Jump to content

Yamaha Racing News

Get the latest Yamaha Racing News with the Yamaha Owners Club
Show all categories

Yamaha Motor Italia strong in first practice

Yamaha Motor Italia riders Andrew Pitt and Noriyuki Haga gave a strong showing in Friday's qualifying for this weekend's world superbike round at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, ending the day fourth and seventh after the first qualifying.
Having attended July's Pirelli test at the same venue, the squad arrived in Germany with good base settings for their YZF-R1s and spent the day working to further refine the machine performance for Sunday's two 24 lap races.
Pitt's best time of 1:38.871 was just half a second down on provisional pole sitter Troy Bayliss (Ducati), who was over a second quicker than Ruben Xaus' four year old lap record. Suzuki team-mates Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama complete the provisional front row.
The Australian was largely satisfied with his day's work. With lower temperatures and higher winds requiring a slightly different machine setting from last July's test, Pitt and his crew made subtle changes to his machine throughout the sessions. The team will make a few more changes, including revised gearing, tomorrow in a bid to give their man the best possible machine for Sunday's races.
 
Haga spent the day's two one hour sessions switching between his two machines, completing more laps than any other rider in the afternoon session. The Japanese rider has often ran with two differing specification machines on a race weekend but, with the team now certain of their best set-up, Haga worked on fine-tuning his 'spare' machine to give the same feeling as his number one bike. As always, the Japanese stuck worked on finding a good race tyre and suspension setting but still managed to set a lap time less than eight tenths of a second behind Bayliss.
Norick Abe was the leading Yamaha Motor France rider in 18th place, while team-mate and countryman Shinichi Nakatomi ended the day 26th on his competitive debut at the twisting Lausitz circuit.
 
Noriyuki Haga   
Yamaha Motor France's Sebastien Gimbert misses the Lausitz race after injuring his back in Assen last weekend, however the R1 ranks are boosted by the inclusion of last year's FIM Superstock 1000 Cup winner Didier van Keymeulen. The Belgian is entered as a wildcard on board the YZF-R1 he normally campaigns in the German championship and ended first qualifying in 22nd position.
Final practice and the grid deciding superpole session takes place tomorrow (Saturday) with the races scheduled for Sunday.
Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Not a bad day. The bike feels a little different from when we tested here, which I think could be down to the higher winds today. We've got a few things to try out for tomorrow. The bike's working well so we are just trying to make it a little easier and more consistent to ride. The rear tyre is the critical thing just now. The temperatures are lower today than when we tested and as a result we're seeing much higher wear today."
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The feeling with the bike is good but the lap time could be better, so maybe I must ride faster! I did a lot of long runs today and also did quite a lot of laps on my number two bike. We came here with a good setting and now both bikes have the same feeling, so I am happy. I have a few things to try tomorrow and I am confident that we can be in good condition before superpole."
 
Norick Abe   
Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "We still have a few things to try and make the bike better for tomorrow but overall it's not too bad. The times are all very close so if we can make a small improvement then we can make it into superpole."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "This is a very tight circuit so I am learning all the time. Normally I can expect to make an improvement for Saturday and I think that the more I learn the faster I can go."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Both riders had a good practice today. The riders are all working on finding a good race setting and they are quite happy with how it went. We will make a few small adjustments to the settings for both riders tomorrow but today we did a good job and hope to continue that tomorrow."
Circuit Length: 4265 Weather: Dry     2006 WSB Lausitzring 08/09/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'38.331 2 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'38.550 3 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'38.869 4 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'38.871 5 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'38.948 6 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'39.048 7 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'39.101 8 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'39.347 9 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'39.572 10 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'39.591 11 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'39.609 12 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'39.709 13 Steve Martin Petronas AUS 1'39.771 14 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'40.041 15 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'40.149 18 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'40.732 26 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'41.786
QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 08/09/2006 Curtain quickest in opening Lausitz practice   Kevin Curtain   
Championship leader Kevin Curtain continued his fine run of form in opening practice for Sunday's tenth round of the Supersport World Championship at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, setting the fastest time in today's first qualifying session.
The Australian Yamaha Motor Germany rider was almost seven tenths of a second quicker than second placed Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) in the 45 minute session. Johan Stigefelt and Sebastien Cherpentier (both Honda) complete the provisional front row ahead of tomorrow's final session.
Yamaha Team Italia's Gianluca Vizziello ended the day in eighth position, just three tenths of a second slower than third placed Stigefelt. Fabien Foret, standing in for the injured Broc Parkes on the second Yamaha Motor Germany machine, ended his first day on the YZF-R6 in 14th, one place ahead of Massimo Roccoli on the other Yamaha Team Italia bike.
 
Circuit Length: 4265 Weather: Dry     2006 WSS Lausitzring 08/09/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'41.167 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'41.862 3 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'42.569 4 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'42.571 5 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'42.613 6 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 1'42.706 7 Kai Borre Andersen Suzuki NOR 1'42.712 8 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'42.866 9 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'42.921 10 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'42.956 11 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 1'43.039 12 Matthieu Lagrive Honda FRA 1'43.106 13 Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 1'43.171 14 Fabien Foret Yamaha FRA 1'43.239 15 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'43.485 20 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'44.227
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi and Edwards begin set-up challenge in Sepang heat

Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards completed a hard day's work with their Yamaha YZR-M1 machines today, as preparations got underway for the Malaysian Grand Prix with two free practice sessions. Both riders were eager to test the performance of their bikes at this circuit after a positive recent test in the Czech Republic, however it quickly emerged that the setting the team found at Brno was not as well suited to this layout or track temperatures in excess of 45ºC, which put the tyres under extreme stress.
After making dramatic changes to the bike for the afternoon session, reigning World Champion Rossi was able to knock almost a full second off his time within the first six laps, giving him renewed confidence after a disappointing morning when he could only manage the eleventh fastest time. Edwards suffered similar problems but was unable to solve them in time for an assault on the top positions today. The American is hoping to find a quick solution in tomorrow morning's final free practice before qualifying takes place in the afternoon.
Last year's winner Loris Capirossi (Ducati) set the pace today, dipping under pole record time with a lap of 2'01.711. There was bad news, however, for fellow title candidate Dani Pedrosa (Honda), who suffered a knee injury in a high-speed crash this afternoon.
Valentino Rossi (6th - 2'02.970; 41 laps) "It's been a difficult first day - more so in the morning than the afternoon, which means we are working in the right way. I was confident after the Brno test, especially about the tyres and the way they are working now with our M1. Unfortunately in the conditions we have found here that setting doesn't work so well and we had a few problems with tyre life. So in the afternoon basically we adapted the setting using the data we gathered in the January tests, when I was very fast, and things improved a lot. Tomorrow we'll move even closer to that setting and I'm very confident we can make a big improvement again. Loris was very fast today and it looks like it will be a tough challenge to beat him, but we have good base data for this circuit and I'm sure we can get back to the pace I know I am capable of here."
 
Colin Edwards   
Colin Edwards (12th - 2'03.355; 41 laps) "That was a really hard day and not what we were hoping for at all. I'm pretty disappointed after the good test we had at Brno because I expected to be in good shape from the start here. I couldn't find the right set-up today and there was no way for me to ride the bike properly. We're going to have to work in a completely different direction tomorrow and try to sort the situation out before qualifying. Valentino seems to have improved by going back towards the settings from January, despite the fact that the bike we have now is very different from the one we had then, so maybe this is the way to work. We will have a think about things tonight and start again tomorrow!"
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Today everyone has had to work very hard! Both riders have been testing different things and now we have to put it all altogether to find the right package and make sure we are competitive both in tomorrow afternoon's qualifying session and Sunday's race. Valentino is very close to the top and I think with a little bit more work he can be in good shape tomorrow. Colin is struggling a little at the moment but hopefully he too can improve in the morning. Tomorrow the weather might change things but we hope that it stays dry so that we can continue to make progress."
Circuit Length: 5548 Temp: 32 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Sepang 08/09/2006 Free Practice Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 2'1.711 2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 2'2.021 3 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 2'2.563 4 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 2'2.710 5 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 2'2.918 6 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 2'2.970 7 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 2'2.981 8 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 2'3.100 9 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 2'3.171 10 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 2'3.199 11 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 2'3.248 12 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 2'3.355 13 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 2'3.418 14 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 2'3.432 15 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 2'3.706 18 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 2'5.403
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Micheluz top Yamaha in E1

Round seven of the 2006 World Enduro Championship, the GP of Slovakia held in Krompachy 380km from the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, saw Spaniard Ivan Cervantes move closer to his second Enduro 1 world championship title after the KTM rider topped the E1 class on both days in Slovakia having performed faultlessly during the weekend. Finishing 42 seconds ahead at the end of the opening day's competition Ivan upped his pace on day two and extended his wining advantage to just over one minute. In claiming two class wins Cervantes is all but assured of winning the 2006 E1 world championship crown on day one at the series' final event in France. Placing as runner-up on day one was Cervantes' KTM team-mate Italian Alessandro Belometti. With Belometti looked in a day long battle with countryman Simone Albergoni just two seconds separated the pair, in favour of Belometti, at the end of day one. On day two it was Albergoni who placed in second position to Cervantes as Belometti had to fight his way back to third from fifth having crashed on the day's second enduro test.
With UFO Corse Yamaha rider Arnau Vilanova unable to compete in Slovakia due to suffering a form of hepatitis, Italian Maurizio Micheluz was again the team's only competitor in the Enduro 1 class. Again performing consistently against more experienced WEC competitors aboard his WR250F Micheluz finished the opening day in sixth position having struggled to get on the pace early in the day. On day two, having started well, Maurizio made a small mistake during the second extreme test and after getting rope wrapped around his rear wheel lost five minutes. Placing in an eventual ninth position Maurizio finished as high as second on one special test, indicating that had it not been for his misfortune he might well have placed close to, or even on, the E1 class podium
Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) - Day 1: Sixth, Day 2: Ninth "Day one went pretty good for me. I finished in sixth position but didn't ride so well on the first three special tests, I don't know why. At the end of the day I was just three seconds behind the fifth place rider, which I was happy with after my poor start to the day. Day two started much better than day one and I was confident that I could finish fifth or better. On the second extreme test I lost five minutes when I got some rope wrapped in my rear wheel. I was extremely disappointed because after my problem I was fast enough to finish fourth and I finished in second on some special tests. This is racing and apart from that I am really happy with the way I was riding."
 
