WORLDSBK.COM - bis 05.04.2010

[WORLDSBK.COM]

Maxime Berger was a convincing fastest rider in warm up going 0.6 seconds quicker than Lorenzo Baroni (Ducati PataB&G Racing) and 0.7 up on Davide Giugliano (Team 06 Suzuki). Pole man Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) was fourth quickest.

1 21 Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'46.631

2 14 Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'47.317

3 34 Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 1'47.339

4 86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'47.671

5 20 Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1'47.732

6 8 Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'47.825

7 7 Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'48.192

8 93 Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1'48.193

9 11 Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R 1'48.530

10 47 La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'49.011

11 9 Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'49.029

12 134 Lacalendola R. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'49.211

13 69 Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 1'49.392

14 30 Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 1'49.666

15 91 Walkowiak M. (POL) Honda CBR1000RR 1'49.681

16 55 Svitok T. (SVK) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.148

17 12 Vivarelli N. (ITA) KTM 1190 RC8 R 1'50.237

18 64 Andric D. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.247

19 65 Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'50.664

20 99 Leeson C. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'50.672

21 29 Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'50.713

22 5 Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.829

23 36 Thiriet P. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.891

24 155 Dias T. (POR) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'51.380

25 45 Sletten K. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'51.737

26 66 Stoklosa M. (POL) BMW S1000 RR 1'52.439

27 89 Salac M. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 1'53.440

28 119 Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'21.988

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki) led warm up from Cal Crutchlow (Sterilgarda Yamaha) and lowly qualifier Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) and Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati). Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) went fifth, Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) sixth.

1 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'42.664

2 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'43.007

3 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'43.143

4 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'43.173

5 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'43.360

6 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.509

7 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'43.541

8 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'43.596

9 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.633

10 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'43.747

11 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'43.798

12 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'43.837

13 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'43.929

14 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'44.187

15 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'44.216

16 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'44.356

17 88 Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'44.415

18 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'44.650

19 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'45.141

20 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'45.310

21 31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'45.432

22 49 Tamada M. (JPN) BMW S1000 RR 1'45.904

23 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'46.154

24 32 Morais S. (RSA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'47.125

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Kenan Sofuoglu set a new best lap of 1'44.683 in warm-up this morning, from his team-mate Michele Pirro and Parkalgar Honda rider, Eugene Laverty. Fabien Foret (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki) was fourth.

1 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1'44.683

2 51 Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'45.364

3 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1'45.377

4 99 Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'45.764

5 7 Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 1'45.931

6 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'46.166

7 37 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'46.264

8 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1'46.842

9 25 Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 1'46.851

10 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675 1'46.977

11 55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'46.996

12 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 1'47.156

13 4 Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'47.448

14 40 DiSalvo J. (USA) Triumph Daytona 675 1'47.833

15 5 Lundh A. (SWE) Honda CBR600RR 1'48.211

16 33 Cazzola P. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'49.908

17 9 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'50.562

18 36 Hunt M. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1'50.826

19 8 Chesaux B. (SUI) Honda CBR600RR 1'52.254

20 24 Blokhin E. (RUS) Yamaha YZF R6 1'53.646

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The arrival in Superstock 1000 of the S1000RR was an immediately successful one, as Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) took the win after race long rival Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Racing Junior) ran on and lost 2.5 seconds on the final lap. Third was Loris Baz (MRS Racing Yamaha) meaning there were three different machines on the podium.

1 86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 21'18.245 (155,193 kph)

2 21 Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2.744

3 65 Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 13.154

4 20 Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 13.800

5 5 Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 15.304

6 47 La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 15.861

7 34 Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 16.727

8 8 Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 17.334

9 9 Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 20.558

10 30 Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 22.386

11 11 Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R 23.129

12 69 Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 29.915

13 91 Walkowiak M. (POL) Honda CBR1000RR 37.183

14 12 Vivarelli N. (ITA) KTM 1190 RC8 R 38.271

15 119 Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 38.561

16 99 Leeson C. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 44.991

17 64 Andric D. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 47.171

18 36 Thiriet P. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 52.936

19 155 Dias T. (POR) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 53.919

20 89 Salac M. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 55.497

21 55 Svitok T. (SVK) Honda CBR1000RR 55.558

22 45 Sletten K. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R1 56.869

23 66 Stoklosa M. (POL) BMW S1000 RR 1'19.684

RET 93 Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR

RET 14 Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R

RET 7 Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9

RET 134 Lacalendola R. (ITA) Ducati 1098R

RET 29 Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) held off Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki) for the race one win, by only 0.2 seconds after a man-to-man fight throughout. Jonathan Rea went third for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, when Cal Crutchlow fell off his Sterilgarda Yamaha late in the race, remounting to go 14th. Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) had to work hard to keep Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) behind as he scored fourth place. Haslam extended his championship lead by finishing second, with one more race to go today.

