"b"
03-04-2007, 07:45 AM
Phillip Island WSBK Quote Machine Final
by staff
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Various and sundry press accounts from today's WSBK races:
PRESS RELEASE
2007 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
2 ROUND - PHILLIP ISLAND - 2, 3 und 4 MAERZ
RACE REPORT
Phillip Island, Sonntag 4. Maerz 2007
BAYLISS AND TOSELAND SHARE PHILLIP ISLAND WINS - BRILLIANT RACES WOW RECORD AUSSIE CROWDS Phillip Island provided the perfect backdrop for two of the best Superbike races ever witnessed at the classic track, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) winning the first from James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) then Toseland took the second race win from Bayliss. Up to five riders were involved in the fight for podium places, with each race coming down to a man-to-man fight over the last few laps. Toseland now leads the championship by 16 points, 90-74, over Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra).
RACE ONE - 22 LAPS A three-rider fight for the win became a two-rider duel nearer the end, but the first race of the day finally became the property of Bayliss, who beat Toseland by just over two seconds with a late spurt of pace. Third came Biaggi after early leading light Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) dropped down as tyre wear affected his Yamaha more than some other machines. He finished fifth, behind his team-mate Noriyuki Haga. Corser set a new lap record, 1'31.826, which would last the day.
RACE TWO A second race rolling maul at the front saw Toseland get his revenge by injecting a sudden burst of final pace which only Bayliss could stay with, but not overhaul on the last sector of the track. Toseland held on well to record a margin of victory of only 0.274 seconds. Behind, a superb battle for the last podium of the day went to Haga, with Corser attempting to block the last corner manoeuvre of Biaggi, albeit unsuccessfully. In the championship chase, Bayliss is now third on 64 points, Haga fourth on 50, and Corser fifth on 45.
LANZI AND XAUS SHARE DUCATI DISPUTES Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) overcame the charge of Ruben Xaus comfortably in race one but in the second running, he had to give best to the tall Catalan by almost the same margin. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) did not start the races, nor did another inured rider from qualifying, Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda). Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was 11th and 10th.
TOUGH DAY FOR KAWASAKI RIDERS AFTER GOOD QUALIFYING FOR NIETO Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) enjoyed strong qualifying performances but had to work hard for only ninth and 14th places, as he lost pace throughout the races. Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) had an even worse day, retiring from each race.
WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE A superb win for 2002 World Champion Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) at the Phillip Island circuit saw him leap to second in the championship, after giving Kawasaki its first WSS race win since the 2003 season. Second place man in Australia, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), extended his championship lead to seven points over Foret, and a first podium of the year came for long-time leader Broc Parkes (Yamaha SSP Racing).
Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) went fourth in the race with Althea Honda rider Katsuaki Fujiwara fifth and Pere Riba (GIL Kawasaki) sixth. In the championship Sofuoglu has a seven points advantage over Foret, 45 points to 38. Fujiwara is third, with 27 points. Charpentier set a new lap record, 1'34.976 on lap two.
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BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) PUTS TITLE DEFENCE ON TRACK WITH A WIN AND A SECOND PLACE AT PHILLIP ISLAND
Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 4 March: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) put his title defence back on track with a win and a second place in an exciting day of racing at Phillip Island in front of a record 63,000 crowd. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was out of luck and finished sixth and seventh in the two races.
Troy battled with James Toseland (Honda) throughout the first 22-lapper and eventually made his move on his British rival on lap 18 to take the win. "That's the sort of racing everybody likes to see at Phillip Island" declared Troy, "so to come out of top in a race like this is extra nice. We were a bit surprised as we've been struggling with the tyre all weekend but everybody's in the same boat and after 12/13 laps it was always going to be difficult. That's why Davide (Tardozzi) said go as slow as you can, but basically I had to hang on the best I could and see what we'd got at the end."
The second race was just as exciting, with a five-way battle for the lead that also included Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha) and Max Biaggi (Suzuki), but this time Toseland held off Bayliss for the win. "I was watching my board and the big screen all the time and I could see Nori and Max with me and James was preserving his tyres. I didn't want to get caught up behind anyone so I went into the lead but thought that this wasn't going to be any good because I'm going to destroy my tyre. Eventually when James put the hammer down we cleared off quite fast, the last three laps we were on the limit and my fastest lap was the last one. I threw everything at James but he still beat me in the second race so congratulations to him and his team."
