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The 2001 and now again 2006 SBK World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss with the happy Xerox Ducati team.
2006 Corona Extra SBK World Superbike Championship, Imola Round 11 of 12
GP Star Alex Barros Shines at Imola
Bayliss Returns to Claim SBK Championship Glory
Imola, Italy, Sunday Oct 1st: Former 2001 SBK World Superbike Champion Troy Baylis from Australia, returned to Team Ducati home turf in Italy at Imola this weekend to claim has 2nd SBK World Superbike Rider's Championship again aboard Ducati after a 4 year detour in MotoGP. Troy carded 5th and 1st place finishes in Sunday's two races to card 393 points in the Rider's Championship to closest rival James Toseland who emerged from the day with 295 total points, allowing Bayliss to secure this year's 2006 World Championship with still one round remaining (with a possible 50 points available per round).
While Bayliss's opportunity to secure the Championship at Imola was pretty mush a certainity, not expected was former MotoGP star Alex Barros (at left) extrodinary rides on the Team Klaffi Hond CBR1000RR to secure the Race One in convincing fashion over Toseland, and then in Race Two Barros came back to finish a close 2nd behind winner Bayliss who want to place an exclaimation point on securing the title in Race One where Troy came home with a conservative 5th place. |
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Superman! The 2001 and now again 2006 SBK World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss on the Xerox Ducati 999F06.
Preview: Bayliss Returns to Imola in Search of Redemption
Imola, Italy, Thursday 28th- Oct 1st: T roy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) returns to the Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari di Imola this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2006 World Superbike Championship and another championship finale, four years on from the memorable battle with Honda's Colin Edwards in 2002.
This time round however Troy finds himself in a completely different situation, having strung together ten victories throughout the 2006 season to stamp his authority on the series. This has left him with a comfortable 87-point lead in the standings, with two rounds (Imola and Magny-Cours) and four races left to run. At Imola the 37 year-old Australian basically just needs to finish fourth or better in race 1, irrespective of how his rivals Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) or James Toseland (Honda) do, to clinch the World Superbike title for the second time.
"I have been thinking about this weekend for sure, but just normally really" said Troy. "My approach is the same as everywhere. We start off tomorrow, work on the bike, try and get a good race set-up and then go for the win. There are lots of different scenarios but the most important one is that I need a fourth or better and that wraps it up, but I'm certainly not going to be riding around for fourth place. I'm looking forward to Imola, I like racing here, I went pretty good in 2002 and had a great race with Colin. This time I'm sure Nori and James are out to do whatever they can to try and stop me but it's going to be difficult for them. Imola's a great track, lots of character but the surface is variable especially in the wet. But the forecast is looking good and we want to see a lot of people here on Sunday".
Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi still has a couple more opportunities to search for that vital spark that has eluded him throughout the year, performances that will enable him to repeat his sensational race-winning form of the end of 2005. Imola presents an ideal opportunity as the 24 year-old from Cesena hails from just down the road.
"I am calm and relaxed even though I know that this race is going to be important for my future" declared Lorenzo. "I hope to start the weekend off well and go well, not only in qualifying but this time also in the races on Sunday. I like the Imola circuit, last year I went well in qualifying but then in the races on the wet track things were a bit more difficult. However this track is really great, all ups and downs, technical and difficult. I can undoubtedly count on some local support here; Sunday will probably be crazy at the Lorenzo Lanzi Fans Club curve, there will be a lot of them, hopefully I'll give them something to shout about!"
Troy and Lorenzo will be racing at Imola with a special emblem on the side fairing of their Ducati 999F06s in honour of a ‘twinning' between the Friuli Aircraft Brigade, based in Bologna, and the factory Ducati Xerox Superbike Team. In addition on Sunday parachutists from the Friuli Brigade will make a spectacular jump onto the circuit between the two races.