1 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 37'59.283 (159,562 kph)

2 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 0.200

3 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 6.901

4 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 7.457

5 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 7.564

6 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 11.420

7 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 18.391

8 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 18.536

9 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 24.514

10 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 32.427

11 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 35.045

12 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 36.816

13 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 36.841

14 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 44.678

15 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 44.942

16 31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 59.135

17 32 Morais S. (RSA) Honda CBR1000RR 59.852

18 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'00.097

19 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'10.151

20 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R

RET 88 Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR

RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R

RET 49 Tamada M. (JPN) BMW S1000 RR

RET 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Kenan Sofuoglu (Ten Kate Honda) won a thrilling Supersport race by 0.031 seconds from Joan Lascorz (Motocard.com Kawasaki) and Sofuoglu's team-mate Michele Pirro. Long time leader Eugene Laverty was caught and passed by both Sofuoglu and Lascorz with a few laps left to run and soon after lost the front, falling but restarting to finish 11th. Sofuoglu leads the championship, 41 points to Lacorz' 40.

1 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 35'21.143 (155,871 kph)

2 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 0.031

3 51 Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 8.879

4 7 Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 15.270

5 99 Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 22.096

6 37 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 23.041

7 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 30.830

8 4 Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 35.171

9 55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 35.225

10 25 Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 35.239

11 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 49.540

12 40 DiSalvo J. (USA) Triumph Daytona 675 49.628

13 5 Lundh A. (SWE) Honda CBR600RR 1'08.602

14 8 Chesaux B. (SUI) Honda CBR600RR 1'13.455

15 9 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'30.738

16 33 Cazzola P. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'30.852

17 36 Hunt M. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6

18 24 Blokhin E. (RUS) Yamaha YZF R6

RET 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR

RET 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

A four-rider fight for the win went to Max Biaggi, from Leon Haslam, who was second by 0.191 seconds, Cal Crutchlow third and Carlos Checa fourth - only 1.015 seconds covered them all. In the championship Haslam leads with 85 points, Biaggi is second on 69 and Checa third with 60.

1 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 38'06.128 (159,084 kph)

2 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 0.191

3 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 0.658

4 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1.015

5 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 3.123

6 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 9.131

7 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 11.033

8 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 13.452

9 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 13.964

10 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 16.377

11 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 26.351

12 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 27.964

13 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 33.566

14 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 33.823

15 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 37.372

16 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 45.611

17 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 56.512

18 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 58.980

19 49 Tamada M. (JPN) BMW S1000 RR 1'15.819

20 88 Pitt A. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'41.672

RET 32 Morais S. (RSA) Honda CBR1000RR

RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R

RET 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR

RET 31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

In front of 77.000 people, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) won each 22-lap race at Portimao today to go second in the championship rankings, behind the rider who took two second places, Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki). The margin of victory for Biaggi was 0.200 seconds in race one, and 0.191 seconds in race two, as Max took his career win total to six. He scored his first SBK double win today, having started the race second on the grid. Haslam now has 85 points, Biaggi 69.

Race 1

Max Biaggi held off Haslam for the race one win but only after a strong man-to-man fight throughout. Jonathan Rea went third for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, when Cal Crutchlow fell off his Sterilgarda Yamaha late in the race, remounting to go 14th.

Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) had to work hard to keep Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) behind as he scored fourth place. Shane Byrne (Althea Ducati) rode through the pain of a big crash on Saturday to take sixth. Noriyuki Haga recovered from his fifth row start to take eighth and the first BMW Motorrad machine home belonged to Troy Corser, ninth.

Race 2

A close four-rider fight for the win went to Biaggi again, from Leon Haslam, who was not quite able to overtake Biaggi and make it stick, as Max used his superior drive out of the final corner to pass Leon when it mattered. Cal Crutchlow scored his second career SBK podium, and his first as a series regular, running his Yamaha to third. Carlos Checa was fourth - and only 1.015 seconds covered the whole top four after another tense race. In the championship Haslam leads with 85 points, Biaggi is second on 69 and Checa third with 60.

FOUR MANUFACTURERS IN EACH TOP FOUR

In each race today there were four different manufacturers in the top four - Aprilia, Suzuki, Honda and Ducati in race one, and Aprilia, Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati in race two. The second race saw a vee-four, a conventional ‘screamer' four, a cross-plane crankshaft four and a 1200cc vee-twin fill the top four places - all the engine configurations competing in SBK this year within a second of each other after 22 laps and almost 160km of close racing.

