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Press Release

DONINGTON PARK - 9th ROUND - 26, 27 and 28 JUNE 2009

Donington Park, Sunday 28th June 2009

Spies closes gap at the top with double triumph at Donington

Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) pulled off another amazing double triumph in the ninth round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship in front of 61,000 spectators at Donington Park. The Texan has now reduced the 48 point gap at the top of the table to 14 from Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who crashed in race 2, picking up a broken vertebra in the process. Haga's Italian team-mate Michel Fabrizio was third in race 2 and is now 51 points behind. Aprilia had a good first race, with Max Biaggi second at the finish, while the best of the numerous British platoon present at Donington was Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), who finished second to Spies in race 2.

Race 1

Spies continued to steamroller his way to the wins in World Superbike as he took his ninth victory of the year in the first race. After setting his eighth pole in qualifying, the Texan rider dominated the 23-lap race but was shadowed all the way by Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing). The Italian ran faultlessly in second until the final lap, when Ben upped the ante to power to the chequered flag, but Biaggi also encountered a fuel problem a couple of hundred metres from the flag and risked losing out on second. This was Biaggi's first podium since Qatar. Third went to points leader Haga, who limited the damage in a race where he was not in a position to challenge for the win. In the all-British battle for fourth place, Haslam got the better of Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati). Aprilia's excellent performance was completed by a sixth place for Shinya Nakano. Home idol and Misano winner Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) could only finish in seventh, ahead of John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda). Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had a gear change problem and could only finish 12th, while Ruben Xaus scored one point for BMW.

Ben Spies: "It was a tough race for us, Max was there the whole time and we were both able to do quick laps. I got a bit of a gap then made a couple of mistakes and he got back on me. The last three laps I rode as hard as I could, we got down to the 30s, then I couldn't hear Max coming into the chicane on the last lap so knew something was wrong and I took the last corners easy. We can't be too conservative now, we have to claw back and get a whole lot of points in a couple of races."

Max Biaggi: "I am very happy with this result after a very hard decision we made in free practice and qualifying. Yesterday we found a way to go fast and we made the right choice in tyres and the balance was correct. In the warm-up we had some problems but for the race we fixed most of them. Just on the last lap at the last chicane we had some trouble, I don't know what, the bike just stopped and then went back again in the last few metres before the flag. I think I deserved second!"

Noriyuki Haga: "I tried to do my best but the front two guys were very fast. I tried to catch up for the victory but I had to settle for third position. Of course during the laps I tried to push and catch them up but it was quite difficult. Our package was quite different but for the next race we try to change something to improve the riding of the bike."

Race 2

Spies also dominated the second race, but this time without any pressure from his rivals. The Yamaha man immediately pulled away at the start to pick up a seven second lead, which he administered easily to pick up his tenth win of the year. Spies' double coincided with a disaster for Haga, who crashed out of second place on lap 5 while trying to make up ground on the leader. The Japanese rider was taken to hospital in Derby with a fractured vertebra and other injuries. Race 2 saw a British rider on the podium, thanks to Haslam, who held off Fabrizio. With the outcome of this race, the Italian keeps alive his title chances. Byrne put on another good show, finishing fourth ahead of fellow Brit Tom Sykes. Xaus again scored points for BMW, this time with a positive ninth place. Both Aprilia riders crashed out, Biaggi suffering a hairline crack in his right foot in the process, but remounting to finish 21st, while John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda) did not make it to the start of race 2, the still-injured American totally exhausted after his race 1 efforts

Ben Spies: "It was a picture perfect weekend, I know Haga had a big crash and hope he's OK. That's not the way you want to do it but you've got to capitalize when things go wrong. The track was definitely hot in the second race and a little bit slick so we made some changes to the bike that made it better. Fortunately we didn't have to push to the absolute limit but it all worked great today."

Leon Haslam: "We've been struggling for the past few rounds with unknown circuits and I really wanted to get on that podium today. I feel good, obviously feel sorry for Haga because I was pushing him hard and I was pretty happy to get second. In the first race I was really suffering from chatter but everyone in the team has been behind me all weekend so a big thanks to them."

