WORLDSBK.COM - bis 15.08.2010

[WORLDSBK.COM]

1  26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'02.800 

2  37 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'02.817 

3  50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.082 

4  99 Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'03.193 

5  54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.397 

6  51 Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.421 

7   4 Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.450 

8   7 Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 2'03.641 

9 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.757 

10 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.959 

11  25 Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 2'04.157 

12  14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675 2'04.445 

13  31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 2'04.549 

14  55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.849 

15   5 Lundh A. (SWE) Honda CBR600RR 2'05.504 

16   8 Chesaux B. (SUI) Honda CBR600RR 2'05.673 

17  85 Palumbo A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'05.770 

18   9 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'06.091 

19  32 Holubec T. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 2'06.306 

20  22 Bukowski D. (POL) Honda CBR600RR 2'06.336 

21  88 Cerny J. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 2'06.620 

22  74 Skubic B. (SLO) Yamaha YZF R6 2'09.288 

23  24 Blokhin E. (RUS) Yamaha YZF R6 2'10.220 

24  10 Toth I. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 2'10.248

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) took pole, his second of the year, with his very last lap of qualifying, displacing his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara to second in the process.

Despite crashing in qualifying today, Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) went third while a spectacularly successful qualifying session for Kawasaki was completed by Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Lorenzini by Leoni) fourth quickest and therefore the third Kawasaki rider on the front row.

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro were fifth and sixth fastest, respectively.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

1  86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2'03.591 

2  21 Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'03.604 

3  20 Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2'03.837 

4  87 Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'04.088 

5 119 Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'04.182 

6   8 Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'04.279 

7  47 La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'04.360 

8  14 Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'04.853 

9  53 Lammert D. (GER) BMW S1000 RR 2'04.985 

10   5 Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'04.990 

11   7 Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 2'05.084 

12  93 Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2'05.134 

13   9 Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'05.292 

14  16 Sembera M. (CZE) BMW S1000 RR 2'05.361 

15  34 Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 2'05.424 

16  65 Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 2'05.711 

17  11 Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R 2'05.730 

18  29 Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2'05.786 

19  30 Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 2'05.889 

20  91 Walkowiak M. (POL) Honda CBR1000RR 2'06.183 

21  99 Leeson C. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'06.524 

22  69 Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 2'06.645 

23  12 Vivarelli N. (ITA) KTM 1190 RC8 R 2'06.811 

24  55 Svitok T. (SVK) Honda CBR1000RR 2'07.169 

25  66 Stoklosa M. (POL) BMW S1000 RR 2'07.595 

26  36 Thiriet P. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'07.848 

27  64 Andric D. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'07.899 

28  89 Salac M. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 2'08.171 

29  45 Sletten K. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R1 2'08.531

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) took pole at Brno by only 0.013 seconds from Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) setting up what looks like a classic race tomorrow at a track at which Berger has always shown good form.

Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Racing BMW) was third in qualifying and the Ducati of Lorenzo Zanetti (SS Lazio Motorsport) was fourth, making for a cosmopolitan front row. Michele Magnoni (Bevilaqua Corse) was a strong fifth on his Honda.

 

 

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

1 11 Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 14'59.203 (151,418 kph)

2 21 Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1.189

3 13 Lombardi B. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 2.444

4 27 Fanelli D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 5.051

5 28 Le Coquen S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 6.883

6 59 Schacht A. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 7.747

7 343 D'Annunzio F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 13.899

8 19 Krajci T. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 13.994

9 55 Lonbois V. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 15.454

10 66 De Tournay R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 15.808

11 99 Covena T. (NED) Yamaha YZF R6 16.556

12 44 Mazzina M. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 19.484

13 47 Korobacz M. (POL) Yamaha YZF R6 34.368

NC 9 Elliott J. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2.081

RET 69 Major N. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6

RET 72 Karlsen F. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R6

RET 10 Calero Perez N. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R6

RET 26 Vrajitoru M. (ROU) Yamaha YZF R6

RET 6 Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Racing Yamaha) won a crash-laden Superstock 600 race at Brno, which was shortened to seven laps after the red flags were put out to halt the race after several crashes.

Florian Marino (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) was second in the race and is also second in the championship, with Guarnoni on 136 points, Marino on 106.