VAST IMPROVEMENT

It was only last October that the previous Portimao round was run, but in those short months the progress has been amazing. Race one today was 16 seconds faster than it's equivalent in October and race two was 13 seconds faster this year compared to last.

 

RIDER COMMENTS

Max Biaggi: "It is great to get my first double win in World Superbike. The feeling is great and the first double win of anybody this year so I feel confident and we are in a good rhythm. We go to Valencia next and we will ask very much of ourselves there as well. We had good speed down the straight today but if you saw how fast we could exit the last corner then you would know it was not just the engine. Our bike is fast but other bikes are also fast."

Leon Haslam: "I was trying everything to pass Max and in race two I timed it so I could be in the lead with a few laps to go and make a break, but Max came back past me on the straight. It was hard racing today from lap one right to the end. We got two podiums and although I was disappointed not to get another win, we are still leading the championship. That puts a smile back on my face."

Jonathan Rea: "Somebody ran me a bit wide on the first turn of race one and I was held up a lot after that, so when I picked up some pace it opened my eyes to what I could do. In race one I think I made one mistake and had to catch up quite a few riders, but I still finished third."

Cal Crutchlow: "The places where I was losing time where the places I was using the tyre a lot, and I was making a few small mistakes as well. I had Carlos right behind me for most of the second race and that kept me on my toes. Fortunately Max and Leon made a few little mistakes running wide and that allowed me to hang on in there until the end."

World Supersport - Sofuoglu supreme in Portugal

Kenan Sofuoglu (Ten Kate Honda) won a thrilling Supersport race by 0.031 seconds from Joan Lascorz (Motocard.com Kawasaki) and Sofuoglu's team-mate Michele Pirro. Long time leader Eugene Laverty was caught and passed by both Sofuoglu and Lascorz with a few laps left to run and soon after lost the front, falling but restarting to finish 11th. Chas Davies (ParkinGO Triumph BE1) was fourth on his three-cylinder machine. Local rider Miguel Praia was forced to stop on his Parkalgar Honda.

After the second round, Sofuoglu leads the championship, 41 points to Lascorz' 40. Laverty has 30 points in third.

Superstock 1000 FIM Cup - Badovini wins debut race for BMW

The arrival in Superstock 1000 of the S1000RR was an immediately successful one, as Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) took the win after race long rival Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Racing Junior) ran off track and lost 2.5 seconds on the final lap. Third was Loris Baz (MRS Racing Yamaha) meaning there were three different machines on the podium.

Pirelli (Official Tyre Supplier)

"Back in Portimão after just five months allows for some incredible tyre developments, seen already in Race 1 when six riders on five different bikes quickened the lap record as much as 0.75 seconds and the final race time by 16 seconds. After just one year from the start of Aprilia's renewed SBK project, Biaggi has found the ideal tyre performances to take his first double win. All these impressive results come from Diablo Superbike SC2 front and SC1 rear tyres recently inserted in the Pirelli racing range, based on confirmed solutions from the previous season. The eventful races and diverse podiums filled by the four manufacturer's bikes of Aprilia, Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha were no surprise, as starting from the 2nd Superbike practice, the first 18 riders were seperated by only 1.27 seconds. The FIM Superstock 1000 was also notable as congratulations to BMW Motorrad Italia on their first win in the class, to Berger (Honda) who brought down the Lap Record by 1 second, and the final podium filled with three different manufacturers - BMW Honda Yamaha -" Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director, Pirelli Moto

Performance Awards:

SBK Race 1 - Pirelli BEST LAP

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), 1'42.774 (Lap 4)

SBK Race 2 - Pirelli BEST LAP

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing), 1'43.285 (Lap 2)

Total BEST LAP (SBK): Haslam L. (Suzuki Alstare): 1, Guintoli S. (Suzuki Alstare): 1, Biaggi M. (Aprilia Alitalia Racing): 1, Checa C. (Althea Racing): 1

WSS - Pirelli BEST LAP

Michele Pirro (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda), 1'45.180 (Lap 2)

Total BEST LAP (WSS): Laverty E. (Parkalgar Honda): 1, Pirro M. (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda): 1

Stk1000 - Pirelli BEST JUMP FORWARD

Ondrej Jezek (MS Racing), From 19th to 12th (7 positions)

Stk600 - Pirelli BEST JUMP FORWARD

Riccardo Cecchini (Azione Corse), From 11th to 6th (5 positions)

 

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Depuis son enagagement en championnat du monde Superbike il y a trois ans, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) n'a jamais autant brillé que ce week-end à Portimao. Sous un soleil radieux et devant 77 000 spectateurs, le Romain signe un doublé magistral. Le premier de sa carrière et le premier de l'Aprilia RSV4. En 2009, Biaggi avait déjà offert une victoire au constructeur Italien sur le circuit de Brno en République Tchèque. Depuis, il courait après une victoire en course.