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Spies triumphs at Donington
Ben Spies
Ben Spies

Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies made it a clean sweep at Donington today, blowing away the competition to take both races with decisive and well earned wins. Race one saw the American rider take an early lead, closely followed by Aprilia rider Max Biaggi. No matter how hard Biaggi tried he was unable to close the final gap to challenge Spies and settled for second at the flag. Race two saw Spies again take an early lead, repeating the performance of Miller as he gained nearly a second a lap as he pulled away until he had over a 7.4 second advantage. He ran a lonely race at the front to claim his second win of the day, a separate class to the following pack.

Team-mate Tom Sykes had a less than perfect start to the first of his home races. Coming in hot to the hairpin on the ninth lap he braked hard over the bumpy surface and lost the front of the bike, crashing out. Race two saw a good start from the British rider who despite having issues with the front brakes managed to lay down consistent fast lap after lap, towards the end of the race he was the fastest man on the circuit and the only one to touch under the 1.32 mark in the closing stages. As others crashed out and Sykes rode faster he made it to fifth position at the flag.

After a serious crash ruled Haga out of race two, the day's wins brings Ben Spies up to 294 points in the championship, now just 14 points from the top. Tom Sykes takes 11 points from his second race, keeping him in seventh position, just 14 points from nearest rival Max Biaggi.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st, 1st)
"it was a picture perfect weekend. It was a tough race, Max was there the whole time but we were able to do quick laps to stay ahead, the last three laps I rode as hard as I could just to make sure of the win. In the second race I knew Nori had a big crash and I hope he's ok. It's not the way we want to win it but you have to take the points when you can. It was a good second race for us though. The track was hot and a bit slick so we made some changes to the bike which made it better from race one. It was a good job for Leon, getting on the podium at his home round was great, I know how that feels. It was tough being out on my own, I had to focus lap to lap to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. I can't thank the Yamaha guys enough we changed a lot of things around and they came and delivered me two really good bikes to win on."
Tom Sykes
Tom Sykes

Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (DNF, 5th)
"I found a good race setting in warm up this morning and was ready for the first race. I was very confident with my pace in the race but frustrated with my row three start. I was just breaking into a rhythm and unfortunately arrived into the last corner just a bit too hot and lost the front over the bumps, I couldn't believe it as it was my first DNF of the year so I was looking to improve in race two. I had big issues with a lack of braking which held me up. I'm really gutted as I think it cost me a podium, and capped off a bad weekend for the points. I really thought we could come away from the weekend in fifth. On the plus side I think we've seen some more of the old Tom Sykes this weekend, consistent in practice and qualifying and fast and consistent in race two. I'm hoping to take this to Brno and make it work there."

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
"Myself and the team want express our best wishes for Nori, we hope to see him back racing soon. The weekend has been really successful for us, a double win, Superpole and valuable championship points. We have reduced the gap down to 14 points. Ben rode incredibly well in both races, he was faultless all weekend in every session. Tom definitely got his confidence back on the bike which was really important for us, and only missed the podium by a few tenths of a second. We go to Imola now to learn the circuit and to prepare for the next race in Brno. A big thank you to the team who have worked very hard to make our weekend's racing success possible."

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HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) TAKES HIS 100TH SUPERBIKE PODIUM IN RACE 1; BAD ACCIDENT IN RACE 2. PODIUM FOR FABRIZIO IN RACE 2

Donington Park (UK), Sunday 28th June: with the third place finish achieved in Race 1 at Donington Park today, Noriyuki Haga becomes the third rider in Superbike history to have obtained 100 podiums. Unfortunately in race 2 Haga was victim of a serious crash in which he has suffered a fracture of one of the spinal vertebrae. He has been transferred this afternoon to Derby hospital where the medical team will further evaluate the situation.

In the first race Noriyuki made a strong start and found himself in third position behind Spies and Biaggi. When the leading two began to pull away the Japanese rider did all he could to stick with them but the gap increased and Noriyuki rode a lonely last few laps. His team-mate Michel lost a few position at the start and found it subsequently difficult to make up the lost ground, mainly due to a technical problem with the gears. Losing further positions in the final phase of the race, Fabrizio was however able to collect three points, finishing in twelfth place.