Temp: 20 Crowd: 12750 Weather: Sunny     2006 Enduro 1 Slovakia 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 41'57.650 2 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 0'42.160 3 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 0'44.520 4 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 0'50.940 5 Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 1'12.270 6 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 1'16.050 7 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 2'20.000 8 Tomi Peltola Suzuki FIN 2'59.730 9 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 3'4.970 10 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 3'8.810 11 Peter Podhorsky Yamaha SVK 7'29.510 12 Peter Katai KTM HUN 8'39.550 13 Rostislav Ondracka Husqvarna CZE 19'28.550
Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 49'5.740 2 Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 1'2.030 3 Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 1'22.220 4 Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 1'42.230 5 Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 1'50.960 6 Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 2'12.360 7 Mike Hartmann KTM GER 2'12.830 8 Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 2'21.220 9 Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 6'33.670 10 Peter Katai KTM HUN 11'9.010 11 Peter Podhorsky Yamaha SVK 15'25.940
Rider Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Ivan Cervantes KTM ESP 338 2. Simone Albergoni Honda ITA 296 3. Alessandro Belometti KTM ITA 254 4. Bartosz Oblucki Husqvarna POL 244 5. Maurizio Micheluz Yamaha ITA 222 6. Petri Pohjamo TM FIN 166 7. Mike Hartmann KTM GER 139 8. Helder Rodrigues Yamaha POR 121 9. Nicolas Deparrois Husqvarna FRA 102 10. Freddy Blanc KTM FRA 74 11. Anthony Roberts Yamaha AUS 58 12. Peter Bergvall Suzuki SWE 52 13. Shane Cuthbertson KTM CAN 49 14. Julien Gauthier Honda FRA 43 15. Frederik Georgsson KTM SWE 41 40. Arnau Vilanova Yamaha ESP 10
Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 338 2. Honda 296 3. Husqvarna 254 4. Yamaha 228 5. TM 166 6. Suzuki 90 7. Kawasaki 41 8. GasGas 23 9. Christini 19
RACE REPORT 03/09/2006 Yamaha dominates in Slovakia   Johnny and Stefan on podium   
UFO Corse Yamaha team mates Stefan Merriman and Johnny Aubert claimed a Yamaha one-two in the Enduro 2 class on day one of the GP of Slovakia as the Australian and Frenchman placed in first and second positions respectively separated by an eventual 33 seconds. With Finns Samuli Aro and Mika Ahola making it a four-way fight it was reigning class champion Aro who eventually joined Merriman and Aubert on the podium in third but the day was all about the two UFO Corse Yamaha team riders Merriman and Aubert. With Merriman having the upper hand from the start the former world champion produced his best form of the season and during the second half of the day opened up what would become an unbeatable lead.
Johnny Aubert   
On day two the same two riders placed at the head of the Enduro 2 class, but unlike on day one it was Aubert who topped the E2 class results. Winning six of the day's special tests in the E2 class and enjoying the rougher conditions Aubert placed 18 seconds ahead of his team-mate Stefan Merriman to prove himself once again in his first season of World Enduro Championship competition. With the Yamaha mounted duo finishing in first and second Finn Aro again placed in third.
Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha)- Day 1: Second, Day 2: First "It's been a great weekend for me. I am so pleased with my result, especially as the next round of the world championship is my home race in France. Day one went well but Stefan was just too fast so it wasn't possible to fight with him for the win. Day two was perfect for me. From the first enduro test I felt really good and was as fast as Stefan. I knew that I could win the day then so I pushed as hard as I could. The race was a little more technical, the tests were rougher and rutted. I seem to go better on the second day. I am really happy with my result."
Stefan Merriman   
Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha)- Day 1: First, Day 2: Second "I've had a really good weekend. The event itself was really enjoyable, the special tests were typically Slovakian and thankfully it didn't rain. It's been a more traditional world enduro event. Day one went really well. I felt good right from the start of the day and didn't make any mistakes, which enabled me to win. On day two I wasn't quite quick enough to beat my team-mate Johnny Aubert but I was still happy with the way I rode. On Sunday I rode pretty much the same as I did on day one but Johnny went faster. Of course I would have liked to have won on both days but finishing in first and second is much better than my results at the last GP in the USA."
Temp: 20 Crowd: 12750 Weather: Sunny     2006 Enduro 2 Slovakia 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 41'19.050 2 Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 0'33.090 3 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 0'37.780 4 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 0'38.770 5 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 1'14.430 6 Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 1'27.120 7 Jari Juha Mattila Honda FIN 1'54.310 8 Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 2'12.790 9 Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 2'28.100 10 Thierry Klutz Sherco BEL 2'28.300 11 Stefan Svitko KTM SVK 2'55.290 12 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 3'4.560 13 Christophe Nambotin Husqvarna FRA 3'5.440 14 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 3'6.730 15 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 3'10.520 17 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 3'36.400
Race 2 - 1 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 48'34.360 2 Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 0'18.130 3 Samuli Aro KTM FIN 0'37.430 4 Mika Ahola Honda FIN 0'43.620 5 Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 1'39.850 6 Fabien Planet KTM FRA 1'40.650 7 Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 1'48.370 8 Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 2'1.730 9 Christophe Nambotin Husqvarna FRA 2'18.870 10 Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 2'22.990 11 Jari Juha Mattila Honda FIN 2'24.220 12 Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 2'26.290 13 Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 2'37.440 14 Thierry Klutz Sherco BEL 3'13.830 15 Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 3'16.570
Rider Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Samuli Aro KTM FIN 315 2. Mika Ahola Honda FIN 283 3. Stefan Merriman Yamaha AUS 278 4. Johnny Aubert Yamaha FRA 277 5. Fabien Planet KTM FRA 202 6. Cristobal Guerrero GasGas ESP 195 7. Xavier Galindo KTM ESP 185 8. Valtteri Salonen HusaBerg FIN 134 9. Fabrizio Dini Yamaha ITA 124 10. Nicolas Paganon Husqvarna FRA 123 11. Alessandro Botturi Aprilia ITA 117 12. Euan McConnell TM GBR 84 13. Andrea Beconi Beta ITA 75 14. Paul Edmondson Honda GBR 74 15. Kurt Caselli KTM USA 66
Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 316 2. KTM 315 3. Honda 283 4. GasGas 195 5. Husqvarna 135 6. HusaBerg 134 7. Aprilia 117 8. Beta 89 9. TM 84 10. Suzuki 52 11. Sherco 50 12. Kawasaki 16
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Camel Yamaha Team look to end dramatic season on a high

One of the closest MotoGP World Championships in history heads into its final stage this weekend as the series heads out to Malaysia for the first of a five-race spell across three continents. Races at Sepang, Phillip Island (Australia), Motegi (Japan), Estoril (Portugal) and Valencia (Spain), will decide the destiny of a title which for the past five seasons has been lifted by Yamaha superstar Valentino Rossi. For the Italian to retain that honour he must turn around a 38-point deficit to current leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), although no fewer than nine riders still have the mathematical odds to take the honours.
Rossi's chances were given a huge boost at the last round three weeks ago in Brno, where a second place finish combined with ninth for Hayden saw the gap between the pair slashed by thirteen points. That race went down as the closest top-15 finish of all time in the sport, strengthening this season's reputation as one of the toughest ever and highlighting the number of points to be won and lost over the remaining five events.
Brno also witnessed Rossi's 87th appearance on the podium in the premier class and another top-three finish in Malaysia would equal Giacomo Agostini's tally of 88 - a record bettered only by Mick Doohan. Rossi has finished on the podium at Sepang for the last five years, including a memorable victory for Yamaha in 2004 and a title-clinching second place behind Loris Capirossi (Ducati) last season.
Colin Edwards says that his target for the remaining five races is to assist Rossi's title quest in any way he can whilst turning a consistent run of points-scoring finishes into at least a string of podiums. Tenth place in the last round at Brno was the 33rd successive race at which he has scored points - a MotoGP record again bettered only by Doohan on 37 - but the Texan's goal is a return to the potentially winning form he showed earlier in the season.
 