THE CIRCUIT Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari di Imola
Length: 4.959 km. Pole Position: left, Finish line length: 358 metres
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 10 of 12 rounds): Riders - 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 357; 2. Haga (Yamaha) 270; 3. Toseland (Honda) 264; 4. Corser (Suzuki) 211; 5. Pitt (Yamaha) 210; 6. Barros (Honda) 186; 7. Kagayama (Suzuki) 177; 8. Walker (Kawasaki) 134; 9. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 133; 10. Nieto (Kawasaki) 127. Manufacturers - 1. Ducati 376; 2. Yamaha 339; 3. Honda 328; 4. Suzuki 320; 5. Kawasaki 196; 6. Petronas 19.
 James looks intent on stealing Troy B's glory this weekend
Toseland Leads a Close Qualifying Session at Imola
TRACTION CONTROL HELPS TOSELAND TO TAKE FASTEST DAY ONE TIME
Friday 29th - With all 30 entrants in the first qualifying session running on race tyres, as is normal at this stage of proceedings, the fastest rider proved to be overall third placed man in the current championship table, James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda). His time of 1.50.039 is now the new track best, after modifications at the Variante Alta chicane lengthened the track compared to last season, instantly making the old lap records redundant. Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), who secured the 2005 championship title at this round last year, was second quickest, with runaway championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) third. Three-time 2006 race winner, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) slotted into the final place on the provisional front row, fourth fastest.
BARROS IN CONTENTION AT A TRACK HE KNOWS On occasion this year Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) has encountered all-new tracks during race weekends; despite his vast MotoGP experience, but at Imola he knew most of the circuit layout even before turning a wheel in Friday morning qualifying for the first time. He was fifth fastest, ahead of former Imola race winner Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati). Fastest Yamaha rider on show was Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) seventh quickest overall. On home soil Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) was the next best rider, completing the provisional second row in eighth.
NEUKIRCHNER MAKES GOOD EARLY START Proof that Imola is a rider's track was underlined by more than one rider who currently does not have access to the highest-level of factory machinery. Max Neukirchner, in only his third ride on the Alstare Engineering machine, was an impressive ninth fastest on day one, while the 999RS Pedercini Ducati of local man Ivan Clementi was a possibly even more admirable tenth. Pitt's team-mate Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) scored 11th on his first day of action at Imola. He set an identical time to Toseland's team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, each on 1'50.882, and thus 0.843 seconds down on Toseland. With Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) thirteenth fastest on his factory machine, the top 13 riders finished within a second of provisional pole. Fonsi Nieto and his team-mate Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) were 14th and 15th respectively, with the Yamaha Motor France Ipone machine of Norick Abe 16th fastest.
MARTIN ONCE MORE IMPRESSIVE ON HIS PETRONAS TRIPLE Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) overcame the disadvantages of his machine having 100cc less displacement than his opponents by taking 17th fastest time, outpacing such luminaries as three-time Imola race winner Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse), who was only 19th. Kurtis Roberts (Pedercini Ducati) was 22nd out of 30, and Josh Brookes (Bertocchi Kawasaki), 23rd. Local favourites Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) and Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda) were 26th and 27th respectively, each fighting his own current disadvantages around the 4.959km circuit.
3 World Champions On the Front Row!
Bayliss Secures Superpole on Ducati's Home Turf
Saturday 30th - Having finished pre-Superpole qualifying only sixth fastest, runaway championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) pulled out a remarkable new track record of 1'48.805 to secure the pole position starting place for Sunday's 21-lap Superbike races. His irresistible pace in Superpole put him some 0.590 seconds ahead of second placed rider James Toseland, who also ducked under his personal best to score a 1'49.394 and take second place on the front row. The front row four will be completed by Aussie duo Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) and 2005 champion, Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). The front row also features four different manufacturers on the front row.
Spainard Alex Barros finally found his winning form on the Klaffi Honda.
Alex Barros Shines at Imola with his First Superbike Win
Bayliss Clinches the Championship
Sunday, October 1st - Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) finally wrapped up the championship he had led for so long with a safe fifth place in race one, before underlining his abilities with a second race victory in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Imola. Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) broke his personal SBK duck in the first race, setting a new lap record of 1'50.266 as he powered through from eighth on lap one to the victory. James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) secured second in race one and Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) third, while in race two, Barros was second behind Bayliss, with Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) third. Bayliss now has an impressive 393 points, with Toseland up to second overall on 295, and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) third on 293. Pitt is fourth (239) and Barros fifth (231).
