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Yamaha Racing News
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This is the first time Troy Corser has ridden the Yamaha YZF-R1 around Donington but that didn't stop him posting the best time in free practice and the second best time in the afternoon qualifying session. A high-speed but minor accident in the last 18 minutes knocked him off top spot, making it hard to regain the fastest time, which he had for the majority of the session.
Noriyuki Haga spent the day working around the challenging weather conditions to try different set up options. He achieved a best time of 1'34.553 putting him in a solid eighth position going into tomorrow's second qualifying session where weather conditions should be better.
Team YZF Yamaha rider Shinichi Nakatomi had his first on-track experience of Donington today and therefore was focused on getting to know the track and lines. Nakatomi is no stranger to learning race tracks quickly though. Last year was his first year in the championship and he had never ridden at any of the circuits prior to the race weekends.
The provisional front row is headed up by Troy Bayliss (Ducati) followed by Troy Corser. Ruben Xaus (Ducati) is in third and James Toseland (Honda) completes the front row.
Troy Corser (2nd - 1'32.817 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I'm pretty happy with the engine changes we've made today. The bike is easier to ride and is pretty comfortable so now we can focus on finding the right balance and settings. The crash was my fault, I just went in a bit too quick but I was lucky and got away lightly. After this morning's cold session where we didn't get much opportunity to really try the tyres, we got some consistency this afternoon and there was good grip." Noriyuki Haga (8th - 1'34.553 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I remembered the track from my last ride here in 2003 in the MotoGP class so today was more about trying to finding the right set up. This morning was very wet and too cold, though, making it difficult to push the bike too much. The lines were drying this afternoon but some corners were still wet so I spent much of the time looking for the best lines. Tomorrow I hope to get more time to focus on our race set up, but that depends on the weather and luck." Shinichi Nakatomi (23rd - 1'38.568 - Team YZF Yamaha) "This is my first time riding at this circuit, the only time I have been to Donington before was last year when I came to watch the British Superbike round. This circuit is very beautiful but very difficult technically, with high speed up and downhill corners. I did not get a good position in this afternoon's session due to the weather but I am hoping for drier weather tomorrow to allow me to get a better qualifying position for the race."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "The progress we made at Valencia has been evident here today and Corser is quite satisfied with the result of today's sessions. Nori says his bike is okay and that is a very good sign as he is quite demanding of the bike. We hope the weather is dry tomorrow so we can just focus on the race set up and check the tyre life for race distance." Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 8 Weather: Changeable 2007 WSB Donington Park 30/03/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'32.333 2 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'32.817 3 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'33.646 4 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'33.692 5 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'33.729 6 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'34.203 7 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'34.549 8 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'34.553 9 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'34.593 10 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 1'35.363 11 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 1'35.897 12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'35.907 13 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'36.002 14 Steve Martin Honda AUS 1'36.067 15 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'36.441 23 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'38.568
QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 30/03/2007 Injuries mean an early return home for Yamaha World Supersport Team
The third round of the World Supersport Championship got off to a bad start for the Yamaha World Supersport Team, with both Curtain and Parkes sustaining injuries during crashes in the free practice session on Friday.
The crashes ended the team's hopes of success for the weekend. Kevin Curtain was the first to fall early on in the wet session, high-siding the bike at Goddard's corner in front of his team mate resulting in a clean break to his collar bone. It is not known yet whether Kevin will be fit enough to race at Valencia in two weeks.
Broc spent the session focusing on putting some distance on the tyres and re-acquainting himself with the track not having ridden here since 2001, when he rode for Ducati in the World Superbike Championship. Unfortunately, in the closing stages of the session he high-sided the bike at the same corner as Kevin, leaving him with a small fracture to his collar bone.
Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) "The track conditions were too cold today especially the last corner, which was really slippery. I was hoping for the track to dry quickly to really put in some good laps. It is frustrating to work so hard for the first two rounds and then this to happen here. Right now, it is hard for me to say when I'll be back; I will do my best to be there."
Kevin Curtain (Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I'm all right. I now just want to concentrate on getting my collar bone fixed before Valencia in two weeks time. It is a good break at least, if there is such a thing. The conditions just weren't good out there today. I aim to be back for Valencia, we will have to wait and see if that is realistic or not."
Despite the misfortunes of the Yamaha World Supersport team there was good news for other Yamaha-shod riders in the championship. Former French 125 GP World Champion and current entrant in the French Supersport Championship - Arnaud Vincent put in a best lap of 1'41.208 to take provisional fourth place in the afternoon's qualifying session, while Massimo Roccoli set a best time of 1'42.556, placing him in seventh position. Yamaha - GMT94 team members Sébastien Gimbert and David Checa finished the day in 12th and 13th places respectively.
The fastest man in today's qualifying session was Matthieu Lagrive (Honda), followed by Davide Giugliano (Kawasaki) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda). Arnaud Vincent completes the provisional front row going in to tomorrow's final qualifying session.
Arnaud Vincent (4th - 1'41.639 - Tati Team Beaujolais Racing) "In today's qualifying I started with a wet rear tyre but then switched to a slick after ten minutes as the track was starting to dry. I hope tomorrow is wet because the wet conditions will even out the playing field and also I often ride well in the wet."
Massimo Roccoli (7th - 1'42.556 - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "During the qualifying session I mainly rode with wet tyres. During one pit stop I saw that the tyre was pretty much finished so I opted for an intermediate. Just before the session ended I managed to put in a good lap placing me in seventh overall. We have a good wet race set up now so I'm confident I will start from the second row on Sunday if it continues to rain. We will see how final qualifying goes tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 8 Weather: Changeable 2007 WSS Donington Park 30/03/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 1'40.239 2 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 1'41.208 3 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'41.621 4 Arnaud Vincent Yamaha FRA 1'41.639 5 Craig Jones Honda GBR 1'42.465 6 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 1'42.539 7 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'42.556 8 Vesa Kallio Suzuki FIN 1'42.967 9 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'42.989 10 Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 1'43.004 11 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 1'43.040 12 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'43.171 13 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'43.916 14 Chris Peris Yamaha CAN 1'44.016 15 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'44.114
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Dry weather today allowed Haga to make the most of his wild lines and focus on getting the right race set-up. Having qualified eighth this morning Haga went on to put in a hard to beat Superpole lap time. Only Troy Bayliss, the last man out, could better the Japanese rider's time, pushing him to second position. Haga goes into tomorrow's race with already 148 World Superbike race finishes in the points under his belt, dedicated to extending that number to 150 by the end of the day.