Valentino Rossi: One of my favourites Valentino Rossi is predicting a repeat of last year's tough battle with fellow Italian Loris Capirossi this weekend as he looks to get one over on his compatriot after another memorable duel between the pair at Brno. The Yamaha man cites Sepang as one of his favourite tracks and he is hopeful that recent developments with the 990cc M1 machine will make it equally inclined towards the Malaysian venue.
"As everyone knows, Sepang is one of my favourite tracks and it's always great fun to ride the M1 there," says Rossi. "We made some really good progress in Brno so hopefully everything will work well from Friday morning and we can fight at the top all weekend. Last year Loris was incredibly strong in Sepang, similar to how he was two weeks ago in Brno and I am sure that this will be the case again this time!
"This year I can't win the title in Malaysia so our aim once again is to finish on the podium and take as many points as possible in order to stay in the fight. These three races in a row are going be very important and at the end of them the championship could be much clearer. It's always hard work, with a lot of flying and time changes in a short amount of time, but we will stay focused and do the best we can!"
Colin Edwards: No looking back Colin Edwards, who lives in his hometown of Conroe, Texas, is used to long haul trips and is therefore undaunted by the demands of three 'flyaway' races in as many weekends. The 32 year old insists that thoughts of a poor run of form over the summer are now firmly behind him as he simply concentrates on a grandstand finish to his season over the final five races.
"Things really haven't gone to plan lately and I think it's fair to say that I hoped to be in a better situation going into the final run of races," admits Edwards. "But there's no point dwelling on the past - we made some positive steps at the test in Brno so we'll see if that helps. We discovered last year that what works in Brno doesn't necessarily work everywhere else but we definitely understand the bike better after that test so hopefully we will be in a better position come Friday morning in Sepang.
"I really like the Sepang track and then Phillip Island is one of my all-time favourites, so I am definitely looking forward to these races. We have two aims - one is to keep working with the team to find the best bike in order to give Valentino the tools to win the title, and the other is to get some good results and get on the podium. Having three 'flyaway' races in a row is always intense, but I am feeling ready for the challenge!"
Davide Brivio: The final push Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is asking for one final effort from his team over the next two months as they cling on to the possibility of defending the crown they have won with Rossi for the past two seasons. The complicated logistics of five races across three continents always puts a further burden on every member of staff but Brivio is confident their extra exertions will once again be rewarded by results on the track.
"After a very long and hard season, this is the start of the final 'push' for everyone and I know that the riders, the team and everyone involved will give 100% through these final two months," explains Brivio. "After Brno we did two days testing, and these were extremely important for the final few races. We tried a lot of new things and made some big steps forward with the setting and we got some very important information from our riders, which we hope will help us to remain at a competitive level until the end of the season.
"Our number one aim now is to give Valentino the means to stay in the running for the championship title, and then we will see what the situation is in Valencia. We hope that the Brno test has also given Colin plenty of confidence and we hope to see him getting some good results now and ending the season on a high. Sepang and Phillip Island especially are favourite tracks of both riders so hopefully these races will be good to us!"
Technically speaking: Sepang according to Jeremy Burgess Sepang is one of the widest tracks on the calendar, measuring 16 metres across in some areas, and always features high track temperatures in the tropical climate. Races can be won and lost due to the ability of machinery to hold a line during turn-in at several points of hard braking. With four major hairpins and some fast and frequent changes of direction in its 5542m layout, Sepang provides a stern workout for the entire bike set-up and its largely predictable, if demanding, climate makes it the ideal winter testing venue.
"With the exception of Brno we have been to some tight and fiddly tracks recently but I would call Sepang a 'real' Grand Prix circuit," explains Jeremy Burgess, Valentino Rossi's Crew Chief. "Sepang is a great test track because it has a bit of everything - from two points that are fast enough for the riders to take in sixth gear to some tight and twisty first gear corners. As far as the corners are concerned there are some you accelerate through, some you stop at, areas where you are braking from high speeds - basically every area of the bike gets a workout.
"Last year we got caught out on tyres but we put a lot of laps in during the winter tests and over the last couple of races this is an area we have focused on. A good front-end set-up is also crucial at Sepang because there are lots of points where the riders are braking at full lean, so they need full confidence to know that the front won't tuck. The heat is also an important factor and the rider must be careful not to push the tyres too early."
Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 83 (56 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 168 (109 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 42 World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 60 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike
Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005, 2'02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005, 2'01.731
2005 Malaysian Grand Prix Results: 1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 43'27.523 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, +1.999 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati, +2.069 10. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, +22.275
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Pitt shines but Haga finds gloom in Assen

It was a day of mixed emotions for the Yamaha Motor Italia team in Assen. Andrew Pitt grabbed two superb second places to move up to fourth in the championship but team-mate Noriyuki Haga dropped down to third after he failed to finish either race.
The day's first race was wet and, with little more than 15 minutes rain testing in the morning warm-up, was to prove something of a lottery that caught out all of the main title contenders.
Starting from second on the grid, Haga found himself in fourth place at the end of the first lap, behind series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and the Suzukis of Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama. Despite the conditions the racing proved close, with Haga fearless on the brakes as he took the lead for the first time on lap six. One by one Haga's rivals crashed out, leaving the Yamaha rider with an 18 second lead over team-mate Pitt in second. Unfortunately Haga also succumbed to the conditions, losing the front end on lap 13 of 22.
That left Pitt in the lead, the Australian having worked his way diligently through after ending the first lap in seventh place. The Australian had found it hard to overtake, a situation caused as much by the proliferation of yellow caution flags as the slippery surface, but finally got past Michel Fabrizio (Honda) to take the lead on lap 13.
 
Pitt rode steadily as the conditions worsened, but by lap 15 wet weather specialist Chris Walker completed his charge from the back of the grid to take the lead going into the chicane. The Englishman went on to take his first ever world championship win, while Pitt used his head to take his fourth podium finish of the season.
Race two was run in dry conditions but proved to be short for Haga. The Yamaha rider had collided with Corser coming off the line but led into the first turn, only to be knocked off by another rider. With the accident also claiming Corser and championship contender James Toseland (Honda), Bayliss led from Pitt and Kagayama. Bayliss was able to make a break and take his 10th win of the year, while Pitt rode a superb race to take a comfortable second ahead of third placed Fonsi Nieto (Kawasaki).
 
Norick Abe   
Norick Abe used all of his experience to take fifth place on his Yamaha Motor France YZF-R1 in the opening race. The Japanese rider avoided the carnage to move steadily through the pack, although he was unable to equal his best result of the season after being passed by Nieto on the final corner. Team-mate and countryman Shinichi Nakatomi gained three points for 13th place, although there was disappointment for Sebastien Gimbert on the third Yamaha France machine. He crashed out of a top 10 finish on lap 10 and was unable to make the second race due to a back injury. Abe and Nakatomi also failed to score in the second race after retiring with a lack of grip.
Bayliss now leads the championship by 100 points from Toseland, who is two points ahead of third placed Haga. Pitt's 40 point haul in the Netherlands, the highest of any rider on the day, sees him move up two places, to fourth overall, with three rounds and six races of the championship remaining.
Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "At half distance I really thought that I could have won that second race, but in the end the front tyre was gone and I had to settle for second. I'm really pleased with how its went today and I'd like to give special thanks to my team, because they worked very hard and gave me a great bike for the races. When Chris passed me in the first race I tried to stay with him but I think that I was destined to be second. Fortunately the grip is quite good here in the wet but there were a few parts that were unbelievably slippery, probably from the oil that got spilled in the morning warm-up. You just had to work out where you could push and where you couldn't and thankfully I was able to bring it home."
 
Noriyuki Haga   
Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "My pace in the first race was not so good but I was lucky that many riders crashed in front of me. In the second race I made a good start but slipped back because the grip wasn't right. I went out of the points and pulled in because it was too dangerous to continue."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "Very difficult weekend. Conditions were very hard in the first race and I was pleased to make the finish and score points. In the second race there was a problem with the rear grip, I think the suspension settings caused the tyre to wear too quickly, and I had to retire."
 
