
9 Davide Giugliano Suzuki ITA 0'19.724
10 Michele Magnoni Yamaha ITA 0'20.249
11 Gareth Jones Suzuki AUS 0'20.796
12 Domenico Colucci Ducati ITA 0'20.959
13 Matteo Baiocco Kawasaki ITA 0'21.042
14 Raymond Schouten Yamaha NED 0'21.432
15 Barry Burrell Honda GBR 0'21.609
Best Lap
Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
Maxime Berger Honda FRA 2'3.676
Rider Standings 20/07/2008
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points
1. Brendan Roberts Ducati AUS 96
2. Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 95
3. Maxime Berger Honda FRA 84
4. Alessandro Polita Ducati ITA 83
5. Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 73
6. Davide Giugliano Suzuki ITA 55
7. Matej Smrz Honda CZE 48
8. Andrea Antonelli Honda ITA 41
9. Michele Magnoni Yamaha ITA 30
10. Chris Seaton Suzuki AUS 29
11. Freddy Foray Yamaha FRA 29
12. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 25
13. Kenny Foray Yamaha FRA 24
14. Domenico Colucci Ducati ITA 18
15. Gareth Jones Suzuki AUS 16
25. Sylvain Barrier Yamaha FRA 4
Manufacturer Standings 20/07/2008
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1. Ducati 124
2. Honda 106
3. Suzuki 103
4. Yamaha 85
5. Kawasaki 20
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