Lorenzo Lanzi had a difficult weekend and could only manage sixth and seventh in the two races but is sixth overall in the standings on 44 points. "In race 1 I had a problem with the clutch at the start and was in twelfth position at the end of lap 1. I did everything possible to get back into contention and when I was with Haga and Biaggi I had totally finished my rear tyre, as we had chosen the softer one, so I had to try and salvage sixth place. In race 2 we didn't make the ideal choice of tyre, again the softer option, because we were thrown off guard a bit by the times I recorded in race 1. I was sixth and was catching on the guys ahead but the tyre went right off and I finished seventh in a photo-finish with Fabrizio."
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World Superbike Round 2 of 13
TOSELAND WINS AGAIN AND EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
POINTS AND QUALIFYING
James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a second and first place at Phillip Island to put clear water between himself and the opposition in the championship table, after two dramatic and exciting 22-lap Superbike races. Toseland, who had qualified second on the grid, now leads Max Biaggi by 16 points, 90 to 74, with race one winner in Australia, Troy Bayliss, third on 64 points.
Toseland looked like a potential winner in race one until a late spurt of pace from 2006 champion Bayliss made his break with five laps to go, leaving Toseland a determined second, by a margin of two seconds. He had led for 17 of the 22 laps. Third was Biaggi. Steve Martin (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was next best Honda finisher, in tenth. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) held off Joshua Brookes, (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) for 11th place.
In race two Toseland and four other riders disputed the lead for the most part, but in the final stages only Toseland and Bayliss were in it, with Toseland's late injection of speed and aggression pushing him to a margin of victory of 0.274 seconds. It was his second win in four 2007 season races, and his now only ten points from perfection, finishing second in the other two races. Next best Honda rider in race two was first race retiree Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) who was classified eighth after a photo finish, with Rolfo tenth and Brookes 12th. Martin retired early from race two.
Toseland scored an incredible race two win and was delighted to have been competitive in every single race of the year so far.
"In race two, I tried to preserve the tyre and I managed to keep Bayliss behind me," said Toseland. "I knew it would be hard but I just kept going and I got the win. It's an honour to be riding with such great competition and to hear Bayliss complimenting me is very flattering. It's a great feeling to be going to Donington as the Championship leader. I feel like I am getting better and better and I can't wait to race at home. I controlled race one for the most part and I was waiting for the gap to go up as Troy developed traction problems, but it didn't happen. I just kept getting plus zero on my board. I pushed 100 to try and get away but we it was frustrating for me."
Rolfo's rode solidly once more, but wants more as the season progresses.
"The feeling today has been quite strange," said Roby. "I had a difficult first race. The biggest problem was that I was too far out on the second corner and it gave other riders the chance to overtake me. It was then difficult for me to get back up to the position I lost. I had a bit of problem with the front of the bike and it felt quite heavy to ride. We made some changes for race two and immediately the bike was much better. I maintained my position and overtook three riders. I had five good laps, but then I had a sliding problem in the rear and it was very difficult to control. I picked up a few points and I am joint tenth in the standings now, so I just hope for better luck in Donington in a few weeks time."
Martin, who had qualified 11th in Superpole, went tenth in race one, but was forced out of race two after one lap, with clutch problems.
"The first race went well for me until I had a contact with Nieto and lost some time," said Martin, "The set-up and pace was quite good and we know we will be able to do even better when we get to the European races."
Fabrizio did not get the chance to finish race one either, and was in a close battle for a good top ten result in race two, finishing eighth.
"Both tyres lost grip in the first race and I decided I had to come in," said Fabrizio. "In race two, we went back to Friday's settings and the bike was good, competitive in the top ten and the racing was good."
Brookes had two results of the same value in points terms, but he was disappointed with his race two.
"Race one was OK and I am reasonably happy because we got two solid results, no crashes, and we go back to Europe now full of ideas on how to improve the bike," said Josh. "It wasn't a good idea to listen to the influence of other people and we should have stuck with our own thoughts about tyre choice. We went with a harder tyre and it didn't pay off. We will get there, I know we will."
Karl Muggeridge crashed out of practice on Saturday, falling on oil from another rider's machine, and injuring his left ankle, ruling him out of his home race. He has dislocated a tendon and suffered a mild concussion.
"It was a shame to miss my home race," said Muggeridge. "My ankle tendon was dislocated for a time and I was knocked out but I feel not bad now and the swelling on my tendon is already down. They say four or five days and I should be OK."