Shinichi Nakatomi   
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "A very bad day with many crashes. After crashing in the warm-up I had to ride my second bike for the first race. I had a good feeling with the bike but then I just lost the front without any warning. The second was also disappointing because I made a good start and was leading into the first corner. The next thing I knew another bike has hit me and I am out with Toseland and Corser."
Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "My back is very painful but I have been to the hospital and the scans say nothing is broken. This is good news and with the Bol d'Or endurance racing coming up soon I hope I can make a speedy recovery."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "It's been a mixed day for us in Assen. For Nori it's been a bad day, losing 25 points in the first race and then getting knocked off in the second. Andrew, however, rode two fantastic races. He scored more points than anyone else and has moved up two places in the championship, so this is a good result for him. His points have also moved Yamaha up to second in the constructor's championship. This is also important because it proves to us that we have a very good bike and that the team is working in the right way. Now we've got to go to Lausitzring next weekend. We had a good test there recently and we're looking forward to going back."
Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "It's been a crazy day because it stared out well and finished bad. The biggest problem is Gimbert's injury. Nothing is broken but he will not make the Lausitz race because the most important thing for him is the Bol d'Or. Abe made a very nice race in the first but it was a bad choice of tyre in race two. The tyre is completely destroyed, and I have never seen anything like it. He used the 200, but Nakatomi used the smaller one and had basically the same problem. So we had a soft tyre and hard tyre and both had a problem. Maybe we did not adjust the suspension properly for the conditions."
Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 22 Crowd: 61000 Weather: Changeable     2006 WSB Assen 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 44'23.501 2 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'4.965 3 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'24.130 4 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'36.968 5 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 0'37.178 6 Max Neukirchner Suzuki GER 0'37.324 7 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'40.930 8 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 0'41.857 9 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'53.382 10 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'55.869 11 Ivan Clementi Ducati ITA 1'39.835 12 Steve Martin Petronas AUS 1'59.724 13 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN -1 Laps 14 Harry van Beek Suzuki NED -1 Laps 15 Vittorio Iannuzzo Suzuki ITA -5 Laps
Race 2 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 40'0.000 2 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'9.342 3 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'11.648 4 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'12.743 5 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'12.811 6 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'19.845 7 Alex Barros Honda BRA 0'29.241 8 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'34.085 9 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'42.113 10 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'51.815 11 Steve Martin Petronas AUS 0'53.608 12 Roberto Rolfo Ducati ITA 0'56.132 13 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 0'57.168 14 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'1.056 15 Joshua Brookes Kawasaki AUS 1'34.429
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'40.767
 Rider Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 332 2. James Toseland Honda GBR 232 3. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 230 4. Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 197 5. Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 193 6. Alex Barros Honda BRA 175 7. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 139 8. Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 123 9. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 115 10. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 112 11. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 109 12. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 95 13. Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 88 14. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 80 15. Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 76 17. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 32 20. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 18
Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 351 2. Yamaha 299 3. Honda 292 4. Suzuki 282 5. Kawasaki 181 6. Petronas 13
RACE REPORT 03/09/2006 Curtain takes championship lead in Assen   Kevin Curtain   
Kevin Curtain did a professional job in difficult conditions to take second place and the championship lead at Assen today, although there was disappointment for his Yamaha Motor Germany squad as team-mate Broc Parkes suffered serious injury after crashing.
The experienced Australian finished second in each leg of the two-part race to pull out a seven point lead over defending world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). Charpentier took the chequered flag 'on the road' but finished fourth on aggregate time.
In wet conditions it was Curtain's team-mate Broc Parkes who took the lead and quickly pulled away. The Australian had hoped a good result would put him right in contention for the title after winning last time out in Brands Hatch but his day ended on lap three when he suffered a huge crash. The rider lost the rear of his machine and tumbled spectacularly into the gravel. Parkes was taken to hospital where the initial diagnosis suggests he has suffered three broken ribs, a punctured lung and an injured shoulder.
With Parkes out, Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu built up a big lead while Curtain slotted into a five rider battle for second. The Yamaha rider was battling with Kai Borre Andersen (Suzuki) when the red flags were brought out on lap 10 to allow medical staff to attend to an injured rider. Charpentier took the flag in a relatively incident-free second part, with Curtain and Sofuoglu content to ride sensibly and finish second and third on the road. Sofuoglu took the win, his first of the season, on aggregate time, with Curtain second, Andersen third and Charpentier fourth.
Curtain now leads the championship on 151 points to Charpentier's 144, with three races remaining. Parkes stays third, on 119.
Yamaha's other supersport riders faced mixed results in Assen. Yamaha Team Italia riders Gianluca Vizziello and Massimo Roccoli brought their YZF-R6s home in seventh and eighth places respectively, while Yamaha GMT94's David Checa ran strongly until being sidelined with an electrical problem in the second part of the race.
Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "It was important to come here and get a good result for the championship. It's a shame for us that the race was wet, because we worked really hard all weekend to find a great set-up for the dry conditions. It was important not to throw it down the road and we can go to Lausitz in good spirits. I'm a lot more confident going to Lausitz than I was coming here, because we've tested there and have good settings while Assen was completely new to us with this bike."
Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia) "I'm happy with the result today and felt confident because I normally go quite well in the rain and had a good rhythm in the practice. It's important to have a good end to the season, to remain in the top 10 of the championship and to build up my confidence for next season."
Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) "I felt a lot better in the second part of the race as I learned a lot about how to ride this track in the wet conditions. With Tibero and Harms crashing I thought about the championship and rode for the points. I'm satisfied because I am not normally strong in the wet but have scored some good points today."
Terrell Thien (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor Germany) "When Broc was in the lead everything was looking OK but in the crash he had a bad head knock and other internal injuries. It is strange because it is great for Kevin to be leading the championship but tonight I my feelings are mixed, on one hand I am happy for Kevin but very sad for Broc."
Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 22 Crowd: 61000
  2006 WSS Assen 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 21 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 41'49.124 2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 0'4.581 3 Kai Borre Andersen Suzuki NOR 0'9.241 4 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 0'9.489 5 Arie Vos Honda NED 0'29.994 6 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'31.858 7 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 0'54.312 8 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'56.085 9 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'9.735 10 Stuart Easton Ducati GBR 1'13.899 11 Maxime Berger Kawasaki FRA 1'21.451 12 Sebastien Le Grelle Honda BEL 1'26.458 13 Alessio Velini Yamaha ITA 1'32.137 14 Vesa Kallio Yamaha FIN 1'37.377 15 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 1'45.357
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'55.516
 Rider Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 151 2. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 144 3. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 119 4. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 94 5. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 92 6. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 86 7. Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 67 8. Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 57 9. Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 49 10. Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 46 11. David Checa Yamaha ESP 29 12. Simone Sanna Honda ITA 27 13. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 22 14. Joshua Brookes Ducati AUS 21 15. Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 21
Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 202 2. Yamaha 188 3. Ducati 54 4. Kawasaki 49 5. Suzuki 28
RACE REPORT 03/09/2006 Corti takes second 1000cc win at Assen   Claudio Corti   
Yamaha Team Italia youngster Claudio Corti took his second FIM Superstock 1000 Cup win of the season in a thrilling Assen race.
The Italian had looked strong all weekend, placing his Yamaha YZF-R1 SP second on the grid and riding an intelligent race to fend off the challenge of British superstock champion Brendon Roberts (Suzuki). The pair enjoyed a fascinating battle which was settled once and for all when Roberts braked too late trying to make a pass as they went into the final chicane for the last time. Corti's win sees him close in on the top three of the championship. The Italian remains fourth in the standings but is now 17 points from third placed Luca Scassa (MV Agusta) with three races remaining. Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) finished third to extend his championship lead to 22 points over non-finishing pole sitter Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta). Former European supersport champion Matteo Baiocco finished fourth on another Yamaha.
Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) "I am especially happy because I did not make a good start today. I was able to recover quickly though and when I got into the lead I had a good feeling that I could win. I knew that Roberts would try to pass at the last corner so I was aware of him and waiting for his mistake. It's a good result and now I will push hard and try to finish in the top three of the championship."
Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 22 Crowd: 61000 Weather: Dry     2006 Superstock Assen 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 13 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 22'58.130 2 Brendan Roberts Suzuki AUS 0'3.461 3 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 0'5.718 4 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'6.094 5 Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 0'7.397 6 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 0'7.623 7 Gilles Boccolini Kawasaki ITA 0'8.007 8 Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 0'8.557 9 Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 0'8.596 10 David Johnson Yamaha AUS 0'10.275 11 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 0'16.091 12 Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 0'16.188 13 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 0'16.396 14 Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 0'17.802 15 Herve Gantner Yamaha CHE 0'24.357
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 1'44.800
 Rider Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 131 2. Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 109 3. Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 107 4. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 90 5. Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 65 6. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 51 7. Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 45 8. Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 43 9. Brendan Roberts Suzuki AUS 42 10. Richard Cooper Honda GBR 34 11. Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 30 12. Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 29 13. Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 27 14. Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 24 15. Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 23
Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 144 2. MV Agusta 129 3. Yamaha 108 4. Kawasaki 78 5. Honda 35
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Historic 100 reached by Everts at Lierop

The Grand Prix of the Netherlands marked another important chapter in a truly memorable season for Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team's Stefan Everts as the 2006 World Champion dominated both motos in the Lierop sand for his 100th career success and his thirteenth triumph from fourteen rounds on the YZ450FM in the 2006 campaign.
The penultimate meeting of the year occurred under dark clouds that freely dispensed rain all day over the Lierop circuit. 33,135 spectators gathered to watch the hardest GP of the term so far for the MX1 and MX2 riders. The sand quickly cut into a path of bumps, ruts and heavy, rough sections that tested the machines as much as the endurance and fitness of the riders.
Everts claimed his eighth pole position of the season yesterday with a lap-time almost a second quicker than fellow countryman Steve Ramon as Belgian riders filled the top four positions on the leader-board.
The 33 year old started well and was in second place negotiating the first corner behind Josh Coppins. By the fourth turn the World Champion was ahead and embarked on a trouble-free ride. He had to remain alert cutting through backmarkers that he lapped up to 7th position and the 41 second winning advantage at the flag was a clear indication of the dominance Everts enjoyed in his self-confessed 'playground'. The victory was his 24th moto success in 2006.
 