In Race 2 Nakano and Rea crashed out early on living Fabrizio a small advantage; in the initial laps the Italian rider progressed from ninth to third position. Despite Byrne's defensive riding, Michel finally managed to pass him aftger nineteen laps, maintaining second position as far as the checkered flag.

Noriyuki made another good start and was in second place by the end of the first lap, but on the fourth lap he suffered a bad fall while entering Coppice Corner. He was immediately transferred to the track's medical centre where the doctors declared a fracture of one of his vertebrae. At this point it was decided to move him by helicopter to Derby hospital where he will receive further medical attention.

Noriyuki ha finished on the podium in thirteen of the eighteen races run so far, Michel in eleven; with today's results, the Ducati Xerox team continue their 100% podium record.
Noriyuki is only the third ever rider in Superbike history to score 100 podiums; only Corser with 128 and Fogarty with 109 have achieved more. Of the 100 podiums, 39 have been race wins.

Haga continues to lead the championship, holding 308 points ahead of Spies with 294 and Fabrizio with 257. Ducati leads the constructors classification with 383 points to Yamaha's 337.

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 -3rd, Race 2 - DNF)
Race 1: "I'm very happy to have made the podium today because we knew it would be a very difficult weekend. I am proud to have reached the 100 podium mark! At the start of Race 1 I did all I could to stick with Max and Ben but, even though I was pushing, today they seemed to have a small advantage and I was unable to do better than third."
Race 2: Haga, after today's accident, was unavavilable for comment at time of print.

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 - 12th, Race 2 - 3rd)
"Race 1 was very difficult, I had a problem with the gears and because of this I lost several positions. I couldn't do much to improve the situation and in the end I could only bring home three points. Before Race 2 we decided to go out with the second bike. I again made a bad start but immediately started to work to regain ground. I spent most of the race battling it out against Byrne and Haslam, just managing to pass Shakey near the end. I'm happy with my race 2 result but I am of course sorry for Nori. I saw the accident and it reminded me of Troy's crash in the same place two years ago, both serious."

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Just a week after his debut World Superbike championship victory at Misano in Italy, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea finished seventh and 15th in today's two ninth-round races at Donington Park in the UK.

Both races were won by American Ben Spies as Rea and his team-mate Carlos Checa continued their familiarisation with new suspension components for their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblades.

Checa finished 11th in race one but crashed out of fifth place on lap six of the second 23-lap encounter around the 4.023km Donington Park circuit. Rea had slid off at the first gear Goddards left-hander three laps earlier, after charging into sixth place from 12th on the grid. The gutsy 22-year-old from Northern Ireland remounted in 28th and last place and fought his way back to 15th at the flag.

Jonathan Rea - 7th and 15th

I knew we were going to struggle here, but I didn't think it would be this hard. Donington is a very difficult place to find the right set up because you have the fast-flowing first section and then a series of first-gear corners at the end of the lap. We changed quite a bit after the first race - the rear linkage and some other things. The bike was very different to ride but I was still struggling in the last sector where I've been having problems all weekend. And that's where I crashed - off the brake, off the throttle, and just lost the front. I picked it up and collected a point, which could be important at the end of the season. We'll aim to find a good base setting for this new suspension when we test at Imola in a couple of weeks, and take the rest of the season from there.

Carlos Checa - 11th and DNF

It's a real shame because the bike was definitely easier to ride faster in race two. I was trying to keep the pressure on but just lost the front at Redgate and that was the end of the race. I've hurt my ribs a bit but it's not too bad. The first race was very difficult also, even though the start was not too bad. We need to spend some time working on the new components, so it is good that we have the test in two weeks.

Ronald ten Kate - team manager

In race one we just didn't have the pace to match the front runners, which was a bit of a surprise because yesterday, during some longer runs, we were quite a bit faster. We changed the set-up quite a bit for race two in which Jonathan showed - both before and after his crash - that he definitely had the pace to match the front runners. Now we go to Imola for a test, which will be good for us to spend some time working with the new suspension for the rest of the season.