La saison d'Aprilia avait pourtant mal débuté en Australie avec d'insolubles problèmes de châssis sur le circuit de Phillip Island qui avait empoisonné le week-end de Biaggi. A Portimao, tout est rentré dans l'ordre. Deuxième sur la grille de départ derrière Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team), l'empereur Romain signe par deux fois le meilleur départ. Usant des qualités dynamiques de sa RSV4, particulièrement rapide en vitesse de pointe, il parvient lors des deux courses à contenir les assauts répétés de Leon Haslam (Team Suzuki Alstare), seul pilote capable ce week-end de contrer la suprématie de l'Aprilia. L'Anglais en signant deux deuxièmes places conserve la tête du championnat du monde avec seize points d'avances sur Max Biaggi qui pointe désormais en seconde place.

Derrière les deux hommes forts du championnat, et en l'absence des deux Ducati officielles de Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox Team) et de Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox Team) qualifiées bien trop loin en 18e et 19e position pour se mêler à la lutte en tête, on retrouve les Anglais Jonathan Rea (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) troisième en première course et Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team). Deux pilotes qui ont simplement échangé leur place entre les deux courses sur le podium. Alors que Crutchlow chute en première course et laisse Rea monter sur le podium, Rea casse son moteur en seconde course et laisse cette Crutchlow se hisser sur la troisième marche du podium. Un jeu de chaises musicales entre les deux hommes, bien à l'image de la lutte acharnée que se livrent les jeunes pilotes d'outre-Manche cette saison.

En pilote expérimenté, Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) assure par deux fois les points de la quatrième place et reste au contact au classement du championnat du monde. Il est aussi et surtout le premier pilote Ducati malgré sa machine privée, loin devant les deux officiels de la marque qui concèdent pas mal de terrain au championnat. Fabrizio et Haga qui terminent les deux courses rigoureusement aux mêmes positions: 8e pour le Japonais et 11e pour l'Italien. Ils ont désormais 39 points de retard au championnat pour Fabrizio et 42 points pour Haga.

Quasi-copie conformes, les deux courses offrent donc de nombreuses similitudes quant aux résultats des différents pilotes. Biaggi, Haslam, Checa mais aussi Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing). Le coéquipier de Biaggi confirme s'il était besoin la très bonne santé de l'Aprilia en terminant deux fois à la cinquième place. Les déconvenues sont en revanche assez nombreuses, en commençant par les modestes résultats de Sylvain Guintoli (Team Suzuki Alstare) qui n'a pas réussi au Portugal à confirmer sa prestation australienne. Le Français parti tout droit au bout de la ligne droite, se contente de la treizième place en première course. Il intègre le top 10 en seconde course et après une longue bagarre avec Haga, Guintoli empoche les points de la neuvième place.

Chez BMW, on a toujours du mal à se réjouir du résultat en course. Alors que la S 1000 RR brille en Superstock, elle ne parvient pas à briller en Superbike. Malgré un départ canon de Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), troisième au début de la première manche, l'Australien ne parvient pas à faire mieux que neuvième en course. Quant à James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) toujours souffrant de sa fracture à la main, il assure une septième et une sixième place en course sans vraiment d'éclat et laisse son coéquipier Crutchlow prendre peu à peu l'ascendant au sein du team officiel Yamaha.

Championnat du monde Supersport

On attendait Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), c'est finalement Kenan Sofuoglu (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) qui s'impose au Portugal. Le pilote Turc a profité de la chute de l'Irlandais pour prendre les commandes de la course à quelques tours de la fin. En bagarre avec Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com), l'officiel Honda second à l'entame du dernier tour, réussi à s'imposer après un dépassement musclé sur l'Espagnol. Au final, les deux pilotes passent le drapeau à damiers avec seulement 31 millièmes d'écart. Une victoire qui permet à Sofuoglu de prendre les commandes du championnat avec un seul petit point d'avance sur Lascorz. Michel Pirro (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda), après son résultat blanc en Italie marque ses premiers points en championnat en se hissant sur la troisième marche du podium. Fabien Foret (Team Lorenzini by Leoni) qui termine cinquième de la course ne cache pas sa déception quant à son départ médiocre qui lui coûte peut-être une place sur le podium. Quoiqu'il en soit, au guidon de sa Kawasaki privée, le tricolore se paye tout de même le luxe de terminer devant Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki Motocard.com) pilote officiel de la marque. Grosse déception en revanche pour Matthieu Lagrive (ParkinGO Triumph BE1) qui, après des essais qui lui ont permis de découvrir la moto, chute dès le premier tour. Un week-end frustrant qu'il faut rapidement oublié.