In race two he delivered a repeat performance and was a class apart of the MX1 flock as he again pulled away from his Honda rival. 25 motos from 28 this year were duly confirmed and Everts danced and punched the air at reaching his phenomenal goal of 100 victories; 43 more than the next most successful rider Joel Smets and clinched in an 18 year career stretching back to 1989.
Cédric Melotte attempted to ride this week but the bruising on his right foot as a consequence of three broken toes meant that pushing the Yamaha was still too painful for the Belgian. He should return to action next week in the Belgian Championship and be fit to ride at Ernee.
Everts has already wrapped up the 2006 campaign but extended his point margin over Kevin Strijbos to 198. Melotte is tenth after his second non-start in a week.
The fifteenth and final round of the World Championship will take place in two weeks time for the Grand Prix of France at the Ernee circuit, less than 100km west of Le Mans.
Stefan on the podium   
Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "There is not much left to win now, maybe just the Motocross of Nations! This has been a tough little period for me. Mentally I have been a bit 'done' and physically it has been hard. Last week was a hard race; Josh said that the riders can learn from me physically but he was very strong in Ireland also so he is right there also. Anyway, it has been a long way to this 100th GP win. I started in 1989 and now we are in 2006, so that is eighteen years to try and win 100 GPs; it has been a long road. Counting from one to ten in terms of titles can take some time, but one to one hundred is something else. I am so, so happy, thanks to everyone who has supported me."
Cedric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "Only fifteen days after the crash the toes on my foot had recovered but there was a large bruise on the bottom of my foot and it was difficult to put a lot of weight on my leg so this race came too soon for me. I am able to cycle and the whole injury is getting better so I hope to be back to a good level by the time of Ernee."
Carlo Rinaldi, Racing Manager, Yamaha Intur Sport Motocross Team: "We have run out of objectives for this season! Stefan's achievement was unbelievable and the way he won today was excellent; he was riding far above the level of the others. Mentally and physically he is a little bit exhausted but his skill on the sand allowed him to win today. He dominated both motos and was just perfect all day."
Circuit Length: 1875 Temp: 20 Crowd: 33135 Weather: Wet     2006 GP of Lierop, The Netherlands 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 40'57.876 2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'43.152 3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 1'32.032 4 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 1'37.711 5 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 1'40.262 6 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'41.951 7 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 1'47.567 8 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL -1 Laps 9 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP -1 Laps 10 Marcus Norlen Suzuki SWE -1 Laps 11 Kristof Salaets Yamaha BEL -1 Laps 12 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL -1 Laps 13 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA -1 Laps 14 Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN -1 Laps 15 Lauris Freibergs Suzuki LVA -1 Laps 16 Clement Desalle  Suzuki BEL -1 Laps 17 Anne Advokaat Honda NED -1 Laps 18 Johnny Lindhe KTM SWE -1 Laps 19 James Noble Honda GBR -1 Laps 20 Aigar Bobkovs Honda LVA -1 Laps
Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 40'20.984 2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'36.728 3 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 0'55.438 4 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 2'7.398 5 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 2'36.900 6 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL -1 Laps 7 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA -1 Laps 8 Lauris Freibergs Suzuki LVA -1 Laps 9 Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN -1 Laps 10 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED -1 Laps 11 Mark Jones Honda GBR -1 Laps 12 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL -1 Laps 13 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL -1 Laps 14 Marcus Norlen Suzuki SWE -1 Laps 15 Clement Desalle  Suzuki BEL -1 Laps 16 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA -1 Laps 17 Mike Kras Suzuki NED -1 Laps 18 Kristof Salaets Yamaha BEL -1 Laps 19 James Noble Honda GBR -2 Laps 20 Johnny Lindhe KTM SWE -2 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 2'9.699
 Rider Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 689 2. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 491 3. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 454 4. Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 434 5. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 405 6. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 338 7. Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 293 8. Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 267 9. Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 247 10. Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 224 11. James Noble Honda GBR 202 12. Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 196 13. Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 167 14. Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 161 15. Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 153 16. Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 146 17. Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 131 18. Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 120 19. Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 102 20. Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 99
Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 689 2. Suzuki 561 3. Honda 538 4. Kawasaki 420 5. KTM 416 6. TM 161
RACE REPORT 03/09/2006 Cairoli still defending his crown   Tony Cairoli   
World Champion Antonio Cairoli finished as runner-up overall in a soaked MX2 Grand Prix of attrition and mere survival at Lierop. The Italian gained results of first and third for his third consecutive podium at the penultimate round of the series.
Cairoli - who has sweet memories of the Lierop sand after his World Championship celebrations one year ago - initially led the opening moto but was pursued by David Philippaerts and had to let his countryman through to set the pace. Approaching the final stages of the moto Philippaerts crashed and slipped back to fourth place (before another spill dropped him further down the classification) giving the Sicilian a reasonably clear track to seal his 10th moto of the season.
In the second race a bad start immediately ruled out a second victory as Pourcel drew clear at the front ahead of Rattray, and Cairoli had to beat a path to third; a job made easier once he had disposed of Rui Goncalves. It meant the five points gained on Pourcel from Moto1 were conceded before the end of the afternoon.
Billy MacKenzie   
The Yamaha Team Ricci packed up early after their sole rider Kenneth Gundersen fell out of a top ten position in the first moto and hurt his right shoulder. The early diagnosis estimates no broken bones but the luckless Norwegian will have a further examination tomorrow and only then will he be informed as to the likelihood of being able to ride at Ernee. Davide Guarneri was in no condition to compete and Alessio Chiodi elected to miss the Grand Prix with a still painful broken finger.
With one round remaining Cairoli has a mathematical chance of defending his crown. 50 points have still to be won and the De Carli racer trails Pourcel by 28. Billy Mackenzie is the next highest Yamaha rider in eleventh and dropped three places with a double DNF today.
The trip to Ernee and the French Grand Prix will provide the MX2 competitors with their final outing of the season in two weeks time. The Motocross of Nations in which Cairoli, Gundersen and Mackenzie will represent their countries takes place immediately after the Gallic meeting.
Antonio Cairoli   
Antonio Cairoli, Team Yamaha De Carli: "Christophe is a very good rider and has been consistent this season; this for the Championship is very important. This year I have lost a lot of points in three or four heats and I am far behind him now. I just want to win in France and I won't be thinking about the Championship because it is too hard. In the first moto I started well but Philippaerts was going very fast. I know that my physical condition is good and if I didn't make any mistakes I would be in contention for the win. David made two mistakes and I was ready to take the heat. I was really happy to win at this track because last year I took the world title here and this is always a big race for me. In the second race I was braking too late for the first corner and went wide. I got caught in the middle of the group in the second turn and then it was very hard to close down the gap."
Circuit Length: 1875 Temp: 20 Crowd: 33135 Weather: Wet     2006 GP of Lierop, The Netherlands 03/09/2006 Race 1 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 40'53.916 2 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 0'16.401 3 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'31.286 4 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 0'57.200 5 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 0'58.845 6 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1'0.295 7 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1'21.844 8 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 1'33.696 9 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 1'41.615 10 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'46.024 11 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'49.922 12 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'55.204 13 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 2'1.008 14 Rob van Vijfeijken Yamaha NED 2'3.608 15 Dennis Verbruggen Yamaha NED 2'18.009 16 Wayne Smith Honda GBR -1 Laps 17 Xavier Boog Yamaha FRA -1 Laps 18 Nick Tuin Yamaha NED -1 Laps 19 Johan Carlsson Yamaha SWE -1 Laps 20 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA -1 Laps
Race 2 - 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 40'43.318 2 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 0'21.464 3 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 0'40.615 4 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'59.948 5 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 1'13.800 6 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 1'18.715 7 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 1'21.487 8 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'35.252 9 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'43.760 10 Dennis Verbruggen Yamaha NED 1'58.452 11 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 2'12.457 12 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 2'22.505 13 Rob van Vijfeijken Yamaha NED 2'26.282 14 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA -1 Laps 15 Johan Carlsson Yamaha SWE -1 Laps 16 Nicolas Aubin Kawasaki FRA -1 Laps 17 Nick Tuin Yamaha NED -1 Laps 18 Gregory Aranda Kawasaki FRA -1 Laps 19 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR -1 Laps 20 Wayne Smith Honda GBR -1 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time David Philippaerts KTM ITA 2'9.633
 Rider Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 541 2. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 513 3. Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 446 4. David Philippaerts KTM ITA 440 5. Marc De Reuver KTM NED 373 6. Carl Nunn KTM GBR 343 7. Rui Goncalves KTM POR 300 8. Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 296 9. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 291 10. Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 286 11. Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 281 12. Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 215 13. Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 211 14. Manuel Monni KTM ITA 183 15. Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 153 16. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 149 17. Matti Seistola Honda FIN 141 18. Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 106 19. Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 97 20. Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 94 43. Matteo Bonini Yamaha ITA 7
Manufacturer Standings 03/09/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 640 2. Yamaha 607 3. Kawasaki 566 4. Honda 232 5. Suzuki 22
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Haga and Pitt make superpole improvements

Noriyuki Haga grabbed his third consecutive front row start after taking second place in today's grid deciding superpole session at Assen.
The Yamaha Motor Italia star put in his fastest lap of the weekend on his superpole lap, boosting him up three places from his position at the end of regular qualifying.
As always, Haga spent the day's two hour-long sessions working on finding a good set-up for tomorrow's 22-lap races. With his mechanics he was able to solve the tyre chatter problems that plagued him in Friday's practice and qualifying sessions. Team-mate Pitt was the biggest winner in superpole, elevating himself from 13th to eighth after setting his quickest lap of the weekend. The Australian has struggled to find a good set-up for the restyled Assen circuit this weekend, but finally made big progress in the afternoon's free practice session.
Yamaha Motor France's trio of riders were typically close in qualifying, with just three-tenths of a second separating them after the two one hour sessions. Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert was the fastest of the three. He qualifyed for superpole in 12th place but was marginally slower on his grid deciding lap, pushing him back to 15th position on tomorrow's grid. Team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi will line up alongside Gimbert after making the cut for superpole on his Dutch debut. The former Japanese 250cc champion cut over two seconds from his Friday time as his knowledge of the circuit improved although, like Gimbert, he was unable to up his pace on the sticky superpole tyre and was unable to advance up the grid. Norick Abe just missed the cut on the third Yamaha Motor France-entered YZF-R1 and will start from 18th position.
 
Pole position for tomorrow's race goes to defending champion Troy Corser (Suzuki), with Haga, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) and series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) completing the front row. Weather forecasts suggest a high chance of rain showers throughout the day, which could affect the races on a weekend when all track time has been in dry conditions.
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We made some big improvements today and the feeling with the suspension is now very good. For tomorrow we will make some final changes and finish testing some tyres. If it rains then that will also change the situation. Anyway, it is important to make a good start here so I am happy to be on the front row. We'll try to make the extra changes and then we must see what happens tomorrow."
Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We found a little problem with the bike and were able to make the bike better and more consistent. I was third fastest on the race tyre and although my superpole lap felt pretty good it was close but not close enough. Tomorrow's race is going to be tough and the last few laps are sure to be interesting!"
Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "We have done a good job today although I was a little disappointed to lose some places on my superpole lap. I think that we're in good shape for the races and I hope we can get some good results."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I was very pleased to make such a big improvement today. We made a few changes but mostly the improvement was down to me learning the track better. I'm looking forward to the races tomorrow and hope that we can get some good points in both races."
Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "We've been working step-by-step to improve the bike and get the bike set up for the races. There is a very grippy surface here and we haven't had the same lack of traction that we've had at the last few races, it's just a case of making some small improvements. I know that there is a chance of rain tomorrow but I really hope that it stays dry."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Both the riders did an improvment today and there are still some things to try for tomorrow and will do some more tests with the tyres. I'm quite positive tonight but we have to wait until tomorrow as it may be wet. We want it to be dry because you just never know what will happen in wet."
Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 20 Weather: Dry     2006 WSB Assen 02/09/2006 Superpole Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'38.965 2 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'39.009 3 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'39.176 4 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'39.304 5 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'39.419 6 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'39.543 7 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'39.565 8 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'39.758 9 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'39.958 10 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'40.149 11 Steve Martin Petronas AUS 1'40.251 12 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'40.264 13 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'40.388 14 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'40.503 15 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'40.585 16 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'40.742
Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'40.171 2 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'40.191 3 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'40.242 4 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'40.380 5 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'40.397 6 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'40.415 7 Steve Martin Petronas AUS 1'40.458 8 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'40.467 9 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'40.518 10 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'40.534 11 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'40.567 12 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'40.612 13 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'40.671 14 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'40.746 15 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'40.837
QUALIFYING 2 REPORT 02/09/2006 Curtain and Parkes on the front row despite crashes   Kevin Curtain   
Yamaha Motor Germany duo Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes will start tomorrow's ninth round of the Supersport World Championship from the front row, despite suffering a crash each in this afternoon's final qualifying session.
Joint championship leader Curtain crashed his YZF-R6 immediately after setting the best time of the afternoon, a 1:42.056, with around five minutes of the session remaining. The 40-year-old was set to further improve his lap when he pushed too hard and lost front end grip going into the first corner. The incident meant he was unable to wrestle the pole position from his championship rival Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), who denied Yamaha a fourth successive pole position in the class with his time from Friday.
Earlier in the session Parkes had set his best lap of 1:42.170, only to miss the final 15 minutes of the session after crashing spectacularly next time around. The Australian escaped injury in the crash although his machine was badly damaged after flying through the air spectacularly.
Yamaha Team Italia's Vizziello and Massimo Roccoli will start on the third row after ending qualifying in 10th and 11th places respectively, while Yamaha GMT94's David Checa was unable to improve on his Friday time and slipped back to 14th on the final grid.
Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 22 Weather: Dry     2006 WSS Assen 02/09/2006 Qualifying 2 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'41.906 2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'42.056 3 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'42.170 4 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 1'42.320 5 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'42.388 6 Kai Borre Andersen Suzuki NOR 1'42.554 7 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'42.554 8 Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 1'42.759 9 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'42.869 10 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'42.894 11 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'42.933 12 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'43.002 13 Arie Vos Honda NED 1'43.057 14 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'43.077 15 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 1'43.087
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Pitt and Haga in the top 10 at Assen