Troy Corser's fortunes were almost reversed to Noriyuki's during the day. He battled with Bayliss for the top spot throughout the practice and qualifying sessions only to crash out on the first corner of his Superpole lap due to a severe cross-wind. He will start tomorrow's race on the second row in eighth position. This is in accordance with the rules stating that if a rider starts Superpole in the top eight, he cannot drop lower than eighth position.
Shinichi Nakatomi had difficulties in finding the correct feeling, resulting in a disappointing qualifying session today. Tomi managed to improve only one position from yesterday's qualifying despite knocking almost four seconds off his best time. He will start in 22nd position, though with 50 laps completed is hopeful of a better end result.
Troy Corser (8th - 1'31.132 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "The wind kicked me out on the first corner and I just couldn't keep it up; it just means that I'll start from the second row. I'm feeling confident about the bike; it really feels like mine now. Since we lost time yesterday due to the weather we've still got a final rear tyre option for the race to test tomorrow morning during warm up." Noriyuki Haga (2nd - 1'31.084 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "We only needed to make some small changes to the bike from yesterday and it is feeling good now. I had problems yesterday with the weather because it was still wet on my line so I could not push too much. Today the dry weather has given us a better opportunity to set the bike up well." Shinichi Nakatomi (22nd - 1'34.985 - Team Yamaha YZF) "I am happy today because the weather has been better but I have only had two hours experience around this track. I am improving but we still have not found the best set up for the race. With my results slowly getting better I am hopeful for tomorrow."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I am confident in both Troy and Noriyuki for tomorrow's races. They are both happy with the set-up; all we need to see is if the tyre can support the distance. We're checking all the data we have gathered so far to see if there is anywhere where we can improve during tomorrow's warm-up." Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 13 Weather: Dry 2007 WSB Donington Park 31/03/2007 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'30.370 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'31.084 3 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'31.377 4 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'31.399 5 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'31.504 6 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'31.686 7 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'31.689 8 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'31.999 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'32.077 10 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'32.178 11 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'32.185 12 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 1'32.744 13 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'32.750 14 Steve Martin Honda AUS 1'33.536
Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'13.052 2 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'31.132 3 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'31.479 4 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'31.655 5 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'31.695 6 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'32.182 7 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'32.188 8 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'32.199 9 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'32.360 10 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'32.724 11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'32.847 12 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'32.857 13 Roberto Rolfo Honda ITA 1'32.877 14 Steve Martin Honda AUS 1'33.071 15 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'33.092 23 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'34.985
QUALIFYING 2 REPORT 31/03/2007 Yamaha GMT94 Team lead the way for Yamaha at Donington With the Yamaha World Supersport Team out of this weekend's race, it fell to other Yamaha-shod teams to try and gain the best qualifying today for the manufacturer. Both Curtain and Parkes suffered broken collar bones in yesterday's free practice resulting in a premature end to the factory-supported team's weekend.
David Checa, of the Yamaha GMT Team, is the highest placed Yamaha rider in ninth place on tomorrow's grid. The younger brother of MotoGP star Carlos is contesting his second year in the World Supersport Championship, having finished overall in 11th position in 2006. His team mate, Sébastien Gimbert will start tomorrow's race in 10th position, having qualified just over half a second behind Checa.
Massimo Roccoli, the sole rider for the Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni Team, had a very disappointing qualifying after crashing both his main and spare machines. Although he was third fastest in this morning's free practice he could only manage a qualifying position of 20th in the afternoon session.
Despite having had such a successful day in yesterday's qualifying in fairly wet conditions, Arnaud Vincent starts tomorrow in 28th position. Although he improved his time by over three seconds today, the overall pace was much faster.
Pere Riba (Kawasaki) is in pole position for tomorrow with a best time of 1'34.066, with Simone Sanna (Honda) in second and Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) in third. The front row is completed by Dutchman Barry Veneman (Suzuki).
Massimo Roccoli (20th - 1'35.944 - Yamaha Motor Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "I crashed after a few minutes at the start of the practice because I touched the kerb at the last corner (Goddards). It was my mistake. I returned to the garage and took the second bike but I crashed again in the slower section of the track, where I lost the front. I don't know why that happened, but I am okay I have a good set up for the race after we made changes today to front and I am confident for tomorrow."