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Haslam flies the flag for Honda and the Brits on home soil

Stiggy Racing Honda Leon Haslam flew the flag for Honda and the Brits in the ninth round for the World Superbike championship at his home track at Donington today.

The 26-year old British ace took a fourth place in the first 23-lap superbike race, and highlighted another superb performance for the team in the second outing as he impressively snuffed fellow British riders as well as the other Honda's in the field.

While chasing race leader Ben Spies, Haslam found a persistent Shane Byrne pushing at his rear wheel, but the man from Derby successfully outpaced the Ducati rider and took a well deserved second place on the rostrum in his home race.

John Hopkins made his return with the team after sitting out the last eight races and claimed his first top ten finish onboard the Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR since he entered the championship. Hopkins defied the pain in his left hip while he kept the door closed on his rivals and surprised everyone as he took an impressive eight place at the flag.

Unfortunately, the American had to sacrifice the offer he made as the swelling of his injuries prevented a second race start. Hopkins chose to nurse his injuries and watched the second race from the sideline.

In the best round of the season so far the Stiggy Racing Honda team have shown their capacities and set out their goals for the remainder of the 14-round championship season.

Leon Haslam, Race 1 - 4th, Race 2 - 2nd:
"After going to all these foreign countries it is so good to be back home and taking a good result in front of the English fans. To get the reception I got here today is just amazing. I was pushing for a good result here today and to be on the podium in the second race is just great. I had a few chatter issues in both races, but I managed to hold them off. Everyone seemed to be struggling with the grip in that second session. I felt pretty good on the first and second sector, but the Ducatis were really strong on the last split, so I had to work hard to keep them behind me. The pace was not that good, but I managed to hold it up and bring the bike home in second. I am looking forward to our test in Brno and am ready to make one more step ahead now and get on top of that podium."

John Hopkins, Race 1 - 8th, Race 2 - DNS:
"First of all I want to apologise to the team and sponsors for not being able to ride the second race today. I got off the line really good in the first race but just poked around on the first lap and was not as aggressive as I normally am. But as the adrenaline kicked in I picked my way up to gain as many positions as possible. Halfway the race the pain kicked in and I struggled to move on the bike. From the whole of turn one to the end of the straight I just had to sit still on the bike and not put any pressure on my left leg. It is a good result for the condition I was in today. I have five days of testing coming up now and I am just really happy to be having fun on a motorcycle again. Even though I was in a lot of pain today, it was the best race I have had in the last two years. I have a lot of fun on the bike again, and that's when you start getting faster."

Johan Stigefelt, Team Manager:
"I am very happy with the fist race. Leon did very well and took the fourth position. John has just done a fantastic job again and surprised us all. He really has shown he is a top rider and we can't wait for him to be back on full strength. A fourth and eighth finish in one race is the best result for our team so far this season. Unfortunately John could not ride the second race as he is still in too much pain. He couldn't even get off the bike without help after the first race. He will now concentrate on getting fit for our test in Brno next week. Leon rode an amazing set of races here at his home track. He had some small issues but kept his head down and managed to keep his second place till the finish. I am very happy with the results he has achieved for the team and I am pleased he could achieve this in his home race in front of our English guests."

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SBK, RACE 2: TWO CRASHES FOR BIAGGI AND NAKANO

