Haga takes new R1 to first race victory

Noriyuki Haga gave Yamaha their first race win of the season today at Donington by winning race two, which was made all the sweeter by Troy Corser following it up with a third place at the same time. With Haga taking fourth and Corser romping home second in race one it is just what the team have been working towards all season.

In race one Corser made good progress from eighth place and charged through the field to take second place by only lap six. Haga's start was marred by his tyre struggling to warm up in the first few laps. As the tyre warmed up, Nori worked his way through the field taking fourth. A comfortable gap between the top four riders saw little change with Toseland (Honda) taking the win, Corser second and Biaggi (Suzuki) third. Bayliss failed to finish after a nasty high-side at Coppice corner in which he took injuries that made him fail to take part in race two.

Race two was virtually a dream race for the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team. Haga took the leading place on the first lap after a great start but was swiftly overtaken by Toseland to put him in second. Corser moved from eighth place to third within the same lap due to better drive off the start line. The team mates rode shotgun in second and third until a technical problem forced leading man Toseland to stop suddenly, resulting in a near miss as both Haga and Corser shot past the Honda rider - one either side.

With Biaggi making up third place in the group, the front pack started to break away from the rest of field. All three riders diced with each other in a very close race with all the positions changing frequently.

Biaggi put in several passes on lead-man Haga but only made it stick at the Old Hairpin. Haga stayed on Biaggi's tail, though and took it right to the wire, passing him on the last corner of the last lap. Corser remained in a comfortable third position throughout the lead battle.

Shinichi Nakatomi had a difficult weekend at Donington, managing a best result of 14th in race two. The young Japanese rider spent the initial part of the weekend learning the Donington circuit, which was totally new to him and got a good start from 23rd place up to 15th in the opening stages of race two. He remained there for the duration of the race, battling it out with Bussei and Martin, taking 14th towards the end of the race.

Today's results mean the teams go into the fourth round at Valencia in two weeks with Toseland in 1st place (115 points) and Biaggi second (110 points). Haga lies in third place after this weekend's excellent results with 88 points and Corser is just behind on 81 points.  Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I could not get the tyre to work in race one for the first few laps so could not push. If the tyre had worked in race one like it had in race two then I would have had a podium finish for certain."

I am very happy with my win and the race overall, my father is also very happy. With my number being 41, and after getting fourth place in the first race, I had to get 1st place! And with it being my father's birthday today on 1st April I had to get the win for him too."    Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I'm reasonably happy with today's results but I would have liked to do the double here at Donington as I like the track and have achieved it before. I felt comfortable throughout all the practice sessions this weekend and feel I should have got higher.

In race one I didn't get off the line well so found it hard to make up places. Race two was a better start, but the tyre didn't work as well as in the first race. I had initial spin and had to slide the bike into corners whereas I could see Biaggi and Nori had more grip.

To come out with two podium finishes is good, though, and I am pleased that Nori won the second race for the team and Yamaha. Nori and I have worked closely together, sharing set-up information. But now I know that he can beat me on these settings I am going to have to be more secretive! It was important to get the bike and team working well but I want to win the Championship also so must now focus on that."

Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We have really done a lot of work this weekend so it is the best re-payment to have both riders on the podium at the same time. We made up some distance in the championship today, with Toseland and Bayliss both out in the second race. But I would like to say I am sorry for Bayliss and we wish him well and hope he is back for Valencia.

I would like to thank everyone for all their efforts - from the team staff and riders to our sponsors."    Shinichi Nakatomi (Team Yamaha YZF) "I chose the wrong rear tyre compound for race one and I had very little grip so I could not push the bike. Race two went better as I chose a better compound. I had a good close race with Bussei and Martin but I couldn't pass them due to the lack of grip.

I have a good feeling for Valencia as I feel we are making good progress. I hope for a better position there."