In the table on the bottom of the page, the Friday Qualifying-I results are mentioned. Please find below the Qualifying II results:
1 Riba P. Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'34.066 2 Sanna S. Honda 1'34.195 3 Sofuoglu K. Honda 1'34.382 4 Veneman B. Suzuki 1'34.470 5 Tiberio Y. Honda 1'34.609 6 Alfonsi L. Honda 1'34.670 7 Foret F. Kawasaki 1'34.737 8 Fujiwara K. Honda 1'34.953 9 Checa D. Yamaha 1'34.959 10 Gimbert S. Yamaha 1'35.038 11 Harms R. Honda 1'35.165 12 Nannelli G. Ducati 1'35.220 13 Lagrive M. Honda 1'35.282 14 Giugliano D. Kawasaki 1'35.327 15 Vizziello G. Yamaha 1'35.433 16 Lascorz J. Honda 1'35.657 17 Salom D. Yamaha 1'35.679 18 Fores J. Honda 1'35.704 19 Jones C. Honda 1'35.706 20 Roccoli M. Yamaha 1'35.944 21 Boccolini G. Kawasaki 1'35.950 22 Ivanov V. Yamaha 1'36.050 23 Talmacsi G. Yamaha 1'36.148 24 Kallio V. Suzuki 1'36.172 25 Peris C. Yamaha 1'36.316 26 Velini A. Yamaha 1'36.701 27 Leblanc G. Honda 1'36.862 28 Vincent A. Yamaha 1'37.128 29 Lauslehto T. Honda 1'37.249 30 Günther J. Honda 1'37.336 31 Praia M. Honda 1'37.442 32 Polzer Y. Ducati 1'38.358 33 Milovanovic N. Honda 1'38.392 34 Forner D. Yamaha 1'38.882
Circuit Length: 4023 Temp: 12 Weather: Dry 2007 WSS Donington Park 31/03/2007 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 1'40.239 2 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 1'41.208 3 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'41.621 4 Arnaud Vincent Yamaha FRA 1'41.639 5 Craig Jones Honda GBR 1'42.465 6 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 1'42.539 7 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'42.556 8 Vesa Kallio Suzuki FIN 1'42.967 9 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'42.989 10 Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 1'43.004 11 Simone Sanna Honda ITA 1'43.040 12 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'43.171 13 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'43.916 14 Chris Peris Yamaha CAN 1'44.016 15 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'44.114
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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
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Coppins started well on the YZ450FM and was placed in the top three alongside Steve Ramon and Ken de Dycker in the first moto. The battle for the lead narrowed down to a duel with De Dycker and the New Zealander hounded the Belgian for four laps before moving through and swiftly breaking his pursuer's tow. The second half of the moto was straightforward for the 30 year old kiwi as he eased to his GP debut race success with his Yamaha. The second race saw Coppins face slightly more adversity as he combated a mediocre start and a problem with his goggles, but he pushed through to the runner-up position. Despite an earnest attempt to slice the advantage carved by Jonathan Barragan at the front the Coppins had to be content to settle for second spot which easily delivered his maiden Yamaha victory by six points overall from the lively Spaniard. Marc de Reuver also had a Yamaha debut to remember. The 24 year old scored sixth and third positions for fifth in the final ranking. Riding under pressure at his home GP De Reuver hit the sand on the first lap of Moto one but then embarked on a determined charge from last spot to seize a creditable sixth place by the chequered flag; in what was arguably the most eye-catching - but tiring - performance of the 40 minute fare. Later in the day a more effective getaway from the line allowed the Dutchman to forage away in third, some distance behind his team-mate. Josh Coppins - first "Ken is super fast but I knew he could not keep that pace for the whole race. He is a little bit wild so I held back and then attacked when Steve was coming closer to us. I put some good laps together at the end of the race and then I could pull away easily. My start was not as good in the second moto. I was spinning out of the gate and had to grab the clutch again; it was not a perfect launch. I lost some time and was quite far back. I passed many guys but had problems with my goggles and was held up in third for a little while until I could sort it out. Again I made some decent laps and took second. I looked towards Jonathan but he was riding very well and I had some cramp. I did not know who would be the main challenger this weekend and I still do not know who will be my main rival for the championship. My job is to do the best I can and if I cannot win then I will settle for second."
Marc de Reuver - fifth "I am happy. When I crashed in the first moto I thought 'what a disaster' but I picked up the bike and my pace. I kept looking at my board and rode my own race. The lap-times were pretty good and consistent, I passed a lot of guys but it also cost me a lot of energy. In the second moto it was much traffic the first few laps. I managed to get to third place but I was quite tired. The bike is working well although we need to practice more on our starts. It wasn't a bad first GP for me in MX1. I thought MX2 was aggressive in the first laps and believed that MX1 would be different but it is pretty similar actually"
Carlo Rinaldi, Team Manager: "It was a perfect start today. Josh was smart enough to make a good start and not lose any ground in the first laps. He was under pressure and it was easy to make a mistake, but he didn't. He was steady and this consistency helped him win the GP; this was the best we could have expected from him. I am very happy with Marc. He never gave up despite that bad start. He looked very motivated and to come back from last to sixth place was very encouraging. He was pretty tired though and this showed in the second moto but we are satisfied. I have, and had, absolutely no doubt in the capabilities of the bike. It worked well this weekend and we have a very good machine in our hands for the season." Circuit Length: 1750 Temp: 19 Crowd: 25000 Weather: Sunny 2007 GP of Valkenswaard, Benelux 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 41'1.884 2 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'16.953 3 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'25.220 4 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 0'35.705 5 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'58.269 6 Marc De Reuver Yamaha NED 1'3.069 7 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1'4.679 8 Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN 1'6.490 9 Billy MacKenzie Kawasaki GBR 1'9.355 10 James Noble Honda GBR 1'11.339 11 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 1'34.417 12 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 1'43.315 13 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 1'49.928 14 Mike Brown Honda USA 1'52.619 15 Antoine Meo Honda FRA 2'3.627 16 Pierre A. Renet Honda FRA 2'9.254 17 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 2'18.764 18 Manuel Priem TM BEL -1 Laps 19 Bas Verhoeven Suzuki NED -1 Laps 20 Marko Kovalainen Honda FIN -1 Laps
Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 41'44.389 2 Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 0'10.386 3 Marc De Reuver Yamaha NED 0'21.442 4 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 0'28.440 5 Manuel Priem TM BEL 0'38.574 6 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'52.584 7 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'57.350 8 James Noble Honda GBR 1'1.456 9 Mike Brown Honda USA 1'3.833 10 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1'38.302 11 Gordon Crockard Honda IRL 1'44.922 12 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 2'4.822 13 Pierre A. Renet Honda FRA 2'26.141 14 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST -1 Laps 15 Julien Vanni Honda FRA -1 Laps 16 Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL -1 Laps 17 Antoine Meo Honda FRA -1 Laps 18 Marko Kovalainen Honda FIN -1 Laps 19 Bas Verhoeven Suzuki NED -1 Laps 20 Christian Beggi Honda ITA -1 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 2'6.620
Rider Standings 01/04/2007
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Joshua Coppins Yamaha NZL 47 2. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 41 3. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 37 4. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 36 5. Marc De Reuver Yamaha NED 35 6. Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 34 7. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 25 8. James Noble Honda GBR 24 9. Manuel Priem TM BEL 19 10. Mike Brown Honda USA 19 11. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 17 12. Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN 13 13. Pierre A. Renet Honda FRA 13 14. Billy MacKenzie Kawasaki GBR 12 15. Antoine Meo Honda FRA 10 16. Gordon Crockard Honda IRL 10 17. Clement Desalle Suzuki BEL 9 18. Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 9 19. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 9 20. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 8
Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 47 2. KTM 41 3. Suzuki 40 4. Honda 34 5. Kawasaki 19 6. TM 19
RACE REPORT 01/04/2007 Cairoli rules supreme at the Benelux GP Antonio Cairoli aced the MX2 class with a double moto sweep for his eleventh career victory. The De Carli Yamaha rider won both races at a reasonable canter for an authoritative launch to the World Championship. The 2005 number one and '06 runner-up toyed with leader Gareth Swanepoel in the formative stages of Moto one but pulled clear on lap seven to a enjoy an untroubled run to the finish line. The second race followed a similar script once he had moved past reigning champ Christophe Pourcel, who had made a mistake and fallen. Ricci Yamaha's Kenneth Gundersen carried some decent speed through the weekend and was a distant fourth in the first race after a less than perfect start. The Norwegian took another top five result with fifth after lunch and was pleased to leave the circuit with 34 points and sixth overall. His new team-mate and super talent Nicolas Aubin enacted a solid first appearance for the squad with seventh in the classification. The young Frenchman was sixth and eighth in the two Moto's and followed Gundersen in the final listing with seventh overall. Davide Guarneri was unable to compete due to a twisted ankle sustained recently in the Italian Championship at Malpensa. He is expected to be fit for the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks time. Both riders of the Bike it Yamaha UK Dixon racing team failed to appear at the season opening GP due to injuries.
