Haga rules in race one and Corser performs for another podium finish

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) took a race win and a second place at the Magny-Cours races to go second in the championship with one round remaining.

Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) recovered from sixth in race one to finish third in race two and now sits third overall, nine points behind his team-mate Haga.

Haga was imperious in race one after his strong qualifying performances and Superpole win, taking the lead from fast-starting Troy Bayliss before blasting away to record a margin of victory of six seconds. Fonsi Nieto was second, with Bayliss third. Corser was sixth after crash in Superpole saw him start 12th on the grid.

In race two, Haga led for most of the 23-laps, but could not hold onto the fleeing Bayliss in the last sector, and had to settle for second, one place up on a resurgent and determined Corser.

Bayliss had already won the championship outright after his first race podium, leaving Haga and Corser to fight out the overall second place in the championship rankings at the final round in one month's time. Bayliss now has 410 points, Haga 325, and Corser 316.

Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) went 13th in the opening race at his home circuit, but retired in the pits in race two. David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) did not finish either race, retiring in race one and crashing out of race two.


Shinichi Nakatomi (Team YZF Yamaha) went 14th and scored two points in race one, but just missed out on a points scoring finish in race two, by one place and less than one second.
Noriyuki Haga (1st and 2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) 
"The weather conditions have been not so good this weekend but the team gave me a good bike and I could compete well all weekend. I was riding comfortably at the front in race one to win so thanks to Yamaha and congratulations to Troy Bayliss, the champion of the world. Thanks to all in the team for all the hard work, and for the support from the fans. The last five laps of the second race I could not open the gas the way I wanted but Bayliss and I had a great fight for the win."

Troy Corser (6th and 3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) 
"Starting from the third row was always going to be tough for these races. I got a good start in race two and got though quickly but I had a little bit of a tussle with Rolfo and Checa. When the rain started to come I could see the guys in front had started to slow down, and I knew I had a chance to make up some time. I really didn't care if I crashed or not I just went as hard as I could. I caught those guys but once I had I really couldn't go much further. The lap times came down again to mid 1'40s. The bike was pretty consistent but I just couldn't push any harder on the front tyre because the right-hand side was almost finished. I nearly took Troy out down the hill at one time so I had to let the brake off or I would have taken both of us out. Lucky enough there was enough room to get through. But race two was good and we go to the next race to see if I can win one there."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) 
"We won the first race and were nearly there in race two. It was a really good race for both riders in the second race. In the last few laps our tyres started to drop off and it was impossible for our guys to get back to Tory at the end. Over the weekend as a whole we got pole, a win in race one and then two podiums in race two, so it's been positive. The next race will be a challenge for everyone on a new circuit. Today's results are thanks to a lot of hard work from the team so a thank you to them as well."

Shinichi Nakatomi (14th and 16th - Team YZF Yamaha 
"In race 1, I had some chattering problem after 10 laps. It was difficult to push. For race 2, we changed the set up but the chattering problem came back. I crossed the front a few times. It was a difficult race. Magny-Cours was not so good, Portimao will be better."


Race 1 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 38'33.367
2, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'6.223
3, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 0'6.875
4, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'7.237
5, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'8.925
6, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'10.714
7, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'16.176
8, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'22.661
9, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'27.224
10, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'31.300
11, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'35.558
12, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 0'35.774
13, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 0'36.078
14, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'36.289
15, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'40.472
16, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'40.497
17, Martin Bauer, Honda, AUT, 0'43.350
18, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'54.263
19, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 0'54.382
20, Ivan Silva, Honda, ESP, 0'54.513

Race 2 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 38'33.579
2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 0'0.909
3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 0'2.966
4, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 0'2.966
5, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 0'12.822
6, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 0'13.004
7, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 0'18.876
8, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 0'19.512
9, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 0'19.627
10, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 0'21.425
11, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 0'25.133
12, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 0'30.538
13, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 0'35.334
14, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 0'38.453
15, Chris Walker, Honda, GBR, 0'40.008
16, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 0'40.802
17, Ayrton Badovini, Kawasaki, ITA, 0'46.941
18, Makoto Tamada, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'50.172
19, Kenan Sofuoglu, Honda, TUR, 0'58.616
20, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'0.422
21, Ivan Silva, Honda, ESP, 1'2.852
22, Shuhei Aoyama, Honda, JPN, 1'21.378
23, Vittorio Iannuzzo, Kawasaki, ITA, 1'32.289