 Halfway through Race One, Andrew Pitt (88) takes the lead away from Bayliss (21) with Haga (41) and Tosleand (52) joining in the race long battle. Eventual winner Alex Barros isn't even in the picture yet, still chargng from back in the pack at nearly 1-seond a lap quicker than the leaders.
RACE ONE
A brilliant race of strategy and sheer pace gave Barros his first ever win in World Superbike. He had been down the order in the early laps, but slowly worked his way forward at a pace no-one could match, and even scored a new lap record on lap five, as he caught up with the leading group. Toseland, in second, was on his own at the finish, with Pitt third and Haga fourth. Troy Bayliss made his championship sure with a safe finish in fifth, and changed his crash helmet for one with cycling champion's colours on it his slow-down lap, to take the plaudits of a the adoring Ducatisti - 86,500 of whom thronged to the Imola circuit during this weekend.
 Bayliss heads to the Second Race win on the 999F06.
RACE TWO
In this race Bayliss was uncaged from his championship concerns, and would not be denied - even by the astonishingly rapid Barros. Barros still managed to score second, Kagayama was aggressive in third, with Pitt fourth and Toseland fifth, riding his second machine after electronics problems in race one.
Suffering a terrible start, Barros was arguably even more impressive than in race one, and with more two or three more laps might have caught and passed eventual winner Troy Bayliss, aid in some consolation Barros wasthe highest points scorer on the day.Toseland had to race his spare machine in race two, after experiencing some problems with the electronics on his new machine in race one. Third place went to Yukio Kagayama, with Toseland fifth, but ahead of his main rival Haga.
"I'm really happy for myself and for Ducati Xerox with the title win" declared Troy. "We've worked well all year, the second half has been a little bit up and down but I've just had to ride harder. I got a good start in race 1, I really wanted to go for the win but I think we chose the wrong rear tyre and I was struggling a bit so in the end I was happy to let Pitt pass me and then I let Nori pass me as well. It's been very busy today with all the Ducati factory here but I'm happy as well for everyone who made this win possible, Xerox and Shell Advance above all, but to do it at Imola today was very special. I've got a great team, and a lovely bike, and I wanted to win the second race to put the icing on the cake!"
Federico Minoli, Chairman of Ducati Motor Holding, commented: "It's a great satisfaction to have Troy as World Champion for the second time. He has come back home, he has given the best of himself, the bike is there, the team also, so this is the crowning of teamwork that began a long time ago: congratulations to Troy and everyone, it's been a great day!".
 The always enthusiastic Italian fans jumped the fence to help Bayliss celebrate his victory.
Toseland moves from third to second overall after Imola, with Bayliss on 393 points, Toseland 295, Haga 293 and Pitt 239. Barros is now fifth, with 231 points, while Muggeridge is 12th on 113, only four points behind the non-scoring Fabrizio. Toseland’s aim now that the championship win has become a mathematical impossibility is to finish second overall, and he made some progress at Imola, if not quite as much as he wanted.
“I didn’t get a perfect start in race one but it was OK,” said Toseland. “In the second one we used the spare bike and it started off OK but then the clutch released and started to grab and I went back to eighth or ninth and lost a lot of time. I wanted to pull some good points back to Haga today, not just a couple. The battle for me after race one, when Bayliss took the title, was for second in the championship, and I beat Haga in both races. I need to go to Magny-Cours now and make sure I finish the job to be runner-up in this championship.”
Barros had to work hard for his win and second place and had to avoid some early problems in race one. “In the first race I was held up by two crashes,” he said. “So I did not get away with the leaders. I really had to try hard to avoid Xaus, and then I just got my head down to get with the leaders. I knew that the last ten laps would be critical for the tyres so it was good that I could set fast lap times all the way through and I could go away from the rest of the leaders.”
Another difficult raceday, despite a good qualifying performance, from outgoing champion Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) left him a non-finisher in race one and only ninth in race two. He thus drops to sixth overall in the championship. His team-mates, Kagayama and Max Neukirchner (Alstare Engineering Suzuki) had tangled and fallen in race one, and Neukirchner would fall again, from a strong top ten placing, in race two. Haga was a slowing sixth in race two, nine seconds from the victor, Bayliss.