The next event on the 13 round calendar is Donington Park, between 30 March and 1 April, for what will be the first WSB race meeting at the English circuit since 2001.
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BIAGGI TAKES PHILLIP ISLAND PODIUM
March 4, 2007
Team Suzuki Press Office - March 4, 2007.
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra Max Biaggi and his GSX-R1000K7 raced to third place in the first World Superbike race at Phillip Island today and was on course for another podium in the second before losing out on the very last lap.
Biaggi leaves the Australian circuit in second place in the Championship, 16 points behind leader James Toseland (Honda).
Biaggi's team mate Yukio Kagayama was a non-starter today due to a heavy fall yesterday, but the Japanese rider should be fit for the Valencia tests on March 18th and 19th.
Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Toseland battled it out for victory in the first race, with Bayliss taking the win in front of his home fans by just over two seconds. Biaggi took third after a tremendous charge up the field in the closing laps after disposing of both Troy Corser and his Yamaha team mate Noriyuki Haga.
The second race saw yet another Toseland v Bayliss fight, but this time it was Toseland who took the honours by a narrow margin. Biaggi had fought both Corser and Yamaha again in the closing laps and was about to take third, until Haga muscled past on the last lap and held on by less then a tenth of a second.
Max Biaggi - Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 4th:
I enjoyed the racing again today, especially getting a podium in the first race. From Friday until today, I never really got a good feeling with the front end of the bike and that probably prevented me from getting two podiums here. Tyre wear is always a problem at Phillip Island and I think I was more aggressive in race two and tyre went off more - certainly more then in race one. Our bike was pretty close today and now we will work more on set-up details and getting it working better for the next race at Donington. I am not unhappy today, though it would've been good to take that second podium.
Yukio Kagayama (from the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne):
"According to the doctors here, I am recovering very well. I have had a lot of X-rays and checks and maybe there is one more check to come. The good news is that I haven't broken anything! When I crashed, I was sure that I had broken my collarbone and maybe some ribs, but I have escaped those injuries. My crash was a high-side at the second corner and I went up into the air before coming back down onto the bike. I must have banged my chest on the fuel tank and that's when the damage was done. Then I fell down and my first feeling was that I had hurt my lung or chest in some way because I had the same type of pain as when I crashed at Paul Ricard circuit in 1999. That time I damaged a lung and this time I felt the same - that is a problem with breathing.
"At the moment my shoulder joint is very tender and the doctors here are advising some sort of surgery - not immediately, but some time in the future. But I do not want this now, so I will have to wear very heavy strapping when I am on the bike again, at the Valencia tests. As for my lung; there had been some tubes in yesterday, but this morning only one small tube and that will come out later today, followed by some more checks. If everything is OK, I can leave the hospital this evening.
"My priority is to get back to Japan as soon as I can, see my own doctors and then get better quickly. But, my problem is that sometimes, with this type of lung injury, normally you are advised not to fly for two weeks! I think I will be able to fly before that time, but I still will have to stay in Australia for a week or so. This means lots of rest and maybe some time on the beach! At the moment, I am positive that I will be at the Valencia tests (March 18-19) and be ready to race at Donington at the end of the month. This is my plan. "
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Corser and Haga star in Phillip Island thriller
Noriyuki Haga scored his first podium finish of the season as the Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team served up some terrific entertainment at Phillip Island today.
Having secured front row starts on their still-developing YZF-R1s, Haga and team-mate Troy Corser were able to run with the leading group in both races. Corser was straight into the thick of things in the day's opener and the Australian lowered the lap record as he bridged a small gap to leading pair James Toseland (Honda) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati). With lap times under qualifying pace, Corser ran with the leading group for the first half of the race but was unable to maintain the pace of the leading duo. With his lap times dropping by two seconds on worn tyres, Troy was passed on lap 20 by Max Biaggi (Suzuki) with Haga relegating him to fifth on the final lap.
In the day's second race the Yamaha riders were able to take advantage of the slightly slower pace in the opening laps to preserve tyre life. That allowed both men to stay part of the five rider battle for the lead until the closing stages, when Toseland upped his pace to take the win from Bayliss. Haga rode brilliantly to take the final position on the podium, holding an off a determined late charge from his rivals, while Corser was unlucky to miss out on fourth after being slipstreamed by Biaggi across the line.