Antonio Cairoli - first "The first heat was a little bit easier than the second. I didn't start that well for the first moto but I felt better on the track because it wasn't so rough compared to the second race. My physical condition was good and I am happy because I have not been training that much in the sand this year. I thought Rattray was the closest rider to me today in terms of speed so I am lucky that he did not get good starts. I knew that Christophe's condition is still not great so I thought that I could win the second moto even before he crashed. I was waiting for his mistake, after which it made things easier." Kenneth Gundersen - sixth "For me it's a good day, fourth in the first and fifth in the second despite a bad start. I feel strong and the bike is working very well so I am really happy. My plan is not to be totally 100% strong at this early stage so I am pleased with the results."
The Easter holidays prompt a break in the World Championship next week but the paddock then heads to southern Europe for the Grand Prix of Spain at Bellpuig followed immediately the weekend after with the Portuguese round at Agueda. Circuit Length: 1750 Temp: 19 Crowd: 25000 Weather: Sunny 2007 GP of Valkenswaard, Benelux 01/04/2007 Race 1 - 17 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 41'41.618 2 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 0'7.537 3 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'10.919 4 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha NOR 0'16.115 5 Erik Eggens Suzuki NED 0'20.211 6 Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 0'31.436 7 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'46.444 8 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 0'58.769 9 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 1'5.893 10 Tommy Searle KTM GBR 1'9.858 11 Anthony Boissière Kawasaki FRA 1'13.239 12 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'18.060 13 Xavier Boog Yamaha FRA 1'22.387 14 Dennis Verbruggen Yamaha BEL 1'25.946 15 Jeremy Tarroux Yamaha FRA 1'45.961 16 Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 1'47.848 17 Avis Wyatt KTM RSA 1'49.832 18 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 1'51.800 19 Rob van Vijfeijken KTM NED 1'53.890 20 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 1'56.756
Race 2 - 17 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 39'58.304 2 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 0'8.354 3 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'27.872 4 Erik Eggens Suzuki NED 0'34.476 5 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha NOR 0'39.353 6 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'43.755 7 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 0'58.299 8 Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 1'9.640 9 Anthony Boissière Kawasaki FRA 1'13.504 10 Dennis Verbruggen Yamaha BEL 1'30.672 11 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 1'35.155 12 Sean Hamblin Suzuki USA 1'43.632 13 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'44.678 14 Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 1'48.772 15 Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 1'52.002 16 Martin Barr Yamaha GBR 1'56.835 17 Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 2'13.948 18 Jeremy Tarroux Yamaha FRA 2'21.565 19 Rob van Vijfeijken KTM NED 2'25.639 20 Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA -1 Laps
Rider Standings 01/04/2007
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 50 2. Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 44 3. Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 35 4. Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha NOR 34 5. Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 34 6. Erik Eggens Suzuki NED 34 7. Nicolas Aubin Yamaha FRA 28 8. Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 27 9. Anthony Boissière Kawasaki FRA 22 10. Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 22 11. Dennis Verbruggen Yamaha BEL 18 12. Matti Seistola Honda FIN 17 13. Tommy Searle KTM GBR 11 14. Jeremy Tarroux Yamaha FRA 9 15. Jeremy Van Horebeek KTM BEL 9 16. Sean Hamblin Suzuki USA 9 17. Xavier Boog Yamaha FRA 8 18. Manuel Monni Yamaha ITA 7 19. Steven Frossard Kawasaki FRA 7 20. Martin Barr Yamaha GBR 5
Manufacturer Standings 01/04/2007
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 50 2. KTM 44 3. Kawasaki 40 4. Suzuki 34 5. Honda 22
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For the past five years, Yamaha Europe’s Racing Division has run the Yamaha Race Training (YRT); a three day course aimed at providing European Yamaha race teams the opportunity to learn about how to make the most of their R-series race bikes. Within this training Yamaha’s best Japanese and European Yamaha Racing engineers help teams with their pre-season preparations and raise the knowledge level in terms of the technical set-up and machine tuning of their YZF-R6 and R1. This exclusive course is only open to Supersport, Superbike, Endurance and European Superstock teams and covers a series of theoretical seminars as well as three days on circuit riding to put the theory into practice.
In addition to the engineers from Yamaha Racing; expert advice is available from Yamaha’s technical partners, such as Öhlins and 2D. Completing the exclusive package is Michelin, who provide tyres and tyre advice throughout the three-day program.
For 2007, YRT was held at the Ricardo Tormo circuit at Valencia between 28th and 30th March. 80 riders in 35 teams from 13 European countries took part, making this no small event to organize.