In front of a voluble home crowd Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) scored sixth in race one, and despite there being less fallers in race two, he still managed a seventh. In a difficult day for all Kawasaki riders, the high water mark was set by Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) with a seventh in race one, despite struggling with a shoulder injury. He was a fatigued 13th in race two.
Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) had some issues to contend with in each race, and ran out eighth in each contest. Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik) was on form in each race, but fell from leading position on each occasion. Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) was in trouble from the outset, having qualified only 19th, and he finished 12th and 14th, scoring a handful of points. Third PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse rider Regis Laconi, three times a winner at Imola, was tenth in two races, suffering from front traction issues in the first race. Norick Abe was also in the points twice (ninth and 11th) the best placed Yamaha Motor France rider on show. Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda) riding in his last race on home tarmac, went 16th and 18th, scoring no points.
Superbike Race 1
1 Barros A. Klaffi Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 39'00.096 21
2 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 39'04.447 21
3 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 39'06.905 21
4 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 39'11.275 21
5 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 39'11.633 21
6 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 39'21.070 21
7 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 2. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'23.151 21
8 Muggeridge K. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 39'23.843 21
9 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 39'27.385 21
10 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'29.256 21
11 Nakatomi S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 2. Yamaha YZF R1 39'30.888 21
12 Walker C. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'32.200 21
13 Clementi I. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 39'38.633 21
14 Rolfo R. Ducati SC - Caracchi. Ducati 999 F05 39'45.506 21
15 Brookes J. Kawasaki Bertocchi. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'48.590 21
16 Chili P. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 39'48.752 21
17 Jones C. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 40'01.046 21
18 Bartolini W. PN Corse. Ducati 999 RS 40'19.803 21
19 Brignola N. Team Guandalini. Ducati 999 RS 30'40.034 16
20 Fabrizio M. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 16'51.451 9
21 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 13'36.062 7
22 Roberts K. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 11'39.143 6
23 Gimbert S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 7'45.514 4
24 Borciani M. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 7'57.527 4
25 Iannuzzo V. Celani Team Suzuki Italia. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 6'38.153 3
26 Xaus R. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 3'44.663 2
27 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 3'55.392 2
28 Goi I. Emmebi Team. Honda CBR 1000RR
29 Neukirchner M. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6
30 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6
Superbike Race 2
1 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 38'57.069 21
2 Barros A. Klaffi Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 38'58.482 21
3 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 39'01.424 21
4 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 39'02.456 21
5 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 39'03.487 21
6 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia WSB. Yamaha YZF R1 39'06.684 21
7 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox. Ducati 999 F06 39'09.498 21
8 Muggeridge K. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 1000RR 39'11.964 21
9 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 39'16.777 21
10 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'17.646 21
11 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 39'20.542 21
12 Nakatomi S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 2. Yamaha YZF R1 39'22.437 21
13 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse 2. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'28.409 21
14 Walker C. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'30.062 21
