Various and sundry press releases from the Brands World Superbike event:
2008 HANNSPREE FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
PRESS RELEASE
BRANDS HATCH - 1, 2 and 3 AUGUST - ROUND 10
RACE REPORT
Brands Hatch, Sunday 3 August 2008
Kiyonari grabs sensational double win in World Superbike round 10 at Brands Hatch
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) crowned a triumphant week of racing with two sensational wins in the tenth round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch in front of 97,000 spectators, just a few days after winning the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in Japan. The 25 year-old, reigning BSB champion, got the better of Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) in race 1, before completing a day of triumph with a second win over Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) in race 2.
Race 1
Bayliss led for most of the race with Kiyonari right behind but the Honda man passed the points leader on lap 22 and held on for the win. Second place went to Bayliss and third to Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati), who was the fastest rider on the track in the final stages after making up more than 3 seconds on the leaders in eight laps. At the flag Kiyonari, Bayliss and Biaggi were separated by two-tenths. Two Suzukis were next up, with Yukio Kagayama fourth and Fonsi Nieto fifth, while Max Neukirchner finished seventh after being passed by Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) towards the end. It was a disappointing race for the factory Yamaha team, with Troy Corser only managing eighth and Noriyuki Haga crashing out while fighting for the top positions. British wild-card Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) was also running well but had to retire with a holed radiator while in third. It was a disappointing race for Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) in twelfth, while Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) was weakened by flu and failed to take the start.
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda): "I am very happy today, I started badly in the early laps but my bike had a really good set-up so I could keep lapping in 1m26s laps. Then I pushed and pushed and finally I got the win."
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox): "I was feeling quite comfortable for most of the race and everything was working quite well, but I haven't actually spent much time racing with Kiyonari and wasn't sure how it was going to pan out. He was very strong on the first split and when he came past I would have been very happy for second, but when he did I realized he was in the same trouble as me. Then I saw Max coming so fast and had to push really hard and it became a bit of a dogfight towards the end."
Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati): "I'm quite satisfied with the result. I started good then went backwards as some other riders came through. The first laps were very hard, then I got into a good rhythm and overtook one by one. At the end I couldn't believe I came close to these two guys, but there was not enough time to try and take Troy or Kiyonari, but it was a good race."
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PRESS RELEASE | Brands Hatch, race
WSBK'08 Round 10
Max Biaggi powers to a thrilling wonderful race-1 and gets the third step of the podium. After the green light the Roman champion keeps the position before starting to recover positions lap by lap. His show starts when he passes Corser and Sykes, reaching the third place and immediately breaking with them, just 3 seconds behind the leaders. At 7 laps to go, Biaggi begins to recover on Bayliss and Kiyonari; at the last but one lap he reaches them but it is too late for passing.
In race-2, after some defensive lap, Biaggi ended in the run-off area due to an attempt to avoid a rival. Gotten back to the track he started another great recovery, finishing the race in twelfth position. Ruben Xaus has been stopped by the fever which got higher during the night. He did not take to the track at all, picking the wise choice to wait in the bed the journey back to Spain. In Superstock1000, Alex Polita grabs the 5th place after a poor start and a great attacking race which allowed him to collect meaningful points for the championship ranking where now he is 4th at 94 points, just 15 points from the leader.
MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 3rd and 12th classified: "I'm really satisfied with my result in race-1 which allowed me to finish on the podium for the third time in a row. The team have done an excellent work and I've tried to give my best; unfortunately in race-2 I did not take the corner in the right way and I ended on the run-off area, compromising my race. When I started again I was the last but one but anyway I powered to a good recovery which has ended in twelfth position".
RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | Retired: "Unfortunately I'm feeling very low. Riding the bike would have been an high risk. I'm not able now to take a Superbike to the limit. I hope to make up for the lost race in the next championship round at Donington after the holidays".
ALEX POLITA | Ducati 1098R | 5th classified: "I picked for a front rain tyre since the track was wet and due to the rain fallen before the start. I thought that the rain would have kept up to fall, but it wasn't. So my choice was not the best one and I was not able to follow the pace of the rivals endowed with dry tyres. Anyhow the gap from the championship leader is still little".