Team YZF Yamaha's Shinichi Nakatomi scored points in both races today, taking 13th place each time. The Japanese rider improved his performances as the weekend progressed to score six championship points.
Today's results see Toseland extend his championship lead to 16 points over Biaggi. Haga lies fourth in the standings, on 50 points, with Corser a further five points adrift in fifth place. The series takes close to a one-month race before moving to Donington Park for the championship's 20th anniversary meeting on 1 April. The English circuit played host to the very first world superbike race on 3 April 1988 and returns to the calendar for the first time since 2001. Before then the teams will have a test at the Valencia circuit in Spain, when the Yamaha teams hope to try out a range of new settings and parts on their YZF-R1s.
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team)
"I have had a cold this weekend and I did not feel very good throughout practice. The second race was tough because of the higher temperature but it was also good fun. After the start I was fighting with four other riders but I tried to save the rear tyre as much as possible for the last few laps. The grip was definitely better than in the first and I was thinking that I could push in the last five laps. But when the front guys went I realized that I could not push hard enough and decided to try and go for the third. I'm happy with a third place. The team has done a very good job this weekend and I hope that we will have some new parts to make us more competitive in the next race."
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team)
"I'm disappointed because when I come to Phillip Island I expect a minimum of two podiums, and I thought I rode well enough to achieve that. But that's racing. We changed the bike for the second race and it was definitely better for the tyre, although I also rode a little differently because I knew what to expect from the tyre. At the end of the day we weren't fast enough. The rest of the bike was really good but we just needed some more legs down the straight. We'll go to Valencia and try and improve the bike before going to Donington Park. That's another track I really like so we'll just need to see what happens there."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha)
"I am quite happy with my performance today. In the first race I was riding in a group for a few laps but made a mistake and lost some time. I was able to improve my lap times for the rest of the race and I was pleased that my overall race time was 10 seconds faster in the second race. I was able to have a good fight with Josh Brookes and tried a last lap attack, although I was not able to get past. I now have a better feeling with the bike and the team is working hard to give me more performance for the next race."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team)
"We made a big improvement between the races. We made some suspension changes and the hotter temperatures also made a big difference. In past years we have not had such great results here so for me getting a podium is a good result. We still have a small gap to make up but if we continue like this then I am sure we will be able to close it."
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by staff
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Various and sundry press accounts from today's WSBK races:
PRESS RELEASE
2007 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
2 ROUND - PHILLIP ISLAND - 2, 3 und 4 MAERZ
RACE REPORT
Phillip Island, Sonntag 4. Maerz 2007
BAYLISS AND TOSELAND SHARE PHILLIP ISLAND WINS - BRILLIANT RACES WOW RECORD AUSSIE CROWDS Phillip Island provided the perfect backdrop for two of the best Superbike races ever witnessed at the classic track, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) winning the first from James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) then Toseland took the second race win from Bayliss. Up to five riders were involved in the fight for podium places, with each race coming down to a man-to-man fight over the last few laps. Toseland now leads the championship by 16 points, 90-74, over Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra).
RACE ONE - 22 LAPS A three-rider fight for the win became a two-rider duel nearer the end, but the first race of the day finally became the property of Bayliss, who beat Toseland by just over two seconds with a late spurt of pace. Third came Biaggi after early leading light Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) dropped down as tyre wear affected his Yamaha more than some other machines. He finished fifth, behind his team-mate Noriyuki Haga. Corser set a new lap record, 1'31.826, which would last the day.
RACE TWO A second race rolling maul at the front saw Toseland get his revenge by injecting a sudden burst of final pace which only Bayliss could stay with, but not overhaul on the last sector of the track. Toseland held on well to record a margin of victory of only 0.274 seconds. Behind, a superb battle for the last podium of the day went to Haga, with Corser attempting to block the last corner manoeuvre of Biaggi, albeit unsuccessfully. In the championship chase, Bayliss is now third on 64 points, Haga fourth on 50, and Corser fifth on 45.
LANZI AND XAUS SHARE DUCATI DISPUTES Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) overcame the charge of Ruben Xaus comfortably in race one but in the second running, he had to give best to the tall Catalan by almost the same margin. Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) did not start the races, nor did another inured rider from qualifying, Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda). Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was 11th and 10th.
TOUGH DAY FOR KAWASAKI RIDERS AFTER GOOD QUALIFYING FOR NIETO Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) enjoyed strong qualifying performances but had to work hard for only ninth and 14th places, as he lost pace throughout the races. Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) had an even worse day, retiring from each race.
WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE A superb win for 2002 World Champion Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) at the Phillip Island circuit saw him leap to second in the championship, after giving Kawasaki its first WSS race win since the 2003 season. Second place man in Australia, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), extended his championship lead to seven points over Foret, and a first podium of the year came for long-time leader Broc Parkes (Yamaha SSP Racing).
Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) went fourth in the race with Althea Honda rider Katsuaki Fujiwara fifth and Pere Riba (GIL Kawasaki) sixth. In the championship Sofuoglu has a seven points advantage over Foret, 45 points to 38. Fujiwara is third, with 27 points. Charpentier set a new lap record, 1'34.976 on lap two.
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BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) PUTS TITLE DEFENCE ON TRACK WITH A WIN AND A SECOND PLACE AT PHILLIP ISLAND
Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 4 March: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) put his title defence back on track with a win and a second place in an exciting day of racing at Phillip Island in front of a record 63,000 crowd. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi was out of luck and finished sixth and seventh in the two races.
Troy battled with James Toseland (Honda) throughout the first 22-lapper and eventually made his move on his British rival on lap 18 to take the win. "That's the sort of racing everybody likes to see at Phillip Island" declared Troy, "so to come out of top in a race like this is extra nice. We were a bit surprised as we've been struggling with the tyre all weekend but everybody's in the same boat and after 12/13 laps it was always going to be difficult. That's why Davide (Tardozzi) said go as slow as you can, but basically I had to hang on the best I could and see what we'd got at the end."
The second race was just as exciting, with a five-way battle for the lead that also included Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha) and Max Biaggi (Suzuki), but this time Toseland held off Bayliss for the win. "I was watching my board and the big screen all the time and I could see Nori and Max with me and James was preserving his tyres. I didn't want to get caught up behind anyone so I went into the lead but thought that this wasn't going to be any good because I'm going to destroy my tyre. Eventually when James put the hammer down we cleared off quite fast, the last three laps we were on the limit and my fastest lap was the last one. I threw everything at James but he still beat me in the second race so congratulations to him and his team."
Lorenzo Lanzi had a difficult weekend and could only manage sixth and seventh in the two races but is sixth overall in the standings on 44 points. "In race 1 I had a problem with the clutch at the start and was in twelfth position at the end of lap 1. I did everything possible to get back into contention and when I was with Haga and Biaggi I had totally finished my rear tyre, as we had chosen the softer one, so I had to try and salvage sixth place. In race 2 we didn't make the ideal choice of tyre, again the softer option, because we were thrown off guard a bit by the times I recorded in race 1. I was sixth and was catching on the guys ahead but the tyre went right off and I finished seventh in a photo-finish with Fabrizio."
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World Superbike Round 2 of 13
TOSELAND WINS AGAIN AND EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
POINTS AND QUALIFYING
James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a second and first place at Phillip Island to put clear water between himself and the opposition in the championship table, after two dramatic and exciting 22-lap Superbike races. Toseland, who had qualified second on the grid, now leads Max Biaggi by 16 points, 90 to 74, with race one winner in Australia, Troy Bayliss, third on 64 points.
Toseland looked like a potential winner in race one until a late spurt of pace from 2006 champion Bayliss made his break with five laps to go, leaving Toseland a determined second, by a margin of two seconds. He had led for 17 of the 22 laps. Third was Biaggi. Steve Martin (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was next best Honda finisher, in tenth. Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) held off Joshua Brookes, (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) for 11th place.
In race two Toseland and four other riders disputed the lead for the most part, but in the final stages only Toseland and Bayliss were in it, with Toseland's late injection of speed and aggression pushing him to a margin of victory of 0.274 seconds. It was his second win in four 2007 season races, and his now only ten points from perfection, finishing second in the other two races. Next best Honda rider in race two was first race retiree Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) who was classified eighth after a photo finish, with Rolfo tenth and Brookes 12th. Martin retired early from race two.
Toseland scored an incredible race two win and was delighted to have been competitive in every single race of the year so far.
"In race two, I tried to preserve the tyre and I managed to keep Bayliss behind me," said Toseland. "I knew it would be hard but I just kept going and I got the win. It's an honour to be riding with such great competition and to hear Bayliss complimenting me is very flattering. It's a great feeling to be going to Donington as the Championship leader. I feel like I am getting better and better and I can't wait to race at home. I controlled race one for the most part and I was waiting for the gap to go up as Troy developed traction problems, but it didn't happen. I just kept getting plus zero on my board. I pushed 100 to try and get away but we it was frustrating for me."