15 Rolfo R. Ducati SC - Caracchi. Ducati 999 F05 39'31.665 21
16 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 39'38.899 21
17 Brookes J. Kawasaki Bertocchi. Kawasaki ZX10R 39'42.651 21
18 Chili P. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 40'04.155 21
19 Goi I. Emmebi Team. Honda CBR 1000RR 40'08.053 21
20 Xaus R. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 29'45.886 16
21 Neukirchner M. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 22'21.510 12
22 Fabrizio M. D.F.X. Treme. Honda CBR 1000RR 17'15.918 9
23 Bartolini W. PN Corse. Ducati 999 RS 11'29.796 6
24 Gimbert S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone. Yamaha YZF R1 11'35.062 6
25 Jones C. Foggy Petronas Racing. Petronas FP1 11'41.678 6
26 Borciani M. Sterilgarda - Berik. Ducati 999 F05 9'39.486 5
27 Brignola N. Team Guandalini. Ducati 999 RS 9'48.892 5
28 Roberts K. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 7'34.281 4
29 Clementi I. Team Pedercini. Ducati 999 RS 5'42.684 3
30 Iannuzzo V. Celani Team Suzuki Italia. Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 6'15.607 3
# Nat. Riders Bike Pt. 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
1 T. Bayliss 393 20 20 10 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 4 8 25 20 25 9 16 11 25
2 J. Toseland 295 25 13 16 20 7 5 11 16 16 20 8 20 11 20 11 6 7 7 25 20 11
3 N. Haga 293 16 13 13 11 11 13 16 20 20 11 16 13 16 16 25 20 20 13 10
4 A. Pitt 239 16 11 7 11 6 7 11 10 11 13 25 13 16 20 20 13 16 13
5 A. Barros 231 10 9 20 16 5 2 20 13 7 11 13 20 5 8 7 9 11 25 20
6 T. Corser 218 13 25 25 20 20 16 20 10 11 13 10 10 16 2 7
7 Y. Kagayama 193 4 10 10 2 3 16 11 25 25 11 9 13 25 13 16
8 L. Lanzi 152 10 5 16 16 7 5 3 9 9 7 4 5 9 10 8 10 10 9
9 C. Walker 140 6 6 9 5 7 10 8 13 9 6 9 8 25 2 5 6 4 2
10 F. Nieto 139 4 8 7 10 8 5 6 8 5 10 10 2 13 16 6 9 9 3
Ron Halsem (9) on the Airwaves Ducati and Ryuichi Kiyonari (6) on the HM Plant Red Bull Honda battle this close all season long.
Kiyonari Wins 2006 British Superbike Championship
over Haslam in Dramatic Rain Shortened Final Race at Brands
Brands Hatch, GB, Oct 1st - In an action-packed and rain-interrupted day, the 2006 British Superbike Championship came to a dramatic climax at Brands Hatch. Honda factory rider Ryuichi Kiyonari aboard the HM Plant Red Bull CBR1000RR traded the day's two race wins with Leon Haslam, who finished the championship in second place with reigning champ Gregorio Lavilla third. A consistent season resulted in Ducati winning the Manufacture's title.
After rain forced a restart, Race One was run over 17 laps. Shane Byrne led from the start with Leon moving into 2nd and Kiyonari 3rd. However, an early incident with Harris damaged Greg's brake lever causing him to fall at Hawthorn Bend. Having overtaken Byrne, Leon and Kiyonari were switching the top two places between them, then Byrne crashed on lap 13 resulting in a red flag. As over 3/4 of the race had been completed, the race was then declared with Kiyonari in 1st and Leon 2nd.
After more rain, race 2 began with Leon and Kiyonari moving to the front. Greg's bad luck continued as he pulled out of the race on lap 2 due to a technical problem. Leon took the lead on lap 5 knowing that he had to be two places ahead of Kiyonari to win the title. Another crash on lap 14 resulted in the red flag with Leon in 1st place and again the race was declared. Leon's win meant a second place in the championship for him, the Airwaves Ducati team and a championship third for Lavilla.
After a disappointing day Gregorio Lavilla said, "It has not been a nice day for me. In the first race I had some contact with Harris which took out my front brake lever. There was nothing I could do, it was a fast crash and I was in pain for the second race. I then wanted to go out and do my best for the team but unfortunately I had some engine problems. I am gutted, GSE are an unbelievable team with great sponsors in Airwaves and I really want to thank everybody."
Championship runner-up Leon Haslam said, "Obviously I am disappointed with the first race and the red flag but I did what I had to do in the second race and won. I am disappointed for the team because they have been awesome this year."
Team Manager Colin Wright added, "It has been a great year for the team. Today was not the result we wanted but I am proud of the Airwaves Ducati team. This year we have achieved 11 wins, five 1-2 finishes, 38 podiums, 9 pole positions and hold 6 lap records. Our thanks must go to Darrell Healey and the GSE Group for all their support and our fantastic sponsors Wrigley's Airwaves, Q8Oils, Dunlop and all the supporting partners who make us such a great team."