Best Lap

Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 1'38.444

Rider Standings 05/10/2008

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 410
2, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 325
3, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 316
4, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 298
5, Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 284
6, Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 235
7, Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 234
8, Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 203
9, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 193
10, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 171
11, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 153
12, Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 117
13, Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 113
14, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 109
15, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 75
19, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 48
26, David Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 12
27, Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha, FRA, 12



Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008

Pos., Manufacturer, Points

1, Ducati, 520
2, Yamaha, 461
3, Suzuki, 384
4, Honda, 379
5, Kawasaki, 82
----------
RACE REPORT - 05/10/2008

Foret takes an impressive eighth place on his return to World Supersport

Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport Team) made a great return to World Supersport competition at his home race, finishing eighth after ending the first lap down in 15th place.

Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) was running with the leading group until he was knocked off by a crash between two other riders on lap ten. Parkes returned to the pits but his machine was too damaged to continue with any chance of scoring a point, and he retired from the race, losing his last chance of taking the world title this season. Andrew Pitt won the title today, by winning the 22-lap race.

Foret's result was remarkable on many levels, and even through he finished the race exhausted by his intense race experience, he finished higher in the order than he had dared dream after being out since the Brno race in July.

Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) had a great ride to sixth, leading Nannelli home in tight midfield race. He was the top Yamaha finisher today.

David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport) was 17th and just missed out on a point.
Fabien Foret (8th - Yamaha World Supersport Team) 
"Eighth place and I am really happy with that. One month ago I was at home with a neck brace on and feeling not so good, but today has made me glad I came back for this race. In the middle I had a lot of pain but I was fighting and I did not want to give up. I made some small mistakes because I am not so relaxed, a bit rigid on the bike and not so confident, but it was a good result. I can go home now and get ready, because we have one month until the next race."

Broc Parkes (DNF - Yamaha World Supersport Team) 
"The crash was really not what we needed and there was nothing I could do to avoid it. I felt good and knew we were going to be competitive if we could have finished the race. We just have to look to the final race now and finish as well as we can."
Wilco Zeelenberg (Team Manager, Yamaha World Supersport Team) 
The bike was too badly damaged for Broc to carry on without repairs. He would not have scored points even if he started again. It is a shame. It was a bad move at a bad moment and the Championship has been decided by it. We are happy for Fabien; he really improved and he even did a 1'43.6 lap near the end, which is almost as fast as the leaders. Eighth is a great position when he was not sure if he could even finish the race. He will be mentally and physically stronger at Portimao. I think it was a pity to end our championship challenge this way because there could have been a good battle still with the other guys and Broc, but Andrew deserved it because he won even when Rea was well down."

Massimo Roccoli (6th - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) 
"That was a good result for us today and I was pleased to come out on top of the fight with Nannelli. I had a bit of a problem with some other riders on the first laps but after three or four laps I got a good rhythm going and ended up with the best result of the year."


Race 1 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 37'57.929
2, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 0'1.250
3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 0'1.514
4, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 0'1.685
5, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 0'5.075
6, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 0'13.171
7, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 0'13.386
8, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 0'19.563
9, Josh Hayes, Honda, USA, 0'19.677
10, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 0'21.686
11, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 0'22.599
12, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'24.967
13, Patrick Vostarek, Honda, ITA, 0'28.888
14, Ivan Clementi, Triumph, ITA, 0'29.351
15, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 0'38.000
16, Chris Martin, Kawasaki, GBR, 0'40.934
17, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 0'43.876
18, Jesco Gunther, Triumph, GER, 0'46.230
19, Balazs Nemeth, Honda, HUN, 0'58.762
20, David Perret, Honda, FRA, 0'59.258
21, Russell Holland, Honda, AUS, 1'1.131
22, Santiago Barragan, Honda, ESP, 1'14.306