A pale sun peeked through the clouds to brighten up Race 2 of the UK SBK
round. The 61,000 spectators that were present at Donington Park witnessed
total domination by Ben Spies and a number of falls, most likely due to the
higher temperature.
The start of the race was exactly the same as Race 1, earlier today, with
Spies ahead of everyone, followed by Biaggi once again, while Nakano moved
into third position followed by Haga and Haslam. The American driver then
began to break away from his competitors and only Biaggi managed to keep up
with him. During the second lap Nakano ran into in a frightening high side
that fortunately didn't result in any injuries. During the fourth lap
Biaggi lost his front tyre at the first curve and slipped to the ground,
but quickly got back on his bike and returned to the race. Upon re-entry,
Max came into contact with one of his adversaries along the outer kerb and
slipped back to twentieth place. During the crash, the Roman pilot ended up
with a bruise and a minor injury to the third metatarsal of his right foot,
but he still managed to finish the race in twentieth place. The degree of
his injuries will not prevent Max from participating in the Aprilia's
private test run on the Brno track that is scheduled for July 1st and 2nd.
During the fifth lap, Haga, who was in second place at the time, fell at
the end of the straightaway, and ended up with a fracture of one of his
vertebrae. He was taken to hospital in Derby and the severity of his
condition will only be known in the next few hours.
So, it turned out to be a cake walk for Spies, who crossed the finish line
with a significant lead over Haslam, who was racing on home turf and
Fabrizio secured the third step on the podium.

"During the second race, I felt the vibrations a lot more," said Biaggi.
"It was probably because of the fact that there wasn't as much grip on the
track which would also explain why there were so many falls. I started off
well and I was able to keep up with Spies' pace, but during the fourth lap
I entered the U turn the same way I always do and about halfway through, I
lost the front tyre. I managed to keep the motorcycle running, but
re-entering from outer kerb area, I was hit by another driver and ended up
with this minor injury to my foot. I'm disappointed because I could have
had another spot on the podium."

"The results of Race 1 were good," said Nakano, "considering the problems
we encountered during the warm-ups, and even though I lost a lot of ground
at the beginning. Instead, I started off much better in Race 2 and I
realised that I would be able to keep up with the leaders, but during the
second lap, I lost my rear tyre and flew into the air. Luckily I'm fine,
even though I'm disappointed about how things ended up. On Wednesday we'll
do the test runs at Brno which will help me improve my feeling and develop
the RSV4 for the next round."

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After a difficult weekend during practice and qualifying, Ten Kate Honda Racing's Ryuichi Kiyonari scored two top ten finishes in today's ninth round World Superbike championship races at Donington Park in the UK.

Both 23-lappers around the 4.023km circuit were won by American Ben Spies, as Kiyonari fought hard to improve on his starting position of 20th on the grid.

On 15 and 16 July, the Japanese ace will travel to the Imola circuit in Italy for a test with his team and the new suspension components that have been evaluated over the last two races.

Ryuichi Kiyonari - 10th and 7th

The first race here was very difficult after the problems we have had during the weekend, so we made some changes to the rear for race two. In fact, it was quite a big change and we altered three things with the rear shock. On the sighting lap it felt quite OK but during the race it was better but not perfect. I hope that the test at Imola will allow us to fully test these new parts to get a better setting for the bike so I can make better results for the rest of the season.

Ronald ten Kate - team manager

Kiyo-san's setting was a little better for race two but, with the problems he had in qualifying, which gave him a difficult starting position, it was going to be hard in the races. I'm very happy for this two-day test in Imola that will allow us to test fully the Ohlins suspension in Kiyo's CBR1000RR. This will hopefully give him a better feeling and the chance to push for better results.

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Team Suzuki Alstare Brux news
2009 Superbike World Championship
Round 9, Donington Park, GB,
Sunday 28th June
Circuit: 4.023 kms. Crowd: 61,000 (3-day)
Conditions: Dry, overcast at first, sunny later, 20-23C.

LITTLE REWARD FOR A LOT OF EFFORT.
The ninth round of this year's Superbike World Championship will not be remembered fondly by team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Yukio Kagayama and Blake Young. Yukio's lowly grid position was always going to present problems and although the Japanese fought his hardest, as usual, all he had to show at the end of the day was a 17th in race one and a 13th in race two. Whilst there may have been some expectations on Yukio to get into the top ten at least, there were no such expectations on rookie Blake Young. The 21-year old American was plunged into the deep end this weekend and found himself in unfamiliar territory. But to his credit, he kept working away and finished 25th in race one, but then made a significant improvement in race two by taking 17th position.