Coupe FIM Superstock 1000

Première victoire pour Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK Team) et surtout premier succès en course pour la BMW S 1000 RR. Toute la course, le couple Italo-Allemand a bagarré avec un Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior) très en forme. Malheureusement, le pilote tricolore n'a rien pu faire contre la vitesse de pointe de la BMW. Plus à l'aise dans les enchaînements techniques, Berger qui a été le seul pilote en mesure de contrer Badovini, était immanquablement repris par la BMW dans la longue ligne droite des stands du circuit de Portimao. Et à l'entame du dernier tour, n'ayant pas d'autre choix que de tenter un gros freinage en bout de ligne droite, le Français a tiré tout droit. Il assure tout de même la deuxième place, juste devant son compatriote Loris Baz (MRS Racing). Qualifié en cinquième position sur la grille, le savoyard est très mal parti et pointé en onzième position au premier virage. Sans s'affoler, il a réussi à accrocher le groupe de chasse à distance des deux leaders. Au terme d'une course régulière et sans erreur, Loris se hisse sur la troisième marche du podium. Un très joli tir groupé du clan Français, puisque Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Junior Racing Team) accroche une jolie quatrième place, malgré deux erreurs en course qui lui coûtent le podium. Matthieu Lussiana (Team ASPI) à quant à lui chuter à mi-course.

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Portimao. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) consiguió ganar las dos carreras que se disputaron en el circuito portugués de Portimao y de esta forma logró el primer doblete de su historia como piloto de superbike y también el primero de Aprilia en su regreso al campeonato del mundo.

Haslam (Suzuki) fue segundo en las dos carreras y lidera la clasificación del campeonato con dieciséis puntos de ventaja con respecto a Biaggi (Aprilia).

En un fin de semana desgraciado para las Ducati oficiales, Carlos Checa y su equipo privado fue el mejor de los pilotos con las motos italianas y llegará a Valencia en la tercera posición de la general. Xaus (BMW) consiguió puntuar en las dos carreras.

Primera carrera: Biaggi y Haslam

Max Biaggi (Aprilia) ganó la carrera después de un interesante duelo con Haslam (Suzuki), que perdió el liderazgo a cuatro vueltas del final al cometer un error, sin tiempo para tratar de recuperar la primera posición. El éxito de las Aprilia lo completó el joven Camier que acabó quinto después de recuperar cinco posiciones.

Rea (Honda) volvió al podio beneficiado por la salida de pista de Crutchlow (Yamaha) cuando este iba tercero a la caza de los dos primeros. Neukirchner (Honda), compañero de Rea se tuvo que retirar con un problema técnico (embrague) y Toseland (Yamaha), acabó séptimo tras aguantar la amenaza de Haga (Ducati).

Por lo que respecta a las BMW Motorrad Corser y Xaus acabaron entre los diez primeros. La mejor Kawasaki fue la de Sykes (15º), mientras que su compañero de equipo Vermeulen no salió en carrera debido a los dolores que sufre en su rodilla lesionada en Australia.

Clasificación primera carrera

1) M. Biaggi (Aprilia) 2) L. Haslam (Suzuki) 3) J. Rea (Honda) 4) C. Checa (Ducati) 5) L. Camier (Aprilia) 6) S. Byrne (Ducati) 7) J. Toseland (Yamaha) 8) N. Haga (Ducati) 9) T. Corser (BMW) 10) R. Xaus (BMW) 11) M. Fabrizio (Ducati) 12) L. Lanzi (Ducati) 13) S. Guintoli (Suzuki) 14) C. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 15) T. Sykes (Kawasaki).

Segunda carrera: Biaggi de nuevo

Biaggi (Aprilia), Rea (Honda), Haslam (Suzuki), Crutchlow (Yamaha), Corser (BMW) y Checa (Ducati) salieron por este orden pero el piloto irlandés del Team Ten Kate superó a Biaggi en la segunda vuelta, devolviéndole la jugada el italiano poco después mientras que Checa (Ducati) superaba a Corser (BMW) y a la segunda Aprilia pilotada por el británico Camier.

Haslam (Suzuki) superó a Rea (Honda) en una apurada de frenada en la sexta vuelta, este se resistió y en el lance no pudo evitar que Crutchlow (Yamaha) también le superara.

Una vuelta más tarde Rea (Honda) no pudo evitar que Checa (Ducati) le pasara y rompió el motor de su Honda viéndose obligado a tomar el camino del box.