Rolfo's rode solidly once more, but wants more as the season progresses.
"The feeling today has been quite strange," said Roby. "I had a difficult first race. The biggest problem was that I was too far out on the second corner and it gave other riders the chance to overtake me. It was then difficult for me to get back up to the position I lost. I had a bit of problem with the front of the bike and it felt quite heavy to ride. We made some changes for race two and immediately the bike was much better. I maintained my position and overtook three riders. I had five good laps, but then I had a sliding problem in the rear and it was very difficult to control. I picked up a few points and I am joint tenth in the standings now, so I just hope for better luck in Donington in a few weeks time."
Martin, who had qualified 11th in Superpole, went tenth in race one, but was forced out of race two after one lap, with clutch problems.
"The first race went well for me until I had a contact with Nieto and lost some time," said Martin, "The set-up and pace was quite good and we know we will be able to do even better when we get to the European races."
Fabrizio did not get the chance to finish race one either, and was in a close battle for a good top ten result in race two, finishing eighth.
"Both tyres lost grip in the first race and I decided I had to come in," said Fabrizio. "In race two, we went back to Friday's settings and the bike was good, competitive in the top ten and the racing was good."
Brookes had two results of the same value in points terms, but he was disappointed with his race two.
"Race one was OK and I am reasonably happy because we got two solid results, no crashes, and we go back to Europe now full of ideas on how to improve the bike," said Josh. "It wasn't a good idea to listen to the influence of other people and we should have stuck with our own thoughts about tyre choice. We went with a harder tyre and it didn't pay off. We will get there, I know we will."
Karl Muggeridge crashed out of practice on Saturday, falling on oil from another rider's machine, and injuring his left ankle, ruling him out of his home race. He has dislocated a tendon and suffered a mild concussion.
"It was a shame to miss my home race," said Muggeridge. "My ankle tendon was dislocated for a time and I was knocked out but I feel not bad now and the swelling on my tendon is already down. They say four or five days and I should be OK."
The next event on the 13 round calendar is Donington Park, between 30 March and 1 April, for what will be the first WSB race meeting at the English circuit since 2001.
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BIAGGI TAKES PHILLIP ISLAND PODIUM
March 4, 2007
Team Suzuki Press Office - March 4, 2007.
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra Max Biaggi and his GSX-R1000K7 raced to third place in the first World Superbike race at Phillip Island today and was on course for another podium in the second before losing out on the very last lap.
Biaggi leaves the Australian circuit in second place in the Championship, 16 points behind leader James Toseland (Honda).
Biaggi's team mate Yukio Kagayama was a non-starter today due to a heavy fall yesterday, but the Japanese rider should be fit for the Valencia tests on March 18th and 19th.
Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and Toseland battled it out for victory in the first race, with Bayliss taking the win in front of his home fans by just over two seconds. Biaggi took third after a tremendous charge up the field in the closing laps after disposing of both Troy Corser and his Yamaha team mate Noriyuki Haga.
The second race saw yet another Toseland v Bayliss fight, but this time it was Toseland who took the honours by a narrow margin. Biaggi had fought both Corser and Yamaha again in the closing laps and was about to take third, until Haga muscled past on the last lap and held on by less then a tenth of a second.
Max Biaggi - Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 4th:
I enjoyed the racing again today, especially getting a podium in the first race. From Friday until today, I never really got a good feeling with the front end of the bike and that probably prevented me from getting two podiums here. Tyre wear is always a problem at Phillip Island and I think I was more aggressive in race two and tyre went off more - certainly more then in race one. Our bike was pretty close today and now we will work more on set-up details and getting it working better for the next race at Donington. I am not unhappy today, though it would've been good to take that second podium.
Yukio Kagayama (from the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne):
"According to the doctors here, I am recovering very well. I have had a lot of X-rays and checks and maybe there is one more check to come. The good news is that I haven't broken anything! When I crashed, I was sure that I had broken my collarbone and maybe some ribs, but I have escaped those injuries. My crash was a high-side at the second corner and I went up into the air before coming back down onto the bike. I must have banged my chest on the fuel tank and that's when the damage was done. Then I fell down and my first feeling was that I had hurt my lung or chest in some way because I had the same type of pain as when I crashed at Paul Ricard circuit in 1999. That time I damaged a lung and this time I felt the same - that is a problem with breathing.