Superbike Race 1
1. Kiyonari (Honda)
2. Haslam (Ducati)
3. Rutter (Honda)
4. Hill (Yamaha)
5. Richards (Honda)
6. Smart (Suzuki)
7. Wilson (Suzuki)
8. Andrews (Yamaha)
9. Haydon (Suzuki)
10. Martin (Honda) |
Superbike Race 2
1. Haslam (Ducati)
2. Kiyonari (Honda)
3. Rea (Honda)
4. Harris (Honda) Byrne (Suzuki)
5. Laverty (Honda)
6. Haydon (Suzuki)
7. McConnell (Yamaha)
8. Rutter (Honda)
9. Richards (Honda)
10. Wilson (Suzuki) |
Superbike Standings
1. Kiyonari (Honda) 466
2. Haslam (Ducati) 458
3. Lavilla (Ducati) 377
4. Rea (Honda) 248
5. Harris (Honda) 244
6. Byrne (Suzuki) 224
7. Rutter (Honda) 206
8. Hill (Yamaha) 187
9. Laverty (Honda) 179
10. Richards (Honda) 151 |
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Yamaha New 2007 Bike Unveilings around the USA with Factory Riders
Then unveilings of the new 2007 Yamaha motorcycles have been a closely guard Secret untit revealed here in Pit lane News. . At select locations, celebrate the occasion with Yamaha Road Race team members and former world champions. And enjoy giant Jumbotron MotoGP footage, free Yamaha hats and
refreshments. So don’t miss this rare opportunity to see, touch and throw a leg over the bikes that everyone else will be trying to catch a glimpse of all next year.
LOCATION INFO:
Old Bridge Township, RACEWAY PARK · Englishtown, NJ - Saturday, Oct. 14 · 9:00AM-12:00PM - Free bracket racing & autograph signing with Jason DiSalvo
Alice’s Restaurant · Woodside, CA - Saturday, Oct. 14 · 9:00AM-12:00PM - Autograph signing with Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and Eric Bostrom
Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Club Pad · Daytona Beach, FL - Friday, Oct. 20 · 6:00PM-9:00PM
Lone Star Rally, Harborside Lots · Galveston, TX - Thursday, Nov. 2 though Saturday, Nov. 4 · 10:00AM-10:00PM
Sunday, Nov. 5 · 10:00AM-6:00PM
Lausitz Crash Fest
Here's a great look at the first turn incident 3 weeks ago at Lausitz Ring in Germany which took out Troy Bayliss's top 3 championship contenders - Noriyuki Haga (41), Troy Corser (1) and James Toseland (52).
OUCH!
AMA AND MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA CONSIDERING ADD'L AMA SUPERBIKE EVENT, FEWER CLASSES AT RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX
AMA Pro Racing press release
September 29, 2006
Officials from the AMA and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca announced today that they are exploring the possibility of adding a stand-alone AMA Superbike event in 2007. The companies are also considering reducing the number of AMA classes involved with the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix from four to two.
The 2007 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix featuring the MotoGP World Championship and AMA Superbike Championship will be held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on July 20-22, 2007.
Kerry Graeber, AMA Pro Racing Vice President, Director of Communications said the conversations are very preliminary at this point but that the AMA and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca would like to see both initiatives happen.
“We’re excited about the possibility of adding a stand-alone AMA Superbike event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” said Graeber. I also think everybody agrees that trying to run all four AMA classes at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is overly optimistic. Featuring two classes instead of four is better from a logistics standpoint and will result in a better overall show. It will also benefit our competitors with increased track time for practice and qualifying sessions.”
Gill Campbell, CEO/General Manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca echoed Graeber’s thoughts. “We want to continue showcasing AMA road racing alongside the MotoGP World Championship while simultaneously creating a new AMA weekend for later in the season. We see this as the best of both worlds for competitors participating in the AMA Superbike Championship.”
No date for the separate AMA event has been determined but Campbell confirmed that the companies are looking at September. “There are a couple of weekends in September that work from our perspective,” said Campbell. “The AMA is finalizing its 2007 schedule right now and determining how those two options work overall.”