Berardino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha) was the final podium finisher, as pole man Joshua Elliot (Direct CCTV Racedays Kawasaki) crashed out of contention.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda) saved his best for last to take a new track best and head up Superpole qualifying, his fourth pre-race 'win' of the 2010 season. Crutchlow was over 0.7 seconds faster than the next best rider, and in nine Superpoles this year, he has the best individual record. Behind him, Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) was second at his favourite circuit on the calendar, as he prepares to go out tomorrow and defend a 37-point championship lead. A resurgent Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) was a positive third, as he rebuilds from some less than satisfying recent results. Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) finished an impressive fourth, earning himself a front row start. He had crashed heavily here last year but today's result wiped out many memories of his 2009 misfortune.

Xaus's BMW being fourth means that there are four different machines on the front row, and with Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) and Luca Scassa (Supersonic Ducati) fifth and sixth restively, there are six different bikes in the top six grid slots. Scassa, a privateer, was top Ducati rider of any kind, with Ducati Xerox factory pilot Michel Fabrizio one place behind. Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) will start from row two, taking eighth place as the last rider home in the final Superpole session. Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Corse Ducati) just missed the final eight places of Superpole three, with James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) tenth. Max Neukirchner went 11th for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda and Tom Sykes ended a fruitful day 12th and on the third row for the Kawasaki Racing Team. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) crashed in two Superpole sessions, and now starts from the fourth row; championship contender Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) is only one place ahead of him.

Cal Crutchlow: "I definitely hoped to be here and I'd rather give away a pole for a race win, but you've got to take them when you can. I enjoyed that, it was a good session for us. Most of the sessions have been strong and my Yamaha is working well. Max is hard to beat in the championship and especially round here. I can see a big battle tomorrow, maybe ten guys at least at the start. I thought I could have got into the 57s because I was riding very deep into the corners, and I actually had another qualifier left but I'm happy with that."

Max Biaggi: "A first row result is good for me, but compared to last year's race we've got a lot more work to do this weekend. Something we changed on the bike makes it a bit different so it's not the same feeling. It's better in other tracks but here we've got some difficulties. It's getting a little bit better, the bike is not where I want, but I'm happy with my pace. We'll see tomorrow."

Jonathan Rea: "It is hot out there, but there's a lot of breeze so it's not too bad. I actually didn't really know where to go after Superpole because I haven't been in the top 3 for some time. I'd just like to thank all of my team, our package isn't perfect but what we do have in the Ten Kate garage is a really hard work ethic and we're trying. Hopefully we can get away good tomorrow and try and stay with these two guys as long as we can. I've got nothing to lose!"

Ruben Xaus: "First of all I'd like to give my best to Troy and hope he recovers as soon as possible because when two riders are on the team on fire, they go ahead. We did a good job today, the bike is now working well, we made a big step in Imola and physically I'm not feeling perfect but I was able to ride fast."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

1  86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2'04.184 

2   8 Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'04.307 

3  14 Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'04.492 

4  21 Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'04.544 

5  20 Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2'04.780 

6   7 Mähr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 2'05.313 

7  93 Lussiana M. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 2'05.378 

8  87 Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'05.396 

9   5 Bussolotti M. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'05.611 

10  47 La Marra E. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'05.616 

11  65 Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 2'05.780 

12  29 Beretta D. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 2'05.990 

13   9 Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'06.041 

14  16 Sembera M. (CZE) BMW S1000 RR 2'06.137 

15  11 Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R 2'06.287 

16  53 Lammert D. (GER) BMW S1000 RR 2'06.330 

17  30 Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 2'06.594 

18  99 Leeson C. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'06.725 

19  34 Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 2'06.770 

20  91 Walkowiak M. (POL) Honda CBR1000RR 2'06.967 

21  55 Svitok T. (SVK) Honda CBR1000RR 2'07.031 

22  69 Jezek O. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 2'07.387 

23  64 Andric D. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'08.037 

24  12 Vivarelli N. (ITA) KTM 1190 RC8 R 2'08.078 

25  45 Sletten K. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R1 2'09.009 