Yukio - Race 1: 17th, Race 2: 13th
This weekend was not an easy one because we had problems with rear grip. We tried many different things over the weekend (suspension, geometry, gear ratios), but we were not able to improve the bike. We also tried a different swinging-arm for race two, but no big change, although he feeling was a bit better.
All in all it was a frustrating time for me and my team. I know that they worked as hard as they could and I know that I rode as hard as I could, but we did not get any good results. I am a very experienced rider and my team is very knowledgeable, but we still could not find any solutions. I am sorry for Francis and the whole team, because our results today were no better than a privateer.

Blake - Race 1: 25th, Race 2: 17th
Race two was obviously better for me than race one, but I would've liked to have done better still. I made pretty good starts in both races, but it's difficult in the early stages of the races because everybody is dive-bombing each other! Once the packs split up a bit, it was easier for me to get a good rhythm. This has been a great learning experience for me and I would like to do it again. The team have been great and I would like to thank Francis Batta and Alstare for giving me this tremendous opportunity.

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HASLAM'S PODIUM A HIGH POINT FOR HONDA RIDERS AT DONINGTON

A second place finish in the second race of the day for Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) was the single best Honda rider performance at Donington, in a day when the championship fight became a closer contest at the top and in the middle of the championship table.

Ben Spies won the first race from pole, with Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga behind, but a fight through from a third row start of ninth saw Haslam finish fourth at his first home race. Better was to come in race two, as Haslam capitalised on the early opportunity to chase Spies, and he resisted strong pressure from the fast group in close attendance over the final laps. Four riders all finished within 1.5 seconds of second place.

Spies won the second race by a clear margin once again, but Championship leader Noriyuki Haga crashed out at Coppice, and was taken to hospital in Derby with vertebrae, scapula and right wrist injures.

In the championship fight Haga now has 308, Spies 294 and Fabrizio 257. Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) has 177 points, Haslam 167.

Rea, who qualified 12th in Superpole, found his set-up less able to handle the slower corners at Donington, and thus he was a fighting seventh in race one, but fell at Goddards in the second race, remounting to finish 15th.

After being unable to race at Misano last weekend, John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) got through practice in 11th place in Superpole, then rode to an impressive eighth in race one, before pain and lack of movement from his injured hip caused him to withdraw from race two.

Former British Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was off the podium in his return to his old adopted home, going tenth in the opener, and finishing seventh in race two, 15 seconds behind the winner. He had been only 20th in qualifying, making his two races tales of rapid recovery.

Spaniard Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was a second row qualifier, but was one of a whole raft of crashers in race two, only scoring a 11th place finish in race one.

Matthieu Lagrive (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) made good progress in only his second ever WSB meeting, just missing points in race one by one place, but posting 12th in race two. He had only been 24th on the starting grid.

Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) failed to finish either race, and was only 31st fastest in qualifying.

WSS RACE

Sofuoglu Fourth As Strong Laverty Recover Keeps Him In The Running

Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) replicated his fourth place qualifying result in today's 22-lap World Supersport race and in doing so kept himself third in the championship fight.

The Turkish rider headed up a quartet of fast Honda riders at Donington, the first of which was second place qualifier Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR).

Laverty's race was an incredibly dramatic affair, as he fell from third position on lap three, kept his machine running and restarted, in 26th place. His main championship rival Cal Crutchlow was soon leading a race he would eventually win. Laverty's incredible ride through the pack to fifth puts him 28 points behind Crutchlow, with five rounds still remaining.

Barry Veneman took his Honda to sixth, just ahead of a resurgent Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) who qualified only 22nd but rode with supreme confidence to take seventh, after some radical changes to his machine in morning warm-up. It was his best finish of the year.

Another tough raceday for 2008 champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) saw him start from 15th on the grid and finish tenth, experiencing problems with his machine backing into corners.

Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) retired after qualifying 13th, crashing on lap nine. Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) also crashed out of contention, while pushing for a top six finish.

A promising weekend for Mark Aitchison (Althea Honda CBR600RR) was ended prematurely when he clashed with Katsuaki Fujiwara on lap four. He had been fifth in qualifying and fifth in the race when his crash put him out. Flavio Gentile (Althea Honda CBR600RR) was 17th in his second race for his team.