"At the moment my shoulder joint is very tender and the doctors here are advising some sort of surgery - not immediately, but some time in the future. But I do not want this now, so I will have to wear very heavy strapping when I am on the bike again, at the Valencia tests. As for my lung; there had been some tubes in yesterday, but this morning only one small tube and that will come out later today, followed by some more checks. If everything is OK, I can leave the hospital this evening.
"My priority is to get back to Japan as soon as I can, see my own doctors and then get better quickly. But, my problem is that sometimes, with this type of lung injury, normally you are advised not to fly for two weeks! I think I will be able to fly before that time, but I still will have to stay in Australia for a week or so. This means lots of rest and maybe some time on the beach! At the moment, I am positive that I will be at the Valencia tests (March 18-19) and be ready to race at Donington at the end of the month. This is my plan. "
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Corser and Haga star in Phillip Island thriller
Noriyuki Haga scored his first podium finish of the season as the Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team served up some terrific entertainment at Phillip Island today.
Having secured front row starts on their still-developing YZF-R1s, Haga and team-mate Troy Corser were able to run with the leading group in both races. Corser was straight into the thick of things in the day's opener and the Australian lowered the lap record as he bridged a small gap to leading pair James Toseland (Honda) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati). With lap times under qualifying pace, Corser ran with the leading group for the first half of the race but was unable to maintain the pace of the leading duo. With his lap times dropping by two seconds on worn tyres, Troy was passed on lap 20 by Max Biaggi (Suzuki) with Haga relegating him to fifth on the final lap.
In the day's second race the Yamaha riders were able to take advantage of the slightly slower pace in the opening laps to preserve tyre life. That allowed both men to stay part of the five rider battle for the lead until the closing stages, when Toseland upped his pace to take the win from Bayliss. Haga rode brilliantly to take the final position on the podium, holding an off a determined late charge from his rivals, while Corser was unlucky to miss out on fourth after being slipstreamed by Biaggi across the line.
Team YZF Yamaha's Shinichi Nakatomi scored points in both races today, taking 13th place each time. The Japanese rider improved his performances as the weekend progressed to score six championship points.
Today's results see Toseland extend his championship lead to 16 points over Biaggi. Haga lies fourth in the standings, on 50 points, with Corser a further five points adrift in fifth place. The series takes close to a one-month race before moving to Donington Park for the championship's 20th anniversary meeting on 1 April. The English circuit played host to the very first world superbike race on 3 April 1988 and returns to the calendar for the first time since 2001. Before then the teams will have a test at the Valencia circuit in Spain, when the Yamaha teams hope to try out a range of new settings and parts on their YZF-R1s.
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team)
"I have had a cold this weekend and I did not feel very good throughout practice. The second race was tough because of the higher temperature but it was also good fun. After the start I was fighting with four other riders but I tried to save the rear tyre as much as possible for the last few laps. The grip was definitely better than in the first and I was thinking that I could push in the last five laps. But when the front guys went I realized that I could not push hard enough and decided to try and go for the third. I'm happy with a third place. The team has done a very good job this weekend and I hope that we will have some new parts to make us more competitive in the next race."
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team)
"I'm disappointed because when I come to Phillip Island I expect a minimum of two podiums, and I thought I rode well enough to achieve that. But that's racing. We changed the bike for the second race and it was definitely better for the tyre, although I also rode a little differently because I knew what to expect from the tyre. At the end of the day we weren't fast enough. The rest of the bike was really good but we just needed some more legs down the straight. We'll go to Valencia and try and improve the bike before going to Donington Park. That's another track I really like so we'll just need to see what happens there."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha)
"I am quite happy with my performance today. In the first race I was riding in a group for a few laps but made a mistake and lost some time. I was able to improve my lap times for the rest of the race and I was pleased that my overall race time was 10 seconds faster in the second race. I was able to have a good fight with Josh Brookes and tried a last lap attack, although I was not able to get past. I now have a better feeling with the bike and the team is working hard to give me more performance for the next race."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italy WSB Team)
"We made a big improvement between the races. We made some suspension changes and the hotter temperatures also made a big difference. In past years we have not had such great results here so for me getting a podium is a good result. We still have a small gap to make up but if we continue like this then I am sure we will be able to close it."
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