26  66 Stoklosa M. (POL) BMW S1000 RR 2'09.908 

27  36 Thiriet P. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2'10.365 

28  89 Salac M. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 2'10.877 

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

1 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'59.372

2 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'59.422

3 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'59.570

4 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'59.638

5 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'59.823

6 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'59.872

7 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'59.957

8 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'59.992

9 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2'00.056

10 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'00.131

11 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2'00.155

12 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'00.163

13 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2'00.244

14 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 2'00.266

15 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 2'00.303

16 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'00.315

17 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2'00.556

18 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'02.031

19 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 2'02.066

20 77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'02.244

21 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2'02.714

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

1  54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 2'03.517 

2  26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'03.518 

3 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.090 

4   7 Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 2'04.144 

5  37 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'04.171 

6  99 Foret F. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'04.307 

7  51 Pirro M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.308 

8  50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.331 

9 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.624 

10   4 Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 2'04.688 

11  25 Salom D. (ESP) Triumph Daytona 675 2'04.731 

12   5 Lundh A. (SWE) Honda CBR600RR 2'05.129 

13  14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph Daytona 675 2'05.173 

14  31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 2'05.697 

15  55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'06.539 

16  22 Bukowski D. (POL) Honda CBR600RR 2'06.939 

17  85 Palumbo A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2'07.157 

18   9 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 2'07.203 

19  88 Cerny J. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 2'07.600 

20   8 Chesaux B. (SUI) Honda CBR600RR 2'08.089 

21  74 Skubic B. (SLO) Yamaha YZF R6 2'08.930 

22  32 Holubec T. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 2'09.382 

23  24 Blokhin E. (RUS) Yamaha YZF R6 2'10.432 

24  10 Toth I. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 2'10.959

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The Brno weekend turned out to be a very disappointing one for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's World Supersport rider Michele Pirro. While the team was able to celebrate another win for Turkey's Kenan Sofuoglu, who also bounced back into the lead of the points standings, it didn't manage to do the same with his Italian team-mate.

When the reigning Italian Supersport champion crashed out on lap 3, it was the end of a promising weekend for Pirro, who suffered a broken nose, facial bruising and a fractured right wrist in the incident.

Pirro, whose best result this year has been a third place at Portimao at the second round, had qualified his Honda CBR600R on row 2 and was aiming for his second podium of the year.

The Italian rider's presence at the next round at Silverstone is doubtful.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

It has been a challenging season at times for Ruben Xaus (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) but the tall rider from Catalunya was on great form at Brno, qualifying better in Superpole than he has ever done on his S 1000RR, before going out on Sunday to take a fifth place in race one, only eight seconds from a win.

That top five race result was his best finish yet for BMW, as he looked like more like the Ruben we have seen in previous years, a rider who has taken 11 full WSBK race wins in previous seasons. The only downside for him was a fall in race two, while sitting third and firmly on course for a podium, but he still moved up in the rankings to 13th thanks to his 11 points from race one. Ruben was particularly pleased to have wiped out the memories of last year's Brno weekend, when he broke his right leg in the first race. His fall in race two was simply a case of pushing hard to keep his podium place, eventually losing a finish of any kind.

Said Ruben, shortly before sitting down to watch Spain win the World Cup final, "Overall this weekend has been a really positive one for me. I have been running consistently at the front. In the first race I scored my best ever result on the BMW S 1000 RR so far. The second race was a different story. I crashed in turn one at quite high speed. The impact was heavy, and I am happy I am okay. It was clearly my fault. I was fighting for third for a long time, and I absolutely wanted to achieve my first podium with BMW. I was holding a consistent gap over Fabrizio for most of the race, but the lap before I crashed I saw he was gaining on me and I simply pushed too hard. The bike is working really well now, and I want to thank my entire crew."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The Ten Kate team from the Netherlands, and several top Superbike and Supersport competitors from Spain, were not able to switch off completely after the racing had been completed at Brno on Sunday.

An excited Ten Kate crew packed up their flight boxes and pit garages but kept their paddock hospitality unit in place, and their Hannspree TVs firmly on, to watch the World Cup soccer final between the Netherlands and Spain. Joining the cavalcade of orange were some of their other friends from the paddock, including one of their former riders Carlos Checa...from Spain.

The tense and often physical match in South Africa saw a rash of yellow cards and one red card produced, and finally Spain scored a goal to win in extra time and send the likes of Checa, Ruben Xaus, David Salom and Joan Lascorz into rapture. Moreover Xaus had shown his support for Spain on raceday by placing a national football top over his padded seat in the pit-box (photo), to cheer on his fellow countrymen.