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HONDA RACING INFORMATION
British World Superbike at Brands Hatch
Sunday August 3, 2008
World Superbike and World Supersport race report
KIYONARI TAKES A SUPERB DOUBLE WIN AT BRANDS HATCH
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
CBR1000RR) took his first and second World
Superbike race wins today after two thrilling
contests, the first with championship leader Troy
Bayliss and Max Biaggi, then the second with his countryman Noriyuki Haga.
The top three were covered by only 0.180 seconds
in race one, but after a better start in race
two, Kiyonari secured a margin of victory of 1.8
seconds, pushing on in the final laps to break Haga's intense pressure.
Kiyonari's wins take him to eighth in the
championship overall, with a total of 165 points.
He had secured a front row start of third after a
wet Superpole contest on Saturday and put his
years of BSB knowledge to good use on this
circuit, making wise tyre choices and finding a
good race set-up early in the weekend.
The top placed Honda rider in the series is still
Kiyonari's fellow Suzuka 8-Hour race winning
partner, Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
CBR1000RR) who was 11th in qualifying, but sixth
and then eighth in the two Brands Hatch races,
run over 25-laps each. Checa is fourth in the
championship, on 233 points to leader Troy Bayliss' 334.
Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR)
overcame his tough qualifying experiences at
Brands Hatch to secure tenth place in race one,
then 14th in race two, starting from 19th place in each contest.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
CBR1000RR Jr) improved his overall set-up greatly
this weekend, but was just out of Superpole by
one place and thus 17th on the grid, then scoring
points for 13th in race one but none for 17th in race two.
Gregorio Lavilla (Vent-Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR)
was another rider in the points mix in each race
but dropped back from 13th place on the grid to
14th in the opener and equalling his pre-race
performance in race two. His new team-mate Chris
Walker (Vent-Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR) missed out
on Superpole but scored points in each race by going 15th on two occasions.
Karl Muggeridge (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR), was
only 16th in race one and then a retiree in race
two, after qualifying 16th in Superpole.
Shuhei Aoyama (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR)
was a retiree in the opener and 22nd in race two,
while his team-mate Jason Pridmore (Alto
Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) went 22nd and 23rd.
Kiyonari said: "I'm so happy, I cannot really
believe it. We have been near the top of the
leader board in all the sessions this weekend so
we knew that we had a good race set up. The team
worked hard to give me a great bike for both
races and finally we have a win - no, two wins! -
to celebrate. It wasn't easy. I found it
difficult to pass and I made a couple of
mistakes. In race one, I was very nervous for the
last few laps but in race two I was able to keep a good pace right to the end."
Checa said: "I cannot say that I am happy with
the results but I have to be satisfied after the
problems we have had this weekend. Of course,
Brands Hatch was a new circuit for me to learn
and we found it difficult to find a good setting
for the bike. I had a problem with the
left-hander going onto the back of the circuit
and this is a corner you must get right to carry
speed for the rest of the lap."
Sofuoglu said: "Of course, I am disappointed -
especially because I couldn't move forward from
the results in Brno. We made a change after the
first race and my pace was definitely better. But
after a good start, I got blocked in at the first
corner and then found it hard to pass Laconi and
Walker. However, I am looking forward to a little
holiday before coming back stronger at Donington."
Rolfo said: "This second race was more difficult
for me compared to the first one. My start was
not so good and I lost some positions in the
first curves. I'm pretty satisfied with my
fourteenth place, but I'm disappointed because I
cannot reach a good starting position during the
qualifying sessions and it's always difficult to
begin a race from too far back."
Lavilla said: "We made some improvements to the
bike in the second race and we put in some good
lap times. We were consistent once again and
within the points but I wasn't able to improve
much on my qualifying position. So we have to
keep working hard on set-up and move up to the
next level, which I hope we can achieve at Donington."
Walker said: "Every time I went out on the bike I
learned more and more and it's great to be back
on a Superbike. The bike felt brilliant and I was
happy with the race set-up in the end. My fitness
level is good but I need to get into the gym to
work on my arm strength as I had to lose weight to ride the Supersport."