Yamaha Motor Italia's Andrew Pitt ended today's first qualifying session in sixth position on his first acquaintance with the remodeled Assen circuit in the Netherlands, with team-mate Noriyuki Haga just behind in ninth.
As usual, the Australian spent the day's two sessions working on a race setting for Sunday's two 22-lap races, spending most of his time circulating with used tyres and heavy fuel loads. The Misano race winner put on a new set of rubber on his last stint to find a one-second improvement in his lap time. His 1:40.474 places him just over a second behind fastest man Troy Bayliss (Ducati). 
The Assen track has been radically remodeled since the superbike series visited last September, with a shorter circuit making lap times around 25 seconds less than on the previous incarnation - much to the displeasure of many riders who miss the fast and flowing opening section of the old track.
Haga remained unfussed with the new layout, spending the entire session on a single set of tyres to simulate a full race distance. The Japanese star was generally happy with his day's work but will work with his technicians in a bid to solve a tyre chatter problem and find some additional traction from his machine. Despite concentrating on race trim, Haga ended the session just a few tenths of a second behind his team-mate Pitt finishing the session in ninth place.
 
Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert led the Yamaha Motor France trio, setting the 16th fastest time on has YZF-R1. Team-mate Norick Abe was the fastest rider through the speed trap, recording a top speed of 278 kph. Despite the obvious speed of his Yamaha, the former MotoGP rider struggled to find an ideal set-up for the twisting circuit, ending the session in 18th. Yamaha Motor France's third rider, Shinichi Nakatomi, was 25th fastest on his first visit to the legendary circuit. He spent the two hours track time learning the layout of the circuit and hopes to cut his lap time significantly in tomorrow morning's second qualifying session.  
Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I struggled for most of the session but we changed the balance of the bike at the end and found a big improvement. We tried to get through as much as we could today, just in case it rains tomorrow, and it was hard work. In the end I improved my lap time by a second at the end, although it didn't feel that fast when I was out there. We still need to work on the set-up for the race though, although I think we've found the tyre to use in the race. It's a shame that they've changed the circuit because the bit that's been taken out was my favourite part. The new section is not really a problem, though, as it is so slow that you can probably run anything through there, it's the rest of the circuit where I still have a few problems."
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Not so bad. It's a new circuit now so it was important to learn the layout. The new part is slower not a problem for me, but we have a bit of chatter and I would like some more rear traction. We'll change some settings for tomorrow and I think that this will be a solution. I hope so, but as always we must just wait and see what tomorrow brings."
Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "It's been a busy time recently as I have been testing at Magny Cours for the Bol d'Or. I'm quite confident for this weekend. Already the feeling with the bike is good and I think that we will be able to have a good weekend here."
Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "I'm looking to improve on 19th place tomorrow and I think that if we can make some improvements to the settings then we can challenge for superpole tomorrow."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "After a month's break in Japan my wife and family are with me in Europe for the first time, which is very nice. Today I had to learn the Assen track, as I have never been here before, so I am confident that I can make some improvements to my time tomorrow."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "The settings for both riders were not the best today but they are in the top ten and making progress. Nori worked on his race setting and only used one set of tyres in the qualifying session, while Andrew had found it hard until the end, when he put a different tyre in and made a big improvement. It is only Friday so we must see what happens tomorrow."
Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 24 Weather: Dry     2006 WSB Assen 01/09/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'39.336 2 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 1'39.888 3 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 1'40.171 4 James Toseland Honda GBR 1'40.242 5 Alex Barros Honda BRA 1'40.415 6 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 1'40.474 7 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1'40.567 8 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 1'40.581 9 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'40.612 10 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 1'40.746 11 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 1'40.796 12 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 1'40.837 13 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 1'40.848 14 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1'41.001 15 Pierfrancesco Chili Honda ITA 1'41.034 16 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1'41.104 18 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 1'41.661 25 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 1'42.787
QUALIFYING 1 REPORT 01/09/2006 Parkes second fastest in Assen opener   Broc Parkes   
Yamaha Motor Germany's Broc Parkes set the second fastest time in today's first qualifying session for Sunday's ninth round of the Supersport World Championship in Assen.
The Australian, winner last time out in Brands Hatch, was just four tenths of a second behind the day's fastest rider, defending world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), around the revised Dutch circuit. Joining the two championship front runners on the provisional front row are Suzuki riders Kai Borre Andersen and Barry Veneman.
Parkes' team-mate Kevin Curtain, joint championship leader with Charpentier, ended the day ninth as he tried various settings on his YZF-R6. One place ahead of Curtain is Yamaha GMT94's David Checa with Yamaha Team Italia's Gianluca Vizziello and Massimo Roccoli in 11th and 13th places respectively.
Circuit Length: 4555 Temp: 19 Weather: Dry     2006 WSS Assen 01/09/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 1'41.906 2 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 1'42.327 3 Kai Borre Andersen Suzuki NOR 1'42.554 4 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 1'42.554 5 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 1'43.035 6 Arie Vos Honda NED 1'43.057 7 David Checa Yamaha ESP 1'43.077 8 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'43.112 9 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 1'43.285 10 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 1'43.385 11 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1'43.560 12 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1'43.611 13 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'43.767 14 Maxime Berger Kawasaki FRA 1'43.855 15 Julien Enjolras Yamaha FRA 1'44.121
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Superbike World Championship preview: round nine - Assen

After a break of almost a month the Superbike World Championship enters its hectic final leg with round nine of the series at Assen in the Netherlands this weekend. With four rounds over the next six weekends it promises to be a busy time for the teams and riders in what has been a thrilling championship so far. One man who can surely be expected to be in the thick of the action is Yamaha Motor Italia's Noriyuki Haga, who is the closest rival to series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati). The Japanese star gave his best form of the season last time out in Brands Hatch, winning the day's second race, and consolidating his second place in the championship. Haga rates Assen as one of his favourite circuits although, like his rivals, he has yet to experience the shortened circuit that awaits him this season. Previously boasting the longest lap time on the superbike calendar, the entire northern loop section has been removed to make way for a new car park and improved spectator facilities. The circuit now measures 4.55km, compared to 6km of the previous incarnation. Many riders have expressed their disappointment at the emancipated layout but the real winners will be the trackside spectators, who will experience 22 laps of superbike action, rather than the 16 laps of previous years. "Assen has always been one of my favourite circuits and I have had some good results there before," explains Haga. "I know that they have changed the track quite a bit but it does not bother me at all - the track is the same for all the riders and we must just go out and ride it. At Brands Hatch everything was good. Only a small problem with the bike stopped me from pushing as hard as I would have liked in the last laps of the first race, but otherwise the bike was perfect.
 
"I'm not thinking about the championship and I just want to go out and win as many races as possible. It was a great feeling to win again in Brands Hatch and since then I have had a holiday back home in Japan. It was good to relax and spend some time with my family and I'm feeling in good shape for the last part of the season." Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt was the rider of the day at Brands Hatch for many people. The Australian recovered from two bad starts to charge through the field and finish fourth and third in the races. If the former supersport world champion can get off the line better in Assen then there is little doubt he will be in contention at the Dutch round. Pitt currently lies sixth in the championship but, with former MotoGP winner Alex Barros (Honda) just nine points ahead of him in fifth place, his target for Assen is to add to his three podium finishes this year and move up the leaderboard. While Haga faces an uphill struggle to claw back the early-season advantage of Bayliss, the 2006 Supersport World Championship looks like going right down to the wire. Kevin Curtain heads to the Netherlands on equal points to defending world champion Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) with his Yamaha Motor Germany team-mate Broc Parkes also well in contention for the championship. Yamaha's third-generation YZF-R6 has flourished over the second part of the season, taking pole position and the win at each of the last three races, in the hands of Curtain, Parkes and Yamaha Team Italia's Massimo Roccoli, the winner in Misano. "It's back in our own hands now," says Curtain. "We were working on developing the bike at the beginning of the season and then had a few races where we ran into a bit of bad luck. We're working together much better as a team and our understanding the bike improves at every race. I've always maintained that the championship wouldn't be decided over the first half of the season and here we are going into the last four races with everything to play for."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Everts denied 100th win but manufacturer's crown secured

Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team's Stefan Everts was beaten for the first time this season after a thrilling contest against Josh Coppins at Desert Martin for the Grand Prix of Northern Ireland.
The Belgian was forced onto the second step after accumulating a 100% perfect winning streak of twelve rounds in succession when he lost a second race duel with Coppins. He had earlier taken his 22nd consecutive moto triumph by capturing the opening foray from the New Zealander and this haul of 25 points contributed towards the confirmation of Yamaha's ownership of the Manufacturer's title in MX1 with the YZ450FM.
The powdery soil at the venue some 60 kilometres west of Belfast became increasingly rough after a day of practice and qualification. Quick, undulating and technical the layout demanded complete concentration but also offered several racing lines for some interesting and intense action.
For only the second time this year the 35 minute and 2 lap Grand Prix motos encountered rainy conditions as brief showers scattered the scenic Irish landscape. Everts was too busy to notice the spurts of light rain as he faced his hardest challenge since the Portuguese round in April during Moto1. Coppins harried the World Champion for the duration of the sprint and the duo were only separated by more than a second when they had to negotiate backmarkers. It was entertaining fare but Coppins only really showed his front wheel to the Belgian in anger on several occasions, an overtaking move would have been another feat altogether.
 