There was more than general interest and indeed some feeling of involvement in the entire World Cup tournament for those in World Superbike, as the Soccer City complex near Johannesburg - the venue that hosted the final itself - was where the Kyalami round of the WSBK championship was launched to the world's media, back in mid-May.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Luca Scassa's Brno weekend, which had been going well until then, came to a dramatic end on lap 5 of race 1 when a violent high-side flipped the Supersonic Ducati rider over his bars. In the crash the Italian bashed his left foot, breaking two bones, thus bringing an end to an encouraging overall performance.

Scassa had shown major progress on Friday and Saturday by qualifying as the quickest Ducati rider in Superpole, sixth ahead of Michel Fabrizio on the factory machine. Immediately after the start of race 1 he was involved in a scrap with Noriyuki Haga and Leon Haslam. But at the start of a long downhill stretch he lost control of the rear of his 1198. Scassa was clearly unable to take part in race 2 and he now looks to be out of action for at least two or three weeks.

"Of course I am really disappointed, it couldn't be any different after my good practice and qualifying form, but this sort of accident happens," declared Scassa. "I don't think I went over the limit at that point but when the rear went away I tried to limit the damage by staying on the bike in some way. The pain confirmed that something was broken. In 2009 I broke two bones in my foot, the first and second metarsals, now it's the third and fourth, it's not that serious but is certainly really bothersome injury. Hopefully I can be 100% fit for Silverstone, but a big thanks to everyone for their fantastic support this weekend."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

It's that July time of year again for Northern Ireland's Jonathan Rea as the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda man dovetails his regular Superbike World Championship day job with extra-curricular activities for HRC in Japan, who have drafted him in for this year's prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours race on July 25th, one week before Silverstone.

Unlike previous years Rea will be the only WSB representative at the 2010 event, when he lines up at Suzuka for the TSR Honda team, alongside Japanese riders Kousuke Akiyoshi and Yuki Takahashi.

"I will be riding for the HRC supported TSR Honda, so I am looking forward to swinging my leg over the bike tomorrow (Ed. today) at a private test. I think that the engine specification should be quite close to the Ten Kate Honda so hopefully there is not too many differences to learn. One main factor though is that the team use Bridgestone tyres and I will have to get used to them."

Rea also found the time to reflect on the reasons behind a changed performance over the weekend when after the last two disappointing rounds, he pulled it all together to monopolize the first and second place slots in the two races together with Aprilia's Max Biaggi.

"That was a bit more like it last weekend eh? I was so happy to get back onto the box again and especially with a win. When things are bad it is hard to explain what goes through your head. And after a few bad races and having a bad feeling with the bike we were able to rise up and win again. As I have said before the communication within my team has changed a little to help some small issues that we have been having within the garage. I will take some of the blame for that as I requested that I have one guy to deal with but that took too much time. Within my team there are key technicians each with their own area of expertise and we are trying to bring that all together and having three guys dealing with me when I get off the bike each time as well as my tyre guy from Pirelli."

"I also think that that the few bad races have made me grow up a little and I guess when things go bad they go bad. In the end I had a 1-2 and only got beat by Biaggi in race 2. He had a bit more in the tank and was 4 seconds faster over the race. I gave too much away on laps 5 to 11 and then he controlled the gap. But fair play, during the race I kept thinking that he is trying to teach me a lesson."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Ducati Xerox man Michel Fabrizio was unable to get the results he had been aiming for in the two races at Brno over the weekend despite being one of the quickest riders on the track in the first two days of qualifying. The 26 year-old from Rome was looking to be Ducati's front runner, but only after a poor start in race 1 was he able to get on the pace of the leading group and make up time. But a mechanical problem with the engine on lap 12 meant he could not change gear and he returned to the pit garage for a DNF finish.

"In Race 1 I realized straight away that I had a problem because I wasn't able to push and then the bike started to vibrate a great deal. At a certain point I wasn't able to put the bike into gear and so had to come back to the box. It's a shame because I was gaining on Toseland and thought I could run a good race, maybe even reaching the podium."