Biaggi (Aprilia), Haslam (Suzuki), Crutchlow (Yamaha) y Checa (Honda) se escaparon del resto y en la novena vuelta estaban a tres segundos y medio de Corser (BMW), Byrne (Ducati), Camier (Aprilia), Toseland (Yamaha), Guintoli (Suzuki), Haga (Ducati) y Fabrizio (Ducati).

Haslam (Suzuki) superó a Biaggi (Aprilia) dos vueltas más tarde y Camier (Aprilia) hizo lo mismo con Corser (BMW). Pero de nuevo Biaggi (Aprilia) superó a Haslam (Suzuki)...hasta que una vez más el británico superó al italiano. A falta de dos vuelas para el final, definitivamente Biaggi (Aprilia) acabó con los adelantamientos y ganó por delante de un competitivo Haslam (Suzuki), Crutchlow (Yamaha) y un Checa (Ducati) que aguanto el tipo con una moto claramente inferior a la de sus rivales.

Camier (Aprilia) completó una buena carrera y entró por delante de Toseland (Yamaha) que se resintió de su lesión en la mano y de su caída en los entrenamientos.

Byrne acabó séptimo por delante de la Ducati oficial de Haga y la Suzuki de Guintoli. Corser (BMW) volvió a meterse entre los diez primeros y Xaus (BMW) rodó a buen ritmo y consiguió de nuevo entrar en los puntos.

Entre las Kawasaki la de Sykes fue la mejor clasificada.

La próxima prueba se disputará el once de abril en el circuito de Valencia.

Clasificación segunda carrera

1) M. Biaggi (Aprilia) 2) L. Haslam (Suzuki) 3) C. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 4) C. Checa (Ducati) 5) L. Camier (Aprilia) 6) J. Toseland (Yamaha) 7) S. Byrne (Ducati) 8) N. Haga (Ducati) 9) S. Guintoli (Suzuki) 10) T. Corser (BMW) 11) M. Fabrizio (Ducati) 12) R. Xaus (BMW) 13) T. Sykes (Kawasaki) 14) L. Lanzi (Ducati) 15) M. Neukirchner (Honda)

Carlos Checa

"Ha sido un fin de semana muy emocionante y he hecho todo lo que he podido para estar en el podio, pero sinceramente creo que nuestra moto no estaba al nivel de las oficiales. Intentar pasar a mis rivales hubiese sido una tontería porque me hubieran vuelto a pasar en la entrada de meta. Estoy en un buen momento y espero en Valencia hacer buenas carreras".

Rubén Xaus

"Necesitaba imperiosamente estar en los puntos y lo he conseguido en las dos carreras. La moto ha tenido un funcionamiento un tanto inesperado, pero por suerte nos mañana nos quedaremos a entrenar y sacaremos conclusiones. Estoy animado y del resultado de estos entrenamientos, dependerán nuestras opciones en Valencia".

Supersport - Lascorz segundo

Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) ganó la carrera de Supersport protagonizada por Laverty (Honda), Lascorz (Kawasaki) y Pirro (Honda).

Laverty (Honda) sufrió una caída a cuatro vueltas para el final y el apasionante mano a mano entre el español Lascorz (Kawasaki) y Sofuoglu (Honda9, se resolvió a favor de este tras superar al piloto del Team Glaner Motocard.com en una curva de izquierdas durante la última vuelta. La diferencia entre ambos fue de sólo 30 milésimas de segundo. David Salom (Triumph) acabó noveno con muchos problemas con el tren delantero.

Joan Lascorz

"Ha sido una de las mejores carreras de mi vida. Al principio no podía seguir el ritmo de los primeros, pero cuando se han gastado el neumático y bajado el nivel del depósito de gasolina me he encontrado más cómodo y pese a que los entrenamientos no fueron muy buenos, he estado a punto de ganar la carrera".

 

Superstock 1000

Ayrton Badovini consiguió la primera victoria de una BMW S 1000 RR en la categoría de la Copa FIM Superstock 1000. La carrera fue un mano a mano entre el piloto italiano y el francés Berguer (Honda), con un grupo perseguidor en el que se estaban Antonelli (Honda) Magnoni (Honda), Bussolotti (Honda) y Baz (Yamaha). A media carrera la diferencia entre los dos primeros y el grupo era de seis segundos y dos vueltas más tarde aumento dos segundos más debido a que la pelea entre ellos les hizo perder tiempo.

En la última vuelta Berguer (Honda) intentó una apurada de frenada final de recta para pasar al italiano, pero se hizo un recto que le dio la primera victoria del año al equipo italiano de BMW.