Everts started the second moto in a similar vein but Coppins was a renewed force and a fantastic race between the rivals with numerous lead changes occurred. They lapped all of the riders up to 3rd position but in the closing stages Everts had to concede the moto, and the Grand Prix, to the determined Kiwi who extended his lead throughout the last ten minutes.
Everts has already claimed the 2006 campaign with an emotional victory three weeks ago at Namur. He heads the standings by 181 points from fellow Belgians Kevin Strijbos and Steve Ramon.
Cédric Melotte was absent in Desert Martin after breaking three toes on his right foot last week in a Belgian Championship event. The 28 year old is hoping to be back in action for the following race at Lierop taking place next weekend for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands; the fourteenth and penultimate round of the Championship. 
Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sport Motocross Team: "It has been a tough race today. The track was hard. The first race was exciting and in the second Josh was so fast. At one point I could not stay with him anymore and physically I was finished. I think that we had the same speed but he was a bit stronger so I decided to go for a safe second towards the end. I am happy for Josh, he has been working hard for this. Of course I am a bit disappointed to lose but I still have two more chances to reach 100."
Carlo Rinaldi, Racing Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "It has been a long time since we have lost and this was a situation we were very used to! Second place overall is by no means a bad result and our moto classifications were the same as Josh's, but he deserved to win because in the second race he seemed more physically prepared than Stefan. Towards the end of the second moto Stefan struggled to keep the rhythm. It is a pity because we very much wanted to take the 100th win this weekend but I hope it is only delayed by one week or maximum to Ernee. In the meantime we have won the manufacturer's title which is important for Yamaha. It is possible that Cédric will be back next week, we should know by tomorrow."
Temp: 18 Crowd: 18243 Weather: Changeable     2006 GP of Desert Martin, Ireland 27/08/2006 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 40'50.848 2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'0.722 3 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'58.605 4 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'9.286 5 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 1'27.028 6 Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN 1'51.475 7 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 1'59.467 8 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 2'1.314 9 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 2'2.284 10 Christian Beggi Honda ITA 2'5.783 11 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL -1 Laps 12 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST -1 Laps 13 Kristof Salaets Yamaha BEL -1 Laps 14 Wayne Smith Honda RSA -1 Laps 15 Mark Jones Honda GBR -1 Laps 16 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA -1 Laps 17 Neville Bradshaw Suzuki RSA -1 Laps 18 Johnny Lindhe KTM SWE -1 Laps 19 Marcus Norlen Suzuki SWE -1 Laps 20 Scott Columb Suzuki NZL -1 Laps
Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 40'51.512 2 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 0'25.650 3 Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 2'4.676 4 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL -1 Laps 5 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL -1 Laps 6 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL -1 Laps 7 Kornel Nemeth Suzuki HUN -1 Laps 8 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST -1 Laps 9 James Noble Honda GBR -1 Laps 10 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN -1 Laps 11 Johnny Lindhe KTM SWE -1 Laps 12 Lauris Freibergs Suzuki LVA -1 Laps 13 Marcus Norlen Suzuki SWE -1 Laps 14 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA -1 Laps 15 Neville Bradshaw Suzuki RSA -1 Laps 16 Kristof Salaets Yamaha BEL -1 Laps 17 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED -1 Laps 18 Wayne Smith Honda RSA -1 Laps 19 Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL -2 Laps 20 Tom de Belder Suzuki BEL -2 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 1'57.572
 Rider Standings 27/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 639 2. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 458 3. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 418 4. Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 409 5. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 387 6. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 306 7. Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 249 8. Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 242 9. Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 239 10. Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 224 11. James Noble Honda GBR 198 12. Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 196 13. Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 167 14. Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 161 15. Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 153 16. Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 131 17. Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 129 18. Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 106 19. Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 102 20. Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 99
Manufacturer Standings 27/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 639 2. Suzuki 523 3. Honda 494 4. Kawasaki 391 5. KTM 384 6. TM 161
RACE REPORT 27/08/2006 Cairoli takes seventh podium of the season   Antonio Cairoli   
World Champion Antonio Cairoli was third overall in the MX2 class at Desert Martin today for his second podium appearance in a row and seventh of the season. The Team Yamaha De Carli rider was 2nd and 7th for the bottom step of rostrum despite a crash in the second moto.
The Sicilian completed a lonely race to second place in the initial race after Tyla Rattray had escaped. Unfortunately for the reigning number one, series leader Christophe Pourcel pushed through from a mediocre start to collect third and minimise any damage to his margin in the standings. Cairoli, who struggled with his suspension set-up on the rough and physical terrain, finally ended up giving his French rival two more points with a fall from third place on the second lap of Moto2, necessitating a hard trawl back into the top ten.
Kenneth Gundersen   
Yamaha Team Ricci's Kenneth Gundersen withstood a pursuit by David Philippaerts in the second half of the first moto to make sure of sixth position and the second highest Yamaha rider home. It was the Norwegian's best finish from the last four Grand Prix. However, his poor luck struck again later in the day as he barely walked away from a pile-up of riders on the first turn. Slightly concussed Gundersen's moto finished only seconds after it had started.
Fellow Yamaha Team Ricci representative Davide Guarneri's season hangs in the balance after several problems with illness, breathing problems and a virus that has left the Italian in a weakened state. He will now spend some time away from the sport to fully recover and although he may attempt to return for the final Grand Prix of the year at Ernee it depends on his progress and the results of a complete physical examination conducted in Italy this week.
Alessi Chiodi opted to stay away from the trip to Ireland after his painful broken finger from Namur several weeks ago prevented the Italian from being able to ride and train. He climbed back on the YZ250F a day before the Grand Prix and is expecting a return at Lierop.
Billy MacKenzie   
Cairoli's team-mate Matteo Bonini finished out of the points in both motos. Bike it Yamaha Dixon's Billy Mackenzie also had a fall in each outing but finished 9th in the second race.
Tyla Rattray won his fourth Grand Prix of the season with Pourcel assuming the status of runner-up.
Cairoli now stands 28 points behind Pourcel at the top of the Championship table. Two more Grand Prix and 100 points remain. Mackenzie is the next Yamaha rider in eighth while Gundersen is twelfth.
The finale of the World Championship is rapid approaching and the penultimate round of fifteen will take place at the flat, sandy Lierop circuit for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in seven day's time.
Antonio Cairoli, Team Yamaha De Carli: "I am not so happy because I wanted to take points away from Pourcel today. I made a stupid mistake and crashed in the second heat, losing a lot of time in picking up the bike and restarting. We had some suspension problems this weekend and we have to get it fixed for Lierop. I did not have a good feeling out there and had to use a lot of energy to push hard. In the first race I did my best and finished second but in the second I felt tired and it was harder."
Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha Team Ricci: "The first moto was quite good. I was riding a bit stiff at the beginning but at the end things were coming better and better. I was looking forward to the second moto to make an improved result but that ended in the first corner. I don't know what happened. I was right next to Cairoli but someone hit me from behind and I was thrown into the ground. I am going to go home and get healthy and try to do better in Lierop because I like the sand."
Temp: 18 Crowd: 18243 Weather: Changeable     2006 GP of Desert Martin, Ireland 27/08/2006 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 41'19.221 2 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 0'7.757 3 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'15.579 4 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'20.357 5 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'32.583 6 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 0'34.607 7 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 0'40.106 8 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 0'51.108 9 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'54.777 10 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 0'58.962 11 Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 1'2.674 12 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 1'8.972 13 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 1'10.743 14 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 1'14.177 15 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'21.390 16 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 1'25.612 17 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 1'31.068 18 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 1'32.734 19 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 1'40.206 20 Nicolas Aubin Kawasaki FRA 1'43.836
Race 2 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 39'52.916 2 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 0'20.796 3 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 0'29.930 4 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'42.802 5 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'47.523 6 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'48.687 7 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 1'16.210 8 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1'18.640 9 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 1'19.069 10 Marcus Schiffer KTM GER 1'27.582 11 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 1'30.662 12 Martin Kohut Honda SVK 1'33.566 13 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'35.089 14 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 1'36.839 15 Xavier Boog Yamaha FRA 1'54.252 16 Tom Church Kawasaki GBR 1'58.572 17 Joel Roelants KTM BEL 2'3.705 18 Martin Barr Yamaha GBR -1 Laps 19 Jeremy Tarroux Kawasaki FRA -1 Laps 20 Carlos Campano KTM ESP -2 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 1'57.584
 Rider Standings 27/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 496 2. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 468 3. David Philippaerts KTM ITA 427 4. Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 402 5. Marc De Reuver KTM NED 373 6. Carl Nunn KTM GBR 315 7. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 291 8. Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 281 9. Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 278 10. Rui Goncalves KTM POR 267 11. Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 264 12. Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 215 13. Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 211 14. Manuel Monni KTM ITA 183 15. Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 153 16. Matti Seistola Honda FIN 119 17. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 118 18. Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 98 19. Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 94 20. Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 82 39. Matteo Bonini Yamaha ITA 7
Manufacturer Standings 27/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 596 2. Yamaha 562 3. Kawasaki 521 4. Honda 210 5. Suzuki 22
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi clinshes crucial second place at Brno

Valentino Rossi picked up 20 vital points in the Czech Republic today after taking second place in a race which saw series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) stumble to ninth - a result which reduces the gap between the pair to 38 points with five rounds remaining. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) took a dominant victory, leading from the first corner to finish with a 4.902 second advantage, whilst Rossi had to fend off a valiant challenge from rookie Dani Pedrosa (Honda) four laps from the end before comfortably sealing the runner-up spot.
It was an even tougher afternoon for Colin Edwards, who started out in equally impressive fashion to his team-mate but faded in the second half of the race to finish in tenth. The Texan started from eighth on the grid and was keen to get in touch with the leading riders as soon as possible, making up three places on the opening three laps. However, his efforts took their toll on the rear Michelin tyre of his YZR-M1 machine and, without the perfect set-up to rely on in the latter stages of the race, he was forced to drop back and settle for another top-ten finish.
Valentino Rossi (2nd; + 4.902) "It was a good race today and I am very happy with the weekend. Obviously starting from pole position you hope that you can win but today Loris had a completely different pace to the rest of us and I couldn't believe the gap he made! We weren't perfect today and we still had a few problems, but anyway I was able to do a good race and fight hard to the end. I had a great battle with Pedrosa with many good overtakes, which was great fun, especially since I finally managed to finish in front of him! Even though I didn't win today this is a very important result for the championship; we are now third and we've gained on Pedrosa and Hayden. After this weekend the situation is much clearer for us with the bike and the tyres and now we have two days of testing, during which we have some new things to try in order to help us be even more competitive for the final five races. This weekend my M1 worked well from Friday morning, which is very encouraging after the problems we've had during practice this season. Everyone at Yamaha has worked so hard to come back to this level so I want to thank my team and all the engineers. Now there are five more races and five riders who can still fight for the championship, so I think it's going to be a very exciting end to the season!"
Colin Edward (10th; + 19.435) "At the beginning things felt alright and over the first few laps I was actually quite excited. I was able to be quite aggressive and pass a few people, but then after a while things just went downhill. The balance of the bike didn't feel right and I just couldn't keep the same level. Then the tyre started to go off after about eight laps and that just acted as a limiter and my pace went right down. I was fighting really hard just to keep the pace I was running and it was nowhere near fast enough to be competitive. The bike didn't feel perfect under braking either and that makes life difficult here! We've spent all weekend playing around, trying to find the right balance but we just couldn't find exactly what we needed. Honestly we've worked hard all weekend but things just weren't right today. We've got two days of testing now and plenty of work to do if we're going to improve for the final few races."
 