Martial Garcia (Team Coordinator - Team Yamaha YZF) "This has been a difficult weekend as we have had chassis set up problems. The engine set up is fine, but we have a grip issue which we need to sort out. I am optimistic for the next round at Valencia in two weeks but only if we can make some progress on the chassis set-up in the meantime."   Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 13 Crowd: 51.000 Weather: Dry     2007 WSB Donington Park 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Toseland Honda GBR 35'28.222 2 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'1.368 3 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'2.448 4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'9.249 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'18.028 6 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'18.956 7 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'29.998 8 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'30.296 9 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'30.525 10 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'36.661 11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'39.389 12 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 0'48.045 13 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'51.290 14 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 0'51.402 15 Dean Ellison Ducati GBR 1'0.156 17 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN -1 Laps

Race 2 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 35'26.734 2 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 0'0.111 3 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 0'1.100 4 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'5.927 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'9.834 6 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'12.203 7 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 0'22.287 8 Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 0'30.060 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'37.734 10 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'39.893 11 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 0'41.524 12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'45.617 13 Steve Martin Honda AUS 0'52.547 14 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'1.669 15 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'20.586

Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'30.370

 Rider Standings 01/04/2007

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. James Toseland Honda GBR 115 2. Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 110 3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 88 4. Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 81 5. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 66 6. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 64 7. Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 45 8. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 45 9. Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 36 10. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 30 11. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 24 12. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 23 13. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 23 14. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 19 15. Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 16 18. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 12

Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007

Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 124 2. Suzuki 110 3. Yamaha 98 4. Ducati 94 5. Kawasaki 40

RACE REPORT 01/04/2007 Yamaha have difficult weekend in Supersport    With neither rider in the Yamaha World Supersport Team participating in today's race, the pressure was on for all other Yamaha-shod riders to try and get a good result for the manufacturer. Following accidents during Friday's free practice, both Curtain and Parkes were ruled out of any further riding this weekend due to broken collar bones.  

The remaining key Yamaha riders in the field - Roccoli, Checa and Gimbert - rode a solid race and battled it out in the middle of the field to gain eight, ninth and 11th.places respectively. They played a safe race; a good achievement considering the race was red flagged halfway through the race due to a three rider pile up at the first corner. After a restart the times were calculated on aggregate.  

Sofuoglu (Honda) won the race, while Harms (Honda) came second and Fujiwara (Honda) took third in what was a close battle in the closing stages. Overall, Yamaha claimed eight points in the manufacturer standing going forward into Valencia, where it is hoped that Curtain and Parkes will be fit enough to return. Parkes had a successful operation Saturday afternoon. Curtain will see a specialist on Monday morning.  

Massimo Roccoli (8th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "It went better than expected after a difficult practice with two crashes. The set-up was good and I had a good race after two perfect starts. I took some important points today and am feeling positive about Valencia."   Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 13 Crowd: 51,000 Weather: Dry     2007 WSS Donington Park 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 34'56.601 2 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 0'0.764 3 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 0'1.343 4 Craig Jones Honda GBR 0'10.215 5 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 0'12.135 6 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 0'12.982 7 Yoann Tiberio Honda FRA 0'16.642 8 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'16.664 9 David Checa Yamaha ESP 0'22.965 10 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 0'23.852 11 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 0'24.862 12 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 0'26.053 13 David Salom Yamaha ESP 0'26.512 14 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'29.445 15 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 0'29.448

Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'33.848

 Rider Standings 01/04/2007

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 70 2. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 43 3. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 39 4. Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 38 5. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 25 6. Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 22 7. Craig Jones Honda GBR 19 8. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 17 9. Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 17 10. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 16 11. Yoann Tiberio Honda FRA 15 12. Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 14 13. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 13 14. Simone Sanna Honda ITA 11 15. Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 10 17. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 8 18. David Checa Yamaha ESP 7

Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007

Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 70 2. Kawasaki 48 3. Yamaha 44 4. Suzuki 17 5. Ducati 14

RACE REPORT 01/04/2007 New R1 proves its strength with a second and third at Superstock season opener   

Corti got his season off to a good start with a second place at today's opening round of the 2007 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. Didier van Keymeulen, riding for the TTSL-MGM Racing Team and former Superstock champion, rounded up a Yamaha dominated podium in third. Rookie Superstock 1000 rider Michele Pirro showed a strong ability running in the top three, before a crash on the penultimate lap.