Best Lap

Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 1'41.543

Rider Standings 05/10/2008

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Andrew Pitt, Honda, AUS, 194
2, Jonathan Rea, Honda, GBR, 164
3, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 157
4, Broc Parkes, Yamaha, AUS, 139
5, Fabien Foret, Yamaha, FRA, 105
6, Joan Lascorz, Honda, ESP, 105
7, Craig Jones, Honda, GBR, 100
8, Barry Veneman, Suzuki, NED, 92
9, Robbin Harms, Honda, DNK, 71
10, Gianluca Nannelli, Honda, ITA, 69
11, Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha, ITA, 58
12, Matthieu Lagrive, Honda, FRA, 56
13, Gianluca Vizziello, Honda, ITA, 52
14, Didier Van Keymeulen, Suzuki, BEL, 38
15, Chris Walker, Kawasaki, GBR, 36
28, David Salom, Yamaha, ESP, 9



Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008

Pos., Manufacturer, Points

1, Honda, 290
2, Yamaha, 192
3, Suzuki, 101
4, Triumph, 70
5, Kawasaki, 46
----------
RACE REPORT - 05/10/2008

Corti on the podium at Magny-Cours

The aggression and commitment shown by Claudio Corti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) throughout the 14-lap Superstock 1000 race at Magny-Cours paid off with a third place finish that puts him tenth in the championship standings, on 49 points.

Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) finished tenth in the race, and stays 15th in the championship fight as the final round looms at Portimao in early November.
Claudio Corti (3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team) 
"We have had some bad luck recently so it is fantastic to be able to get back onto the podium for the first time this year. Now we move forward to Portimao in determined mood for the last round."

Michelle Pirro (10th - Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) 
"After the start there was a lot of confusion and I had a clash with another rider which put me back a bit. In the early part of the race the set-up was not the best. Until half the race was finished I did not have so much feel from the bike."


Race 1 - 9 Laps 

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 24'7.794
2, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'0.463
3, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 0'0.543
4, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 0'1.001
5, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 0'1.792
6, Franck Millet, MV Agusta, ITA, 0'2.556
7, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 0'8.425
8, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 0'8.701
9, Michael Savary, Suzuki, CHE, 0'12.636
10, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 0'12.776
11, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 0'14.352
12, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 0'22.002
13, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 0'23.114
14, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 0'23.739
15, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 0'27.654
16, Raymond Schouten, Yamaha, NED, 0'27.893
17, Gareth Jones, Suzuki, AUS, 0'28.672
18, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 0'29.861
19, Filip Backlund, Suzuki, SWE, 0'31.655
20, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 0'39.173
21, Peter Hickman, Yamaha, GBR, 0'42.859
22, Pauli Pekkanen, KTM, FIN, 0'43.156
23, Matt Bond, Suzuki, GBR, 0'43.591
24, Marko Jerman, Yamaha, SVK, 0'49.153
25, Niccolo Rosso, Honda, ITA, 0'50.458
26, Gregory Junod, Yamaha, CHE, 0'53.215
27, Jure Stibilj, Honda, SVN, 1'1.096
28, Tommaso Lorenzetti, Suzuki, ITA, 1'1.390
29, Roy Ten Napel, Suzuki, NED, 1'4.057
31, Danny De Boer, Suzuki, NED, 1'9.815
32, Brank Srdanov, Yamaha, NED, 1'10.142
33, Michal Drobny, Honda, CZE, 1'12.430
34, Cameron Stronach, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'26.143


Best Lap

Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 1'41.994

Rider Standings 05/10/2008

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points
1, Xavier Simeon, Suzuki, BEL, 131
2, Alessandro Polita, Ducati, ITA, 127
3, Maxime Berger, Honda, FRA, 124
4, Brendan Roberts, Ducati, AUS, 122
5, Michele Pirro, Yamaha, ITA, 89
6, Matej Smrz, Honda, CZE, 73
7, Davide Giugliano, Suzuki, ITA, 72
8, Andrea Antonelli, Honda, ITA, 57
9, Freddy Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 55
10, Claudio Corti, Yamaha, ITA, 49
11, Chris Seaton, Suzuki, AUS, 40
12, Barry Burrell, Honda, GBR, 33
13, Kenny Foray, Yamaha, FRA, 32
14, Michele Magnoni, Yamaha, ITA, 30
15, Domenico Colucci, Ducati, ITA, 26
22, Sylvain Barrier, Yamaha, FRA, 13



Manufacturer Standings 05/10/2008

Pos., Manufacturer, Points

1, Ducati, 170
2, Honda, 166
3, Suzuki, 146
4, Yamaha, 126
5, Kawasaki, 49
6, MV Agusta, 10
7, KTM, 2