Valencia’s complicated track, excellent facilities and favourable winter weather conditions mean that the circuit is in use for 95% of the year by everything from trucks to Formula One cars, MotoGP to national championship teams. Perhaps because of this, grip levels can be unpredictable causing conditions to change by the hour and requiring constant adjustments to the set-up of the bike – ideal for training the teams in best set-up practice. During the three days, technicians and riders from each team attended seminars that covered key topics, such as:
* A detailed technical presentation of the 2007 R-Series models – all the major new technical aspects of the brand new R1 were covered in detail * 2007 YEC racing parts seminar – All the new and modified racing parts, that Yamaha offers under the brand name YEC, were explained in detail to all the teams * 2007 R1 Fuel injection workshop (incl. YCC-T and YCC-I) – in this workshop the teams learnt how to modify their ignition and fuel base settings to match their rider and the track conditions using the YEC ECU and accompanying software * Engine workshop, including a camshaft-timing seminar Learning all this theory is one thing, putting it into practice is another. Every rider was designated four sessions a day on the track, in order for them and their technical team to try out what they had been taught in the classroom.
Wet weather during the first day of the event gave the teams the perfect opportunity to practice finding their ideal wet race set-up. On the second and third day the riders could enjoy dry sessions and were able to work towards a competitive basic set up. And with the best lap times of below 1’39.000, it proved that the teams are ready to start competing in their championships.
With the three-day session over it is now down to each individual team to make the most of their training, putting into practice what they have learnt to go for gold in the various championships.
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Valencia is a tight and twisty circuit built with spectators in mind. The venue was designed to be a 'circuit within a stadium' and this has been achieved with over 65,000 grandstand seats that allow spectators to view the track, and the action on it, from the one position. The popularity of this circuit is evident, with over 3 million spectators visiting since its opening in 1999.
Valencia's complicated track, excellent facilities and favourable winter weather conditions make this circuit ideal for all kinds of racing. It is in demand by national and international championships and is not restricted to just motorcycles. Everything from trucks to Formula One cars use this circuit which means that grip levels can be unpredictable, causing conditions to change by the hour and requiring constant adjustments to the set-up of the bike.
Pirelli held their official tyre test here in March, with Yamaha's World Superbike, Supersport and Superstock teams all taking part. The data gathered at this test could be of a big help to put all the Yamaha teams in a good position for their race set-up this weekend.
The last round at Donington saw Haga take the team's first win of the season, showing the potential of the new R1. This was supported by Corser's second and third finishes. Haga goes into the fourth round in third place in the championship standings with 88 points with Corser just behind on 81 points. Both riders want to win at this round, so the gloves will be off from the outset.
In 2006 Haga claimed two fifth places in Valencia but as he has won here previously in 2000 and 2004, he is keen to add another race win to his one from Donington. "Valencia is one of my favourite circuits and I have won there before," he says. "It is a technically challenging circuit though, and chassis and tyre set-up are very important there. With the testing we have done there recently with Pirelli I am hopeful. After winning at Donington I am feeling very positive and looking forward to winning again!"
Team mate, Corser is looking to take some race win glory himself this weekend, after just missing it at Donington. Last year he took second place in both races and is looking to better that result this year.
"Valencia has a good layout and the weather is normally makes for good riding conditions, although it can get a bit windy and, depending on which way it blows, it can sometimes be a problem. The track grip is different every time we go there because it depends on what's been racing there previously - trucks or Formula Ford - and what rubber they've left."
With regard to the bike, Corser says, "The bike feels good following the testing we have done there, although every team has done testing there so it's going to be a close race."
The third round at Donington was a very tough one for the Yamaha World Supersport Team, with both Curtain and Parkes crashing and breaking their collar bones in practice, putting them out for the race. The team goes into the fourth round with a lot of hard work to do. They know they need a good result to put them back into contention for the championship, but are very conscious of both riders still nursing injuries. Both riders had operations immediately following the race and are determined to ride at Valencia if at all possible. Currently, Curtain lies in fifth in the championship with 25 points and Parkes lies in tenth on 16 points.
"I'm feeling pretty good despite the crash at Donington. A friend in Belgium helped me get operated on straight away and I now have a late and eight bolts in my left shoulder, which is lucky as I'm right-handed. As soon as I was out of surgery I started exercising the injury because the longer you leave it, the longer it takes to get going again. I now have full movement and a fair amount of strength in my left arm, though the scar is a bit tender," says Kevin of his injuries.
When asked about Valencia and his expectations, Kevin said, "I'm looking forward to returning to the championship this weekend. I'd like to get on the podium' that's what I'll be aiming for."
At the time of going to print, it is expected that Broc Parkes will race at Valencia, though this will be confirmed in the next 24 hours.
Claudio Corti got his Superstock Championship fight off to a good start at Donington with a second place, just in front of Didier van Keymeulen on another new R1. Corti's team mate, Michele Pirro has something to prove this weekend after crashing out of the last race. He had been showing great potential in his rookie season in the Superstock Championship prior to the crash and is keen to make up for his mistakes with a good result at Valencia.
Track length: 4005 Tracked opened: 1999 2006 winner: Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 2006 fastest lap: 1'35.374 (Troy Corser, Suzuki) WSB lap record: 1'35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Circuit tel: +34 96 2525220
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Haga had the most success of the day in the Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team, being third fastest in this morning's free practice. He then went on to finish in fourth in qualifying having spent the session focusing on testing various tyre and suspension options. Having finished the morning practice session second fastest, Corser then fought throughout the afternoon session to find the right set-up. He ended the day in sixth position.
Shinichi Nakatomi, riding for the French Team Yamaha YZF squad, finished the day in 18th position. Nakatomi was keen to try and find a good set up, so spent the day focusing on small suspension and tyre settings.
The day's result is headed by Bayliss (Ducati), who surprised everyone with such a good result in light of the injuries he sustained at Donington. Spaniard Ruben Xaus (Ducati) finished in second today at his home circuit. James Toseland (Honda) finished in third and Haga completes the line up in fourth.
The Ricardo Tormo circuit is renowned for being very changeable in its grips conditions due to the variety of vehicles that use the circuit. Any damp brings out the rubber and oil that has been laid down previously, making it very slippery.
The rapidly changing conditions were nowhere more evident than towards the end of the day's on-track sessions, when thunder and lightning accompanied a sudden downpour, leaving the track under a couple of inches on rainwater. Noriyuki Haga (4th - 1'35.440 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "I managed some improvement in my lap times during today but I struggled with finding the right tyre. We tried three different tyres this afternoon but I didn't find the right one for the race. Although it was still damp on the track this morning, the lower track temperatures actually suited the tyre.