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BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) INCREASES HIS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH A PODIUM AT BRANDS
Brands Hatch (UK), Sunday 3rd August 2008: despite typically unsettled British weather Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) took a second place finish in Race 1 to increase his overall points advantage after ten rounds of the World Superbike championship.
A restarted Race 1, due to the onset of rain, was dominated by Bayliss from the start. Although Troy was able to hold off a battling Kiyonari for the majority of the race, the young Japanese rider finally passed Troy who, suffering by that stage from rear tyre wear, had to settle for second place. Bayliss' team-mate Michel Fabrizio suffered too due to the tyres but was affected above all by pain in his forearm which meant he finished the first race in twelfth place, unable to make up any real ground.
In Race 2, Troy again made a great start, leading for the first few laps before the same tyre issue saw him fall gradually back through the field to take an eventual eleventh place finish. Michel made better progress this time around, moving up from fifteenth position to cross the finish line in sixth place, gaining valuable points despite the ongoing pain in his forearm.
Bayliss has further increased his championship lead, albeit by just three points, and now has an 82 point advantage over Neukirchner. Fabrizio now holds 161 points and lies in ninth place overall.
Ducati continues to lead the manufacturers championship, holding 403 points ahead of second-placed Yamaha (345 points).
Troy Bayliss (Race 1 - 2nd, Race 2 - 11th)
"I'm quite disappointed to tell the truth as I hoped to do a lot better today. By the last few laps of the first race the rear tyre wear was pretty bad and that's why we changed the tyre before Race 2. Unfortunately that was the wrong choice and there wasn't much I could do after the first few laps. I am however happy with podium in race 1 as those 20 points have meant that I've increased my overall lead, even though it's by just a few points. That was a great race this morning and my congratulations go to Kiyo who really was fantastic here today."
Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 - 12th, Race 2 - 6th)
"In race 1 the tyres were a real problem. We chose a harder tyre but it wasn't right so we went for a softer option for race 2 which, although better, did not perform as we had hoped. In both races my right forearm, the one already operated on, was playing up again and although I went to the Clinica Mobile after race 1 for some treatment I still experienced pain throughout the second race. I'm pretty satisfied with the fact that I was able to make up so many positions in race 2 though, to finish in sixth place, taking valuable points in the process."
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HANNspree Ten Kate Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari has clinched a superb double victory at the tenth round of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch today. The 25-year-old Japanese rider knows the Kent circuit well from his experience in the British Superbike series, and was confident ahead of the day's two 25-lap races.
Although 'Kiyo' didn't get the best start from the line in the first race, he set about making his way up through the pack, until he had almost caught up with frontrunner Troy Bayliss by lap six. The double British Superbike Champion was determined to pass the Australian, and persevered until he was able to take the inside line on lap 21. Kiyonari maintained his position at the front of the field until the chequered flag, claiming his maiden victory of the 2008 season.
Kiyo was a more dominant force in the second race, making his way to the front by the tenth lap. Although closely pursued by fellow Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga, he'd managed to pull out an advantage of more than 1.8 seconds by the chequered flag. It was another well-deserved win for 'King Kiyo' in front of his British fans.
Meanwhile, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa scored positive sixth and eighth place finishes at Brands, while third HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu scooped 13th and tenth places in race one and two respectively. HANNspree Honda Althea's Roberto Rolfo also had a positive points-scoring day, claming tenth and 14th in the day's races.
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MAX MAINTAINS HIS SECOND PLACE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP ON A DIFFICULT DAY IN BRANDS HATCH.
The unseasonal weather interrupted proceedings at Brands Hatch today, but somehow both 24-lap races took place with all riders on slick tyres. Race one was delayed because of a rain shower as the teams lined up on the grid, but the track dried out and the race got under away after fifteen minutes or so. Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama took fourth place, with team mate Fonsi Nieto fifth. Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner struggled with a tyre problem, but still came home in seventh place. Japanese rider Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) won the race, his first ever WSBK win, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) second and Max Biaggi (Ducati) third.