All three riders had already shown the YZF-R1s capability in qualifying earlier in the weekend, with Pirro taking pole position in his debut race and van Keymeulen lining up in third. Corti started just off the front row in fifth.

From the start Pirro showed great potential, maintaining his lead and putting some distance between him and the rest of the pack. Unfortunately a red flag on lap four dictated a restart so Pirro lost his advantage. With the race reduced to an eight lap sprint Pirro set a new lap record of 1'34.653 on lap two of the re-started race.

The three Yamaha riders diced for position in the top five throughout the race. Unluckily a mistake by Pirro on the penultimate lap saw him crash out whilst trying to overtake Badovini (MV Augusta) for second place. He re-mounted to finish 30th. This mistake pushed Corti and van Keymeulen up to second and third positions respectively. Corti made a final attempt to take first place on the last corner of the last lap but settled for second.

Canepa (Ducati) won the race with Corti second and Didier van Keymeulen completing the podium.

Claudio Corti (2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I had a very good start but after two laps with good tyres I then had trouble running at the top of the pack. After passing van Keymeulen I managed to get close to Canepa. I tried to pass him but it wasn't possible. In any case, I am happy with 20 points."

Didier van Keymeulen (3rd - TTSL-MGM Racing) "My first race start wasn't perfect and I went down to fourth, but I felt I had good corner speed, which is important as it is so difficult to overtake at this track. I knew I could do better and was happy with my second position at the next start. When I was overtaken by Pirro I tried to slipstream but I couldn't find a good opportunity to overtake so I settled for third. I am very happy with this result in my first race back in Superstock.

The 2007 R1 feels similar to the 2006 model but much better. I like the handling in the corner and for me it is one of the strongest bikes out there."    Michele Pirro (30th - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "The bike was good and I tried to get away, but following an error I waited until the penultimate lap, where I then tried to overtake Badovini. I made a mistake in braking, though, and crashed into him. I am sorry to my team and also to Badovini."   Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 7 Crowd: 51.000 Weather: Dry     2007 Superstock Donington Park 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 4 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 12'46.272 2 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 0'0.147 3 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 0'0.983 4 Mark Aitchison Suzuki AUS 0'2.355 5 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'4.199 6 Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 0'6.635 7 Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 0'6.927 8 Arne Tode Honda GER 0'9.402 9 Sheridan Morais Ducati RSA 0'10.150 10 Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 0'10.846 11 Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 0'11.145 12 Dario Giuseppetti Yamaha GER 0'11.578 13 Marko Rohtlaan Honda EST 0'11.922 14 Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 0'16.027 15 Nicky Moore Ducati USA 0'18.843 30 Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 1'24.092

Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Michele Pirro Yamaha ITA 1'34.653

 Rider Standings 01/04/2007

Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicolo Canepa Ducati ITA 25 2. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 20 3. Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 16 4. Mark Aitchison Suzuki AUS 13 5. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 11 6. Ilario Dionisi Suzuki ITA 10 7. Xavier Simeon Suzuki BEL 9 8. Arne Tode Honda GER 8 9. Sheridan Morais Ducati RSA 7 10. Rene Mahr Yamaha GER 6 11. Marko Jerman Suzuki SVK 5 12. Dario Giuseppetti Yamaha GER 4 13. Marko Rohtlaan Honda EST 3 14. Cederic Tangre Yamaha FRA 2 15. Nicky Moore Ducati USA 1

Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007

Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 25 2. Yamaha 20 3. Suzuki 13 4. Honda 8