I'm not feeling too bad, tomorrow I hope to find the right tyre and I am hoping it is not raining, as this track gets very slippery when it is wet." Troy Corser (6th - 1'35.483 - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Today has been tough - all day I have struggled with the engine character. Following the test session here last month and after Donington, we made some engine changes which have completely altered the feel of the bike somehow. The engine character is different between my main and my spare bike, even.
I'm glad we found this out today as it gives us tomorrow to sort out the problem so we are ready for race day. We think we have already worked out the problem and are working on a solution, which we will test out in the morning."
Shinichi Nakatomi (18th - 1'36.757 - Team Yamaha YZF) "Today we have made many small changes and improvements throughout both sessions. Now we just need to combine the changes for tomorrow's qualifying session. I am hopeful of a higher qualifying position tomorrow - I just hope it is not raining." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 24 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSB Valencia 13/04/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'34.599 2 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'35.023 3 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'35.147 4 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'35.440 5 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'35.453 6 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'35.483 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'35.709 8 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'35.767 9 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'35.804 10 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'35.814 11 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'35.856 12 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'36.012 13 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 1'36.016 14 Carmelo Morales Yamaha ESP 1'36.032 15 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'36.094 18 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'36.755
QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 13/04/2007 Curtain and Parkes show their determination in first qualifying
Kevin Curtain took third place in this weekend's first qualifying session - only two weeks after breaking his left collar bone in four places at Donington Park. Team mate Broc Parkes struggled with his collar bone injury also, managing 11th place during the 45 minute session.
Both riders have broken collar bones - Parkes his right and Curtain his left - after crashing in practice at the previous round at Donington. Since their respective accidents both riders have undergone surgery to plate and bolt the collar bones. They have had less than two weeks recovery since the last round and have surprised everyone by the efforts they have gone to in order to race here this weekend.
Having attending last month's Pirelli tyre test, the team preferred to sit out the damp morning practice session rather than aggravate the riders injuries, confident that they have good set up information from these testing sessions. In the dry afternoon session, Kevin had an unexpected but excellent ride and secured third place whilst Broc found his injuries were more aggravated by the many twists and turns in the middle section of the circuit.
Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni rider, Massimo Roccoli, had an average performance and only managed to qualify in 16th position.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) topped today's qualifying session with a best time. Fujiwara (Honda) came in second with Curtain taking third and Riba (Kawasaki) completing the provisional front row in fourth place. Kevin Curtain (3rd - 1'37.885 - Yamaha Word Supersport Team) "My injuries don't feel too bad - until I have to brake hard. I surprised myself in that session, getting third slot, considering I've just had quite a major operation. The doctor has done a good job! I'm happy with securing third position today because, if it rains tomorrow as it is forecast to, the risk of crashing will be higher. I have to consider my injuries and take it a bit more gently if it rains tomorrow." Broc Parkes (11th - 1'38.681 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "My collar bone is giving me some trouble in the middle section of a lap when I have to use my right arm a lot. It really hurts when I have to switch from left to right, which makes changing direction quite difficult. I'm okay on the brakes with it, but then I have a different riding style to Kevin. I'd like to qualify in the top eight; hopefully I can get to the second row in tomorrow's qualifying, depending on the weather." Massimo Roccoli (16th - 1'39.016 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "Unfortunately today was a bad day for me. There was no technical problem; it was more of a personal issue with me struggling with my feeling of the track. The bike and the tyre is the same when we tested here in March, but for some reason I am 1.5 seconds slower than at that test. The difference is too big to be technical, it is something I need to try and resolve myself for tomorrow." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 19 Weather: Sunny 2007 WSS Valencia 13/04/2007 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'37.521 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'37.729 3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'37.885 4 Pere Riba Kawasaki ESP 1'38.095 5 Andrew Pitt Honda AUS 1'38.478 6 Fabien Foret Kawasaki FRA 1'38.524 7 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'38.532 8 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'38.564 9 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'38.568 10 Joan Lascorz Honda ESP 1'38.649 11 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'38.681 12 Javier Fores Honda ESP 1'38.734 13 Lorenzo Alfonsi Honda ITA 1'38.753 14 Davide Giugliano Kawasaki ITA 1'38.915 15 David Salom Yamaha ESP 1'39.008 16 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'39.016 19 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'39.243 21 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'39.283 24 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'39.575
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Corser felt happier with engine changes that had been made overnight following on from yesterday's initial qualifying session. These changes included trying some of the settings that had been used at Donington two weeks previously. Haga focused on continuing to find the right wet set-up. Overall, the wet conditions meant that everyone's lap times were slower, with no one improving on their best times from yesterday.
Track conditions did not improve at all for Superpole this afternoon, with sunshine but no dry line anywhere on the circuit. Corser had a good start to the session moving up to third position from yesterday's provisional start position of sixth. With such wet conditions, he then waited to see the progress of other riders.
Honda rider Joshua Brookes took third position on a flying lap, forcing Corser to try and reclaim it. Unfortunately, conditions were too slippery and he was unable to succeed and so will start from fourth tomorrow. Haga was one of the many to struggle with grip throughout the 50 minute session and moved down to ninth from fourth. He managed a flying lap with less than three minutes to go to take seventh place Kagayama.
Team Yamaha YZF rider, Nakatomi, continued to try and improve with his confidence in the wet weather today. Having achieved a best qualifying position of 18th in this yesterday's qualifying, he then spent today's track time doing lots of laps to build up his confidence. The team is also trying various new engine and chassis parts this weekend, so focused on putting in as much track time as possible to maximize the best opportunity from these new parts.
Tomorrow's world superbike races will start with Bayliss (Ducati) in pole position after an impressive day's riding. Local rider Ruben Xaus (Ducati) will start in second and Joshua Brookes (Honda) lies in third.
Troy Corser (4th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "This morning we went back to the Donington set-up and that seemed to help. The engine and bike are working well and we have made some changes to the rear suspension set-up during the day. Unfortunately, none of these changes have given us the extra grip that they normally would, and that we need. It's partly the geometry of the bike but we still have more work to do.