In the afternoon Michel fully made amends for his race 1 disappointment. With a strong start from the second row, he was able to take the final place on the podium behind Biaggi and Rea, thanks also to a crash by Ruben Xaus (BMW), with whom he was fighting for third. "Race 2 went much better. I defended myself and am satisfied with the result, though I was sorry for Xaus of course."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's World Supersport rider Michele Pirro has been forced to miss the forthcoming Silverstone round of the World Supersport championship on 1st August. The 24-year-old Italian crashed heavily during round nine of the series at Brno in the Czech Republic last Sunday, sustaining a fracture to the bridge of his nose and a dislocated wrist.

The team has announced that South African Ronan Quarmby will replace Pirro for the Silverstone round. The 19-year-old contested the South African round at Kyalami in May on a Ten Kate-prepared Honda CBR600RR, running in the top ten during free practice and qualifying. Quarmby was unfortunately forced to withdraw from the Kyalami race after a rare bone condition was diagnosed following a scan on his left femur. Following an operation, which included injecting cement into the bone and plating almost the entire length of the femur, Quarmby has fought his way back to fitness and was given a clean bill of health two weeks ago.

"I feel very sorry for Michele," said Ronan Quarmby. "I saw the crash at Brno and it looked pretty bad. It's never ideal to get a ride because of another rider's injury and I wish him all the best for a speedy recovery. I'm so excited to get an opportunity to ride for the Ten Kate team, though. Their record speaks for itself and I'm just so grateful to Ronald and the other Ten Kate guys who have helped me. This is just awesome news for me and I can't wait to get back to the UK. After Kyalami I was told I'd be out of action for between six and eighteen months, so I'm completely over the moon to get this chance. I was going to ride at Silverstone in a Superstock race, but that was in 2007 when it was all cancelled because of the rain. Hopefully, the weather will be good this time because I really want to make the most of this opportunity."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The revised Silverstone Circuit is now getting ready to welcome the FIM Superbike World Championship at the end of July. With seven British riders regularly contesting the top spots in the series, the ‘Home of British Motor Racing' will be expecting another big crowd on 30 July to 1 August. The ‘Magnificent Seven' Brits will all be aiming for home glory, but it is Suzuki Alstare's Leon Haslam and Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea who have the most at stake. The pair lie second and third in the series' standings respectively and will be looking for home support to help them catch series-leader Max Biaggi.

"I am looking forward to Silverstone as it is the only time we get to race at home," said Haslam. "With the new developments it is effectively a new circuit for everyone so there is no real track advantage, but hopefully the home advantage and the fans will give us a boost to get us onto the top step of the podium. There should be good racing, high speed flowing corners and some good overtaking opportunities."

Northern Irishman Jonathan Rea sits just behind Haslam in the points table but will be feeling confident after a 1-2 finish in the last round in Brno, Czech Republic. "It felt so nice to win a race again," he commented. "Our bike is difficult to take from track to track, but we definitely got the best out of it in Brno. Now I'm off to Japan for the Suzuka 8 Hour, but I'm looking forward to getting back in front of my home fans in a couple of weeks at Silverstone."

Richard Philips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, is excited to be hosting another major international Championship so soon after MotoGP and Formula One. "We are having an incredible summer at Silverstone and now really looking forward to having the World Superbikes back," he said. "It is a very vibrant series with seven motorcycle manufacturers involved. With our seven British riders, plus some British wildcards, there will be plenty of excitement for the fans. I think that the success of the MotoGP racing at Silverstone in June showed that the changes we have made to the track over the winter work well for bikes. We have also worked hard to improve the spectator experience here and so I expect good crowds, fantastic racing and a great atmosphere."

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The Kawasaki Racing Team has officially confirmed that Japanese rider Akira Yanagawa will step in for the injured Chris Vermeulen for round 10 of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship at Silverstone. The 39-year-old legend has a long standing history with Kawasaki, having raced in both the All-Japan Road Race and World Superbike Championships for over a decade.

From 1997 until 2001, Yanagawa had over 100 World Superbike race starts with the highlights being three race wins and a further 20 podium finishes. Akira also became the first Japanese rider to win a World Superbike race outside of his homeland, at the A1 Ring in Austria in 1997, which resulted in his best Championship position of fourth place later that same year.

Joining Britain's Tom Sykes for the teams home race, Yanagawa will bring an immense amount of experience and a much needed lift to the Kawasaki Racing Team, who have struggled for results on this side of the garage, due to the injured Chris Vermeulen.