Pere Tutusaus se defendió con su KTM y acabó en décimo primera posición. "He tenido algunos problemas con las pastillas de freno que eran demasiado blandas y no han funcionado. Al final me he enganchado a una BMW y he podido acabar. En Valencia espero que en vez de luchar entre los quince primeros, hacerlo entre los diez mejores o incluso un poco mejor...".

Clasificación

1) Badovini (BMW) 2) Berguer (Honda) 3) Baz (Yamaha) 4) Barrier (BMW) 5) Bussolotti (Honda) 6) La Marra (Honda) 7) Giugliano (Suzuki) 8) Antonelli (Honda) 9) Petrucci (Kawasaki) 10) Savary (BMW) 11) Tutusaus (KTM).

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Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow showed solid race craft in the second superbike race, confidently sticking with race leaders Max Biaggi and Leon Haslam to stand on the World Superbike podium for the first time. After dropping to fourth initially Crutchlow capitalised on his opportunity to move up when Johnny Rea was pushed wide by Haslam going into the first corner on lap three. He was never more than 0.3 seconds from the lead, taking his well earned podium in third at the finish line.

Crutchlow declared: "It was a tough day today from the first race, I made a stupid mistake, my own fault I was pushing too hard. We've made big steps from Australia, all credit to Yamaha they've done a fantastic job. We came here fighting but unfortunately in the first race I went down and Johnny Rea got through and got the podium. I'm looking forward to the next weekend in Valencia, if we can continue doing a good job and getting the success we're starting to experience it'll be a good season, let's keep the ball rolling. The team have put in a sterling effort this weekend. Well done to Max Biaggi and Leon Camier as well."

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Max Biaggi's first double victory in the Superbike World Championship came after two tense and exciting races at the Portimao circuit in Portugal.

A mistake just four laps before the end of the race seemed to have compromised Biaggi's run to a second win of the day. In the span of one curve, he found himself relegated to third place, having been passed by both Haslam and Crutchlow. The Roman's desire to win was exceptional however, and he immediately regained ground on the Yamaha man and took off after Haslam, whom he managed two pass just two laps before the end of the race. Resisting the Suzuki's attempt to regain the lead, Biaggi crossed the finish line in first place.

Not since 1998 has an Italian rider (Pierfrancesco Chili at Kyalami) won a double victory on an Italian motorcycle. With these two wins Biaggi moves up to second place in the world classification with 69 points, behind his rival Haslam (85 points).

"It's a pleasure to be back on top after the problems we had in Australia," said Biaggi. "We've improved with respect to last year. The pace was a bit slower in Race 2 and we were all quite close. It was really a great battle with a lot of passes and a few mistakes. I'm really very happy for this dual victory because it is truly a great outcome, both for me and my team, as well as Aprilia, which is really doing a great job."

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Racing at Portimao proved to be difficult for Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga, who had to fight hard for points, having started the races from the fifth row of the grid. Whereas just six months ago the Japanese rider was fighting head to head for the title with Spies in Portugal, this time round the two races brought identical but much less positive results, two eighth place finishes. Despite this turn around in form and consequential low score, Nori remains upbeat for the next round in Spain.

"I tried to push as hard as possible but by the last five laps or so I was lacking rear grip and this meant that my traction was very much affected," explained Haga. "The second race was quite similar, the tyre performed better but I had a hard time getting past Guintoli, and again finished eighth. I apologize to the team, the fans and the sponsors for my poor results but at least I was able to make up a few positions and take some points. Now we look to start challenging for the podium every weekend from Valencia onwards. The important thing is not to crash, and to take as many points as possible each race. Biaggi and Haslam have demonstrated their strength both here and at Phillip Island and we hope we can be back up there on the podium at Valencia."

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The first round of qualifying at Phillip Island was a traumatic time for Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) with four crashes ruling him out of the races.

After much soul-searching and analysis Ruben - an 11-time race winner - returned at Portimao, and immediately got back to grips with his fast four-cylinder machine. Said Ruben, "We had good starts in both races, and I was in touch with the top guys. However, after a few laps I began to struggle with the bike and my laps were not as good as in the beginning. This weekend has definitely helped me regain some of my rhythm. My confidence has been building all weekend, and I have had great support from everyone at BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Tomorrow we have some work to do in a test, but I am relatively happy with our progress this weekend."

Said Bertie Hauser, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, "I am happy that Ruben is back. This weekend helped him a lot to recover his self-confidence. Although we hoped for better results after the great race starts for Troy and Ruben, overall we can view the weekend as positive. We have had far worse days in Portimão."