My objective for tomorrow is to stay upright, especially if the track is as slippery as it was today." Noriyuki Haga (7th - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "Today I tried some rain settings but I have not yet found the best set-up for this possibility - we still need to work on the best rear tyre option as I can find good grip but no tyre life, or good tyre life but no grip. I am happy with a second row qualifying position and that I didn't crash today in the wet! Today's conditions were unbelievable with no grip anywhere. Tomorrow I will push hard for a podium finish at the very least, whatever the weather." Shinichi Nakatomi (18th - Team Yamaha YZF) "I really don't like the rain after a nasty incident I had last year, when I lost a lot of confidence. But, we had some success today finding a good set-up for the race. Tomorrow, I am hoping for dry weather though, and I want to finish in the points at the very least." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) "This is our first time in the rain here at Valencia with the new R1, so we have been concentrating on preparing the bike as good as possible. Unfortunately, we haven't found the best set-up yet so tonight we will check all the data and see what we can improve for tomorrow.
I am very pleased with the front row position for Troy and the second row is fine for Nori, who has a history of making good starts." Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 24 Weather: Changeable 2007 WSB Valencia 14/04/2007 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'51.982 2 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'52.085 3 Joshua Brookes Honda AUS 1'52.199 4 Troy Corser Yamaha AUS 1'52.733 5 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'52.801 6 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'52.942 7 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'52.961 8 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'53.634 9 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'53.750 10 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'54.108 11 Giovanni Bussei Honda ITA 1'54.972 12 Max Biaggi Suzuki ITA 1'55.196 13 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 1'55.965 14 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'56.275 15 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'56.332
Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Nat. QUAL I QUAL II 1 Troy Bayliss AUS 1'34.599 1'53.576 2 Ruben Xaus ESP 1'35.023 9999'0.000 3 James Toseland GBR 1'35.147 1'53.408 4 Noriyuki Haga JPN 1'35.440 1'52.866 5 Max Biaggi ITA 1'35.453 1'55.306 6 Troy Corser AUS 1'35.483 1'52.425 7 Lorenzo Lanzi ITA 1'35.709 1'53.804 8 Max Neukirchner GER 1'35.767 1'53.334 9 Fonsi Nieto ESP 1'35.804 1'55.209 10 Karl Muggeridge AUS 1'35.814 1'53.786 11 Joshua Brookes AUS 1'35.856 1'51.638 12 Yukio Kagayama JPN 1'36.012 1'55.330 13 Giovanni Bussei ITA 1'36.016 1'55.000 14 Carmelo Morales ESP 1'36.032 9999'0.000 15 Michel Fabrizio ITA 1'36.094 1'54.298 16 Shinichi Nakatomi JPN 1'36.755 1'58.322
QUALIFYING 2 REPORT 14/04/2007 Curtain confirms his third place in qualifying Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes played it sensible today as wet weather made the track slippery and riding conditions difficult. As a result of the rain, today's lap times were slower than during the first qualifying session yesterday and therefore there were no changes from yesterday's provisional qualifying positions. Kevin will start tomorrow in third place on the grid, while Broc will start from 11th.
Data gathered during testing last month allowed both riders to be cautious and not push too much today. Not wanting to risk a crash on top of his collar bone injury, Curtain sat out this morning's free practice session. With conditions no better in the afternoon, he didn't take part in the weekend's second qualifying session either. Under championship regulations he is entitled to do this as he had already qualified within 107% of the fastest time set this weekend. And, with lap times almost 30 seconds slower than Friday, there was little risk of him being knocked off third spot.
With high chances of rain tomorrow, Parkes was keen to get a wet set-up though, so he participated in both practice and qualifying today. Athough knowing he would not be able to improve his best time from yesterday due to the weather conditions, he was keen to try and find a good set-up and get some confidence in the bike and track conditions.
Massimo Roccoli was unable to improve his qualifying position of 16th today, due to the worsening weather conditions. The Yamaha Italia rider made the most of the two sessions, though, to concentrate on improving his mental state and finding the best wet set-up.
With no change to the gird from yesterday's qualifying positions, Sofuoglu (Honda) will start in pole position and Japanese rider Fujiwara (Honda) will start in second. Curtain maintains his third start position for the race. Kevin Curtain (3rd - 1'37.885 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "Sitting out of today's sessions was hard but it was the right thing for me to do. It has given me an extra day's recovery - and on such a short term every day counts. A broken collar bone isn't a simple injury - any kind of crash at this stage could cause a lot of problems and it just wasn't worth the risk today, especially as I got such a good qualifying position yesterday.
If it rains tomorrow I will have to go out in the morning though, as I need to check my rain set-up. Tomorrow is when we will take more risks than so far this weekend - race day is what counts." Broc Parkes (11th - 1'38.681 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "It was like riding on ice out there and far too tough for us to find a good wet set-up. It was really difficult and risky with lots of people crashing - I'm just glad I wasn't one of them. I still haven't found the right race set-up though - what with the rain and my collar bone - so I will just have to go out tomorrow morning to find it out before the race."
Massimo Roccoli (16th - 1'39.016 - Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) "The fourth row is not a good position to start in - we tried to improve on this today but it was not possible with the weather conditions. I was very fast here at the Pirelli tyre test in March so I am hoping to be able to regain some of the mental and technical condition I had then for tomorrow's race. I just hope it is dry tomorrow!" Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 16 Weather: Wet 2007 WSS Valencia 14/04/2007 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Nat. QUAL I QUAL II 1 Kenan Sofuoglu TUR 1'37.521 2'5.339 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN 1'37.729 2'6.995 3 Kevin Curtain AUS 1'37.885 n/a 4 Pere Riba ESP 1'38.095 2'2.363 5 Andrew Pitt AUS 1'38.478 2'2.845 6 Fabien Foret FRA 1'38.524 2'11.158 7 Barry Veneman NED 1'38.532 2'5.999 8 Gianluca Nannelli ITA 1'38.564 2'4.356 9 Robbin Harms DNK 1'38.568 n/a 10 Joan Lascorz ESP 1'38.649 2'2.138 11 Broc Parkes AUS 1'38.681 2'8.183 12 Javier Fores ESP 1'38.734 2'4.583 13 Lorenzo Alfonsi ITA 1'38.753 2'6.852 14 Davide Giugliano ITA 1'38.915 2'0.659 15 David Salom ESP 1'39.008 n/a 16 Massimo Roccoli ITA 1'39.016 2'6.185 19 Gianluca Vizziello ITA 1'39.243 2'3.504 21 David Checa ESP 1'39.283 2'4.693 23 Sebastien Gimbert FRA 1'39.575 n/a
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Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will each have just seventeen rear tyres and fourteen fronts at their disposal throughout the four hour-long official practice sessions, 25-minute warm-up and 22-lap race. A variety of different compounds will be available, based on Michelin's assessment of the characteristics of the spectacular 5.378 kilometre track and data gathered during tests following the Grand Prix at Jerez, but the rubber manufacturers will not be allowed to alter each rider's allocation after 5pm on Thursday evening.