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "This has been a good weekend, despite the fact that we didn't win. We've achieved the most important goal of taking a lot of points back from Hayden and also gaining on Pedrosa. Valentino starting from pole position is a great improvement after the previous weekends and it's a good sign for the final part of the season. There are five riders now that can win the championship and it's clearly going to be a hard fight to the end, for which we need to be fully prepared! This weekend has shown how well Yamaha can react to problems and everyone has worked extremely hard to solve them, so a big thank you to the mechanics, engineers and of course Valentino! Colin made some big changes before the race and in the first part of it he looked very good. Unfortunately he couldn't keep that pace up and now these two days of testing for him will be very important in order to come up with some things that can help him finish the season well."
Tech 3 Yamaha Team find satisfaction after a difficult weekend
Carlos Checa   
Fifteenth place for Carlos Checa on his Yamaha YZF-M1 may not be the position that the Tech 3 Yamaha Team desired today, but after the difficulties of the previous day, the team is satisfied with the result attained in the Czech Republic Grand Prix at the Brno circuit in a race won by Loris Capirossi (Ducati) as teammate James Ellison struggled with his own problems to finish 17th.
With a difficult race now behind them, the Tech 3 Yamaha Team is looking ahead to the two-day test at the circuit to endeavour to eliminate the problems that have surfaced after the positive results of the previous two races in the USA and Germany.
Carlos Checa (15th, Fastest lap 1'59.630) "Considering yesterday nothing worked, today we should be satisfied with the job we did. We changed quite a lot on the bike but we were not too radical with the alterations we made. This morning the bike felt a lot better but in the different conditions this afternoon after a few laps we again had chattering and it increased during the race so by the end we had quite a lot. The tyre wasn't so bad even though I was getting some movement in the acceleration area but the chattering was the main limitation.
"We knew it was going to be difficult today because many were doing 1" 58s lap times and we were struggling to match those times but we did quite a lot of laps in the 59 sec bracket and to keep that pace until the end was the most positive thing we can take from here. Also keeping in mind that we couldn't race with the tyres we have been using for the last two races, with the chattering problems we are having, today's race was fine."
James Ellison (17thFastest lap 2'00.608) "That result was not what I wanted at all. I'm really disappointed. After yesterday I was definitely hoping for a top 15 finish but I was secretly thinking that a top 10 might happen. To finish 17th is a huge let down. I know I can do it - that's the frustrating thing to me. My lap times to Carlos weren't too bad for a few laps. He could keep that consistency with his times but after four or five laps my times dropped off. I lost traction on the rear exactly like what happened at Donington. I was getting a little bit of chatter but it was mainly rear wheel grip making it spin up everywhere.
Tomorrow during this test I will get to test the frame Carlos is running so hopefully, we will be able to find a cure to these problems we have been having and move forwards pretty quickly so I can score some decent results that I know I'm capable of getting
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director Truthfully after the very average qualifying session yesterday, it was quite a good race. We had a lot of problems during the weekend that didn't help for the race but it is always a big handicap to start from so far back. We lost many seconds during the first two laps but we were able to fight back so Carlos was nine seconds behind Colin (Edwards) at the end of the race. Our pace was quick enough to be with the group fighting for 10th position so we're not happy with the position but we are happy that we were consistent with our lap times until the end. The bike still chattered but not as much as during practice and the gap to the guys in front of us was not that big. 15th is not a great result but there were no crashes and guys in front of us stopped so it's reasonable. The work we have done here is going to be helpful for Dunlop. Let's hope we can qualify better so we can have he results of the previous meetings. A positive point for Carlos is that he has scored points in every race but before going to the next three Grands Prix on the other side of the world, we have two days testing here to find solutions to these new problems and finish off the year on a good note.
Circuit Length: 5403 Temp: 23 Crowd: 81.000 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Brno 20/08/2006 Race 1 - 22 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 43'40.145 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'4.902 3 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'8.012 4 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 0'14.800 5 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'15.025 6 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 0'15.699 7 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'16.775 8 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 0'16.942 9 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'17.061 10 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'19.435 11 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'22.215 12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'23.978 13 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 0'24.967 14 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 0'28.961 15 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 0'29.296 17 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'2.982
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'58.157
 Rider Standings 20/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 201 2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 176 3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 163 4. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 161 5. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 151 6. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 101 7. Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 92 8. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 90 9. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 83 10. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 75 11. Makato Tamada Honda JPN 67 12. Toni Elias Honda ESP 64 13. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 61 14. Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 58 15. Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 54 18. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 20
Team Standings 20/08/2006
Pos. Team Points 1. Repsol Honda Team 377 2. Camel Yamaha Team 253 3. Fortuna Honda Team 225 4. Ducati Marlboro Team 216 5. Rizla Suzuki 144 6. Honda LCR 101 7. Kawasaki Racing Team 98 8. Team Roberts KR 92 9. Tech3 Yamaha 74 10. Konica Minolta Honda 67 11. Pramac D'Antin 22
Manufacturer Standings 20/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 262 2. Yamaha 201 3. Ducati 160 4. Suzuki 101 5. Team Robert KR 92 6. Kawasaki 83
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi smashes pole record at Brno

Valentino Rossi will start a MotoGP race from the front of the grid for only the second time this season in tomorrow's Czech Republic Grand Prix after clocking an incredible pole record time in today's single qualifying session at Brno. Rossi's time of 1'56.191 was almost 1.5 seconds inside the previous best lap at this track and followed up an impressive performance yesterday, when he also set the pace. A trial run on a qualifying tyre in those first free practice sessions paid dividends today as the Italian defined his race set-up for the YZR-M1 machine before setting a devastating pace which knocked Loris Capirossi (Ducati) off the top spot in the dying moments of the session. Capirossi will line up in second place whilst Kenny Roberts (Team KR) completes the front row.
Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards also enjoyed a productive day working on his race setting and was on course to challenge for a place on the front two rows before a minor mistake in the first section of his fast lap cost him vital tenths. It meant that his final effort recorded 1'56.967 on the stopwatch - enough for eighth place and a third row start. Tomorrow's race is the first of a final run of six, which will determine whether Rossi can cut back a 51-point gap to series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) and defend the title of MotoGP World Champion for a fifth successive season.
Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'56.191; 25 laps) "I think the practice today was a great emotion for everybody but especially for us! We worked well on the bike, especially the tyres, because we have suffered too much this season during the practice sessions and my team and Michelin did a great job today. When I saw Loris' time I thought it was very fast and didn't know if I could beat it but I was very determined and I pushed hard on all three qualifying tyres. In the end the final lap was great and to set a 1'56.1 was unbelievable! For tomorrow pole position is definitely better than starting from the fifth row like in other races so for this I am very happy. We still need to decide two or three things about the setting before the race, but I am quite competitive."
Colin Edwards (8th - 1'56.967; 24 laps) "I really don't know what to think about today! Our race pace is okay, we're doing 58.6 which looks like it could compete for the top five, but I won't be happy with that! I think we need to make some more changes for tomorrow morning to the setting and see if we can find another three-tenths. With the setting we were using today, the race tyre was working well for 3 or 4 laps and then it was starting to lose grip and then the lap times were going. So we've got a few ideas and we'll fiddle with the setting in the morning a bit to see if we can sort that out. On the positive side, I think we're finally figuring out what we need to do with the setting in order to make the tyres work better with our bike, and today the qualifier especially worked really well for me. Unfortunately I lost half a second on the first split but the tyre was perfect so that's pretty encouraging after some of the problems we've had with qualifiers so far this season!"
 
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It is very nice to be back in pole position - our first target for the weekend was to qualify on the front two rows so we are delighted that Valentino has gone one better! The last three races have all been complicated for us because of the starting position but hopefully now this should not be a problem for us tomorrow. Now we need to fix a few things with the bike and find the best combination of the different settings we have tried over the course of the weekend so far. There are a few riders with a good pace so it will be a difficult race but we expect Valentino to be up there and if Colin can get a decent start then I believe he also has the pace to stay with the leaders and end the weekend with a good result. For Valentino this is a very important race because the championship could be a lot clearer tomorrow night."
Back to the drawing board for Tech3 Yamaha Team
James Ellison   
A promising opening day was a distant memory by this afternoon for Carlos Checa on his Tech 3 Yamaha YZF-M1 after he recorded his worst qualifying performance of the year. Carlos will start from 17th position on the grid as fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi stormed to pole position with an astounding lap time over two seconds below his own current lap record. The team battled valiantly to overcome handling problems that surfaced in Carlos's bike during the morning's final free practice session only for the situation to be magnified during the afternoon's critical qualifying session. It wasn't all bad news for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team as James Ellison managed to subtract over two seconds off his time from yesterday although he is only one spot ahead of his teammate in 16th position
James Ellison (16th, 1'59.011, 24 laps) "It's been a long time coming and obviously I'm happing to be where I am in front of Carlos but you can see the guy has got a lot of problems - he is never three seconds off