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Cal Crutchlow, James Toseland and Shane Byrne have had some ups and downs this year, but in one regard they have all had the same recent experience. They are all now on 25 identical points each after Portimao, a three way tie.

Because of individual best finishing places coming in to play to sort out the championship table, the running order is 10th (Crutchlow) to 12th (Byrne). All bar one of the seven SBK Brits in 2010 are now inside the top 12.

So far 19 individual riders have score points this year, after four races.

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After the race weekend at Portimao the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team remained in Portugal to conduct some tests. Weather conditions were not ideal but the team still managed to get some valuable work done. Race one podium finisher Jonathan Rea worked on a new electronics package, while Max Neukirchner - still looking for a top result since his switch to Honda - worked on finding an ideal balance on his machine.

Said Rea of his testing experience, "With the rain in the morning we couldn't do much because the track was so wet. Even so, I went out and did a few laps, but testing a new electronics package in those conditions is pretty scary! After lunch the track dried, although there were still some streams running across parts, and I got to do about 25 laps. The electronics were really good, and I was easily able to match the lap times that I did in the race. I think we'll roll out the new package at Valencia, so I'm looking forward to that."

For Max, improvements were found, but he will be looking to practice at Valencia for the next round to make even more advances. "I was happy that we got a chance to make some improvements to the bike's chassis," said Neukirchner. "It's still not perfect for me, but it's now more stable on corner entry, which is where I was having some big problems during the weekend at Portimao. The balance is better now - I don't have to brake so early and it is a little easier to hold the line. I was able to improve on my best lap in the race and I hope that we can continue this progress when we get to Valencia next week."

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No less than four top-name WSBK riders thought themselves lucky to escape without more serious injuries than bangs and scrapes after crashing at high speed in Portugal.

Jonathan Rea had a massive fall on Friday, and on Saturday his team-mate in the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda squad, Max Neukirchner, suffered an even more spectacular get off, flying high and long before hitting the tarmac hard. His bike simply destroyed itself as it rolled down the Portimao tarmac, but Max got up and walked away to get some stitches and have some plasters applied.

James Toseland was another faller, like Shane Byrne, at the final corner in practice, each having a highside crash at high speed. Byrne was particularly unlucky as he almost landed back on his bike, but he missed his left hand clip-on, and then his tail unit bucked his legs upwards and sent Shane into a low earth orbit.

Toseland was lucky not to hurt his injured left hand too much (photo), and all four riders are hoping to be over their bashes and bruises in plenty of time for the next round at Valencia on April 11.

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The first of nine rounds of the Triumph ParkinGO series starts with first practice at Valencia track on Friday April 9th, and will feature fourteen riders representing five countries: Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain and Lithuania. The permanent riders will be joined during the season by wild cards as well.

The grid is made up of 13 men and one woman, the latter being Samuela De Nardi who has wealth of experience in international competitions, a female European title and experience at the famous Suzuka 8-Hour race.

Even more famous names are also present on the grid, Michael Dunlop, son of Robert and nephew of Joey Dunlop, has already won the Northwest 200 and the IoM TT, in the 250 and 600 classes respectively. Fabrizio Perotti, Spain's Oscar Pena and Toni Salom, Italians Stefano Cordara, Matteo Marzotto, Rocco Anaclerio, (a.k.a. DJ Ringo) and series organizer Giuliano Rovelli will all line-up for a season of competition. Lucio Nicastro, Paolo Rovelli, Francis Mariage (France) and Donatas Sivickis - from Lithuania - will join in the fun as well.

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Luca Scassa and the newly-formed Supersonic Racing Team were out of luck in their 2010 WSB debut. The Italian rider, who went well in qualifying, missed the start of race 1 and was way down on the rest of the field and then a further trip to the pits meant he lost more time. Luca completed 16 laps instead of the regulation 22 and finished 20th.

At the start of the second race Scassa's race Ducati 1098 developed an electrical problem and he had to switch to his back-up machine. Despite this bike having the same set-up Scassa was unable to take it to the limit and in the race he lost ground to Neukirchner, Sykes and Lanzi. He eventually finished sixteenth but will certainly be looking for better results in the next round at Valencia.

"After Saturday I expected a better result to be honest but we ought to be satisfied with the job we did" declared Scassa. "I missed the start of race 1 and it was not possible to make up on the rest of the field. I preferred to continue the race to test the bike and my best lap was 1 minute 45.1 seconds. We had an electrical problem at the start of race 2 and we immediately switched to the second bike. I didn't have a good feeling with this one however and I struggled in the slower curves. I'm disappointed at missing out on the points but it was an important race to understand where we need to go at Valencia. A big thanks to the team because they did a good job."

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