Akira Yanagawa: "I feel sorry for Chris Vermeulen for his injury and I wish him the best of luck for his recovery, however I am very happy to help the Kawasaki Racing Team in his absence. It has been many years since I raced in World Superbikes so it will be a pleasure to be part of this series once again and attend the Silverstone event. I have a long-standing relationship with Kawasaki and the Ninja ZX-10R machine so I am sure I will fit in to the team just fine and hopefully make a good result. I am very excited to return to England and to race again in this Championship. "

Kawasaki Motor Europe Racing Manager, IchiroYoda, added: "Yanagawa-san was a natural choice for KHI and PBM when deciding who would replace Chris. Akira has been part of the Kawasaki racing family for many many years and I am sure he will put in his best efforts for the Silverstone race. He is a natural racer and is still very active and fit and will feel at home on the ZX-10R machine. We look forward to him joining us at the British Race."

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Katsuaki Fujiwara is one of the most expert Supersport riders around. He made his debut in the category in 2001 after serving two full years in Superbike and since then, over ten seasons and a total of 110 races, ‘Katsu' has been on the podium 21 times and tasted the winners' champagne six times.

Over the last few years however, the Kawasaki Motocard.com rider has had much less success so it was some surprise to find that at the most recent race in Brno Fujiwara was back up amongst the frontrunners once again, finishing the race in fifth place after a positive weekend overall.

Fujiwara's performance was all the more surprising seeing as just three weeks previously he had been in hospital for an appendix operation. "I had to push hard but after seven laps it was difficult to control the bike, and I was feeling the effects of my recent illness," said the 35 year-old from Shimonoseki, Japan. "About ten laps in the front end tucked really hard in the first corner, so I had to ease my pace and just continue where I was. I am really tired, no power, and I lost three or four kilos of weight since my operation. I got good points for the championship so it was worth it today."

 

After another week's recovery time Fujiwara will be trying once again to haul his Kawasaki to the front at Silverstone, the track where he last scored a podium place, behind Anthony West and Robbin Harms, on the Althea Honda CBR. It just remains to be seen if Silverstone will bring him luck again this time.

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Triumph ParkinGO rider Chaz Davies is currently settling down in his first full World Supersport championship season and so far, out of nine races this year, the Welshman has stepped onto the podium three times. After two thirds at Valencia and Kyalami, Chaz made it three podiums at Brno, after fighting for the win for almost two-thirds of the race with Sofuoglu and Lascorz. This result takes him into an overall fourth place in the standings, not bad at all for a rider at his first experience in the Supersport category.

"It was an exciting race," said Davies. "I made a very good start and thought I could battle for the victory, but later on I felt the foot slipping, and realized it was an oil spill. I was expecting to high side any moment, but after a couple of laps I figured out it was only a wire drawing and felt comfortable again, although it was hard to push on the slippery footpeg in the right-hand corners. Rea gave me a hard time, but I managed to pass him."

Davies' recent run of form gives the former AMA rider high hopes for the next round in the UK. "This a very important result for me as it comes before my home race at Silverstone, where hopefully many of my fans will turn up".

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Superstock 1000 FIM Cup leader Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) is in a perfect position to wrap up the title at the upcoming UK round at Silverstone. The 24-year-old from Biella in northern Italy has totally dominated the FIM Cup this season, winning six races out of six and taking five pole positions.

This demonstration of superiority also allowed the young Italian to administer the last race which was held at the Czech Republic circuit of Brno with relative ease. "It was the toughest race since the start of the season," declared Badovini. "We had grip problems and crashes were the order of the day. My aim was therefore to bring home the best possible result without throwing away the race, considering that Berger, my closest rival, had alread crashed out. I had to administer the tyre wear and use my head to get the better of Zanetti, who had nothing to lose in the championship".

The points leader in fact rode another superb race. He left Zanetti to do all the front-running and then passed him towards the end to take the chequered flag for his sixth win. At Silverstone Ayrton will have a 77 points lead over his closest rival Michele Magnoni: all he needs to do is to finish the race in front of his adversary to wrap up the 2010 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup with three races remaining.