The battle against the clock will start on Friday morning, when the riders and their engineers will work methodically through the available tyre options and adjust their bike set-up to the best available choice. Their job will not be made any easier by the demanding nature of the circuit, which features fourteen turns - eight lefts and six rights - several of which are based on famous bends at other circuits, such as the 'Senna Esses' at Sao Paolo, the 'Spoon Curve' at Suzuka and the 'Eau Rouge' at Spa. Like Phillip Island and Laguna Seca, it also has the unusual characteristic of running anti-clockwise.
The challenge is further enhanced by dramatic changes in elevation, with the track built on four different ground levels, and the fastest corner in MotoGP - a 270km/h bend that the riders may even take with the throttle wide open in sixth gear on the new 800cc machines. That hair-raising turn eleven is followed by three ultra-slow chicanes, calling for a balanced set-up that provides front-end confidence as well as the rear-end stability required to cope with the high-speed changes of direction.
A run of six different winners from the last six MotoGP races makes this weekend's proceedings even harder to predict but both Rossi and Edwards are confident of maintaining their strong early season form. After two rounds Rossi defends a World Championship lead of nine points over Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, with Edwards another ten points further back in fourth place. The Italian's victory at Jerez was his 46th of the four-stroke MotoGP era and made him the first man to win on three different capacity machines in the premier-class; 500cc, 990cc and 800cc.
Valentino Rossi - "Putting the record straight" Istanbul Park is one of only three circuits on the current calendar where Valentino Rossi has yet to take victory in the premier-class of MotoGP, the others being Laguna Seca in the USA and Misano in Italy, which will this year host a Grand Prix for the first time since 1993. It is a figure the 28-year-old is looking to reduce as he aims for his first back-to-back victories since Mugello and Catalunya last year."
"The next two races, Turkey and China, are ones that I don't like so much and I have never won at Istanbul, but it's a great circuit with some very fast corners," says Rossi. "If the bike works well then it will be great fun I think. Last year I made an error early in the race and it cost me the chance for a podium, but I won't be making the same mistake this year! We are leading the championship but it's a long season and we have to aim to get on the podium at every race."
"The difficult thing over the next two races is going to be horsepower, because both Istanbul and Shanghai have very long straights. We tried some new things at the Jerez test to improve this and I know that Yamaha have been working very hard in Japan so hopefully we will have a little bit of improvement in this area when we get to Turkey. The other question is for the tyres, because it's the first time this season that we're going to be racing at a track that we haven't tested at. With the new restrictions it's going to be very important to make the right choices and also we don't know what the weather will do."
Colin Edwards - "We're counting on Michelin" Colin Edwards heads to Turkey brimming with confidence after his return to the podium in Spain three weeks ago. Third place at Jerez was the Texan's first rostrum finish since the Grand Prix of China almost one year ago and, after relaxing at home during the extended Easter break, Edwards is determined to make sure the team don't have to wait that long for his next visit to those hallowed steps.
"It's been good to have some time at home, relaxing and in the knowledge that we did well in Jerez," reflects Edwards. "Now it's time to get back to work and prove that wasn't a fluke by getting amongst the champagne again in Turkey. It's definitely not one of my favourite tracks and it was a really hard race for us last year, but we had a lot of problems then and things are very different this year. We know we're going to lack a bit on the straights but we also know that our bike is working pretty well and hopefully we can make up time in other parts.
"Obviously everyone's going to be talking about the tyre factor in Istanbul but we're all in the same boat. Nobody has tested there so everyone's going to have to take some risks with their tyre choices. Basically we've just got to trust Michelin - we thought we were in trouble in Jerez but they were confident they had 'the' tyre and they were right. They know what they're doing so hopefully everything will be ok!"
Davide Brivio - "Let's stay on the attack" With the Fiat Yamaha Team leading both the individual and team World Championship standings after two rounds, Team Manager Davide Brivio is backing his team to keep on the front foot in Turkey. With the long straights of Shanghai sure to provide a stern challenge for the nimble YZR-M1, Brivio has highlighted the need to get another solid pair of results in the bag before the long trip East."
"We head to Turkey looking to attack because China might be difficult for us and we may have to defend more," conceded Brivio. "Of course the big challenge for everybody this weekend is about finding a set-up quickly and making the right choice with the tyres. Istanbul has not been a good track for Yamaha and the cold conditions won't help either, but we have a team of very shrewd engineers and a fantastic relationship with Michelin so we are in a good position to make the difference."
"Even though we haven't tested at Istanbul we have gathered data at a lot of varied tracks during the winter and the bike has worked fairly well everywhere, which is crucially important when it comes to making a consistent challenge for a World Championship. It is still early in the season but the new M1 seems to have a solid base, so we'll see on the Friday what we need to work on. Both our riders are very motivated after their excellent results in Jerez so we are looking forward to another strong challenge from them this weekend."
Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 85 (59 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 176 (116 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 46 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japón, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 68 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike
Istanbul : Lap Record D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2006, 1'59.318
Istanbul : Best Lap S. Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1'52.334
Grand Prix Results: Istanbul 2006 1. M. Melandri (Honda) 41'54.065 2. C. Stoner (Honda) +0.200 3. N. Hayden (Honda) +5.458 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +6.209 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha +22.847
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