Race two did not start well for Yukio. He was hit by Briton Tom Sykes on the first lap and was forced to go straight on into the gravel. He crashed, but remounted and rejoined the race dead last, but was too far behind and could only finish 25th. Max had a much better race this time, ending fourth, with Fonsi just behind in fifth. Kiyonari had a terrific battle with fellow countryman Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), but managed to hold him off and take his second win of the day, with Troy Corser (Yamaha) a distant third. Max's fourth retains his second place in the championship, 82 points behind leader Troy Bayliss, and ten points ahead of Troy Corser.
Fonsi - Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 5th
In terms of points, today has been one of our best racedays
recently and I'm happy about that. I had some tyre problems in race one and that prevented me from pushing harder. We are using some new front forks and they are better for braking and entering the turns, but we need more time to evaluate them and understand how we can get better grip. I was more aggressive in race two and pushed harder, but I lost contact with the leaders after about five laps and then it was difficult to get back into contact. All in all though, I'm happier this weekend.
Max - Race 1: 7th, Race 2: 4th
Race one wasn't so good because I guess we used a tyre that was too soft and it was spinning a lot and not giving good grip. I kept going as best I could and tried to score as many points as possible. The second race was much better. We used a harder tyre and I was happy to take fourth place and maintain second place in the championship. We were unable to try anything in this morning's warm-up because of the wet conditions and this is the kind of track where you need to put in a lot of laps to get a good set-up. Once again, my team worked very well this weekend and I want to thank them for that.
Yukio - Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 25th
I am very disappointed with how today worked out because I really felt that I could make two very good results. I had problems entering the turns in race one and the bike was chattering a bit at the rear end. It was bad in some corners and not so bad in others, but I adjusted my riding style and tried to work my way round the problem. I lost some positions, but my lap times were pretty consistent and I was pleased to get fourth. In race two, I got hit by Tom Sykes on lap one going into Druids. His bike caught my brake lever and that locked up the front end and I was forced to go straight into the gravel - where I crashed! It took a few moments to get the bike upright again and then I got back on it and rejoined the race. I was last by a very long way, but I decided to keep going and finish the race even though I had no chance of any points. I did this because I have many fans in Britain and I did not want to disappoint them.
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Haga and Corser on the Brands Hatch podium
Noriyuki Haga
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) took second and third places respectively after impressive performances in the second Brands Hatch race, both riders changing their tyre choices from race one.
An unhappy outcome to a promising first race saw Haga fall on lap seven while Corser dropped back from the leading group to go eighth, on a track surface that had started off slick after a fall of rain shortly before the scheduled 12 midday kick-off.
The second race proved to be a great battle for Haga, the determined Yamaha rider fighting almost to the very end of the 25 laps, but he had to give best on the day to Ryuichi Kiyonari. In the second outing Corser rode determinedly and ended up a lonely but safe third, eight seconds from the win.
Corser is third in the overall rankings, only ten points behind second thanks to his Brands finishes. He now has 242 points, with leader Bayliss on 334. Haga is fifth, on 230 points.
David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) was 17th and 20th in today's races, Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) suffered a technical retirement in race one and made up for it with 19th in race two.
Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) missed out on riding after injuring his wrist in a qualifying fall.
Noriyuki Haga (DNF and 2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)
"I am happy to take a second place in race two because in the first race my rear tyre choice was not so good, and I was disappointed with that. In the second race I just changed the rear tyre and I had a good feeling with that one. I had a good battle with Kiyo but he was faster than me in some places, then I would catch him up. Congratulations to Kiyo and also my team, because they made a good job to allow me to finish second."
Troy Corser
Troy Corser (8th and 3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)
"Race two was better than the first race, we made some changes to the tyre choice and the bike and they worked well. I just could not run the pace of the guys at the front because they just pulled away. I had a bit of a battle with Bayliss and it took a bit of time for me to get past him, but I am content with third. I'm out there trying to win races but podiums will have to do for now."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)
"We did not get what we expected in the first race but we did a really good second race as a team, with both riders on the podium. We made the wrong tyre choice for both riders on the first one, so in race two one rider went softer and the other one harder. Obviously each choice was a good one! It was a difficult first race because of the weather delay, but we made up for it well in race two. Well done to everyone in the team."
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