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Chris Vermeulen is to undergo a knee operation this Friday, after being declared unfit to ride for the remainder of the Superbike World Championship season. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider attended several consultations last week with a renowned sports surgeon, Dr Pruna, in Barcelona where he underwent further scans to analyze the extent of his complicated right-knee injury. The decision was made for Chris to undergo key-hole surgery to repair the two of the three damaged ligaments, providing the stability in the knee that has been such a problem for Chris over the last few months.

Although Chris should be mobile within a week after the operation, the post- rehabilitation will be intensive therefore he will be based at his residence in Andorra, near to Barcelona, for physiotherapy for two months after the operation. A full recovery is estimated between four to six months. Chris has been suffering with the injury since the Phillip Island race and is relieved to finally have a plan of action to ensure a return to full fitness in time for the 2011 Kawasaki race programme.

Chris Vermeulen: "The decision to sit out of the remainder of the 2010 race and test season was a mutual one from both me and the team. It is only too apparent that I have not been able to recuperate from my right knee injury sustained at Phillip Island and the crash in Brno further set me back. The team have been patient with my slow recovery but it is not in my best interest or the teams to continue with the lack of progress we've made in a championship which is so competitive, even when you are 100% fit! I have sought expert medical advice in Barcelona this week where the specialists have advised I have key-hole surgery to clean-up the damaged ligaments. I have been informed that I will be able to walk soon after but I'll have to undergo extensive physiotherapy for at least two months so we will be based in Andorra for the time being! I will keep you posted after the operation via my website. "

As previously stated, Akira Yanagawa will replace Vermeulen for the Silverstone round of the championship. An announcement will follow regarding who will ride the ZX-10R for the Kawasaki Racing Team for the last three rounds.

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After a full five seasons spent racing in 125GP, this year Italian Lorenzo Zanetti has switched to four-strokes. He has been a regular competitor in the CIV Italian domestic series' Superstock 600 category on a Yamaha R6 and with two races still to go he is in with a chance of fighting for the title.

At Brno however Zanetti almost pulled off a true masterstroke: on his official debut aboard a Superstock 1000 machine, a Ducati 1098 of the SS Lazio Motociclismo team run by Andrea Petricca, Lorenzo was immediately on the pace in qualifying and on Sunday he amazed everyone by fighting for the win with the man who is dominating the category this year, Ayrton Badovini.

The 22 year-old Italian from Brescia, who practices motocross and snowboard in his free time, has a clean and efficient riding style and looks to have all the right cards to finish the Superstock 1000 season at the top on his sky-blue and white Ducati 1098 machine.

"I didn't expect to go so well so soon, even though I know what I'm capable of, but I was sure I could get a good result," declared Zanetti. "Together with the guys in the team we did a good job, they put me in the best possible condition to race and I'd like to thank Andrea for giving me this opportunity. The team is really competitive".

Despite this result Zanetti said that he is still not able to get the best out of a Superstock 1000 machine but as a former two-stroke rider he will certainly have time to get to grips with it until the end of the season. "It's strange but the Ducati that I raced at Brno is more similar to a GP bike than a Yamaha R6 and for this reason I immediately found myself at ease with it. At the next rounds I will be racing on tracks I've never seen before, as always I'll be going there to win but it'll be tough so getting into the top 5 will be a great result".

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Not even an injured arm, which he picked up in a scooter crash the previous week, managed to slow down Turkish strongman Kenan Sofuoglu in the latest round of the Supersport World Championship in the Czech Republic. The 26 year-old from Adapazari in Turkey took the start at Brno with his arm all bandaged up but the injury looked as if it gave him that extra impetus to clinch his third win in the 2010 season and extend his championship lead over Joan Lascorz to 15 points.

Sofuoglu's season has certainly been impressive so far in the first nine rounds and the Brno win maintained his 100% podium record of three wins, three seconds and three thirds. Despite not being at 100%, the 2007 champion showed more than anything else that his rivals will have to deal with him if they want to stop him from winning a second Supersport crown.

"It was a very good race and the bike felt fantastic, but it is really thanks to the hard work that my team did and the Clinica Mobile who looked after me," he said after the race. "We had some real problems with the bike, which led to a bad qualifying session for us and a start from the second row. The other problem I had was with my arm. I have been going to the Clinica a lot and they advised me not to ride, but it was important for the championship to get another win here. In the end it was a really nice weekend and we hope to do the same at Silverstone".

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