Laguna Seca Raceway has traditionally held n International Sportscar race in September, but dewindling factory race team involvement, and hence fan attendance, has Laguna exploring another motorsports event for that event time slot. It remains to be seen if a stand alone AMA National weekend at laguna, just 2 months after the MotoGP weekend, would draw a decent attendance.
The last AMA/ World Superbike weekend at Laguna Seca in 2004 only drew about 5,000 spectators. So a stand along AMA National weekend without World Superbike, 2 months following MotoGP, might possibly only draw half that number.
However, it might also offer World Superbike a better chance of returning to America if it could run again with an AMA Superbike weekend. And if AMA adopted World Superbike tecnical rules so the top American riders could race in the U.S> World Superbike round as wild card riders.
A final decision on both issues is expected within the next two weeks
Photo Highlights from
Brands Hatch 2006
staring the Fast Dates Calendar Kittens
The Complete Story Here
Camilla and Katie in their Team Ducati uniforms on Sunday in from of the Pit Garage.
BMW Bike GiveAway
and Riding School
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NIETO AND LACONI RE-SIGN FOR PSG-1 KAWASAKI CORSE IN 2007
Chris Walker Dropped
4 October 2006 - Imola, Italy - After scoring points in each of the two 21-lap Imola races, two of the current PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse riders, Fonsi Nieto and Regis Laconi, were confirmed as the team's riding duo once more for the 2007 season.
In race one, despite not even qualifying for Superpole due to the severity of a shoulder tendon and rotator cuff injury suffered while saving a potential high side crash in practice, Fonsi Nieto battled forward from 13th on lap one to seventh after 21-laps of intense competition in 28°C temperatures at Imola. Regis Laconi looked to be on for a top six finish until his front tyre lost grip, with the French rider eventually finishing tenth. Chris Walker had started the race from a fifth row start, to take 12th place overall.
In the second race, Laconi was the team's highest scorer, taking his second tenth place of the day, with Nieto 13th - and in greater pain - and Walker a points scoring 14th.
FONSI NIETO: 7th & 13th - 139 Points, 10th Overall: “It was a hard weekend for us. My shoulder was very painful and it meant that I could not brake as hard as I wanted to, as I could not support the extra force of braking very well. In race two it was my left arm that was the main problem as I had to use it so much to compensate for the other one there was just no power left in it. Added to that, I think this was the toughest race of the year for the Kawasaki. When it is up and down and stop and go we lose time, but it should be much better in the next race.”
REGIS LACONI: 10th & 10th - 96 Points, 15th Overall: “Things were going OK for me in race one until my front tyre started to lose grip and then in the last five laps I had to slow down. In the second race I put on a harder front but I made a bad start and it was difficult to pass Chris, Fonsi and Abe. Even though I tried to be fast the guys in front were too far away to catch.”
CHRIS WALKER: 12th & 14th - 140 Points, 9th Overall: “From that far back on the grid, I suppose I should be happy to get some points in race one but it was not an easy race at all. The way things were I didn't think I was going to get any points. I lost one place in the championship to Lanzi, but I knew he was going to be strong here.”
Jamie Hacking to Depart Team Yamaha USA Factory Racing to Join Kawasaki USA Superbike Team
Cypress California, October 1, 2006 -Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S. regretfully announces that newly crowned AMA Supersport and Superstock Champion Jamie Hacking has made the decision to leave Team Yamaha Factory Racing after four years on the team.
The 2006 season was one for the record books as the South Carolina rider simply dominated both the Supersport and Superstock classes on the new YZF-R6 and YZF-R1LE models culminating in national championships in both arenas.
"The entire company wanted Jamie to stay to defend his two number one plates for Yamaha" said racing Division Manager Keith McCarty. "In fact, we matched all offers on a financial basis, however Jamie wanted to move to the Superbike class and that was something we simply could not guarantee him at this point. We all wish Jamie the best for the future and the whole team will miss his tremendous on-track style, grit, and determination."
Tamara Witmer
New 2007 FastDates.com Callendar Kitten and Playboy Playmate now has an expanded photo gallery section in Members Corner.
Tamara is also featured inside the 2007 Playboy Calendar featured in the left hand column. |
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