After the Donington weekend there is an official test at Imola for WSS and WSB riders, at Imola on 15 and 16 July, then the next round is at Brno, Czech Republic, between 24 and 26 July.

RIDER COMMENTS

Jonathan Rea: "In the first race we lost five seconds to the Haslam and Byrne battle at the start and at the end of the race we were five seconds behind. I needed to be more aggressive in the second race start and it worked out; I was fifth or sixth. Then I lost the front, and looking at the telemetry I had arrived at the corner literally only a couple of kmph faster than before. We struggled in that slow sector of the racetrack all weekend."

Leon Haslam: "There was a slower pace in race two and my problem in each race was chatter. In race two I got a little bit better start and learned a thing or two that we were struggling with. I was just catching Biaggi as he went down so it would have been another fight for third or fourth place in that race. But to hold off Fabrizio and Byrne and take second, after missing out in race one, I was pretty happy."

Ryuichi Kiyonari: "The first race was very difficult after the problems we have had during the weekend, so we made some changes to the rear for race two. In fact, it was quite a big change and we altered three things with the rear shock. On the sighting lap it felt quite OK but during the race it was better but not perfect. I hope that the test at Imola will allow us to fully test these new parts to get a better setting for the bike so I can make better results for the rest of the season."

Carlos Checa: "I was able to ride a little faster because of the changes we made after race one, but I just lost the front going into Redgate. It is a shame because the changes we made were not quite enough. I have hurt my ribs as well so I am going to get myself checked-out."

John Hopkins: "I got off the line really good but just poked around on the first lap and was not as aggressive as I normally am. As the adrenaline kicked in I picked my way up to gain as many positions as possible. Halfway the race the pain kicked in and I struggled to move on the bike. It is a good result for the condition I was in today. Even though I was in a lot of pain today, it was the best race I have had in the last two years. I have had a lot of fun on the bike again, and that's when you start getting faster."

Matthieu Lagrive: "I was fighting with good riders like Lanzi, Kagayama, but I do not have the experience yet to really compete with them. I am OK, for me the team was really good, the settings were good and we know which direction to go in to have a top ride next time as well. I prefer to finish the first couple of Superbike races to make sure all is OK and when I grow in confidence I will try to push more."

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WSBK'09 Round 9 | Donington Park, race day

Team Sterilgarda BRC Racing confirmed themselves in the elite of World Superbikes as Shane Byrne finished fifth and fourth in his home round after riding two great races. In race 1, Shakey maintained position and got behind Spies, Biaggi and Haga, while a few tenths behind him Haslam, Nakano and Sykes followed . After a few laps, Byrne started having brake issues and so lost contact with the front runners who built a substantial advantage on him. He then had to battle to keep his position as he recovered in the faster part of the track but kept losing time in the last two corners of each lap due to brake problems. He was however overtaken by Haslam in a final duel and finished fifth. In race 2, Shakey did not get a good start and jumped to sixth place after the first lap with Fabrizio, Haslam, Haga, Biaggi and Spies in front of him. The 2008 BSB champion was constantly fast and got back in the fight for the podium with Haslam and Fabrizio. However, Shakey was overtaken in the end by Ducati's official rider and had to settle for fourth.

SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R | 5th, 4th : "In race 1, I could've at least fought for the podium with Haga. Instead I encountered brake issues after three laps and so I couldn't be as effective under braking. In the third split, with two slow corners, I lost 6-7 tenths. In race 2, the problem was fixed and despite a bad start I managed to get back in the fight for the podium in the tenth lap. Unfortunately, this time it didn't go as I was hoping but I still proved that I have what it takes to fight for the top spots".

MARCO BORCIANI - team manager: "I'm really sorry for the brake problems. I'm sure Shakey could've fought for the podium in race 1. He did however prove he is a very talented rider after he grabbed the fifth place with those brake issues. In race 2, he did his best to take another podium but we're quite happy nonetheless with what we did at Donington. We feel we have established ourselves as one of the better teams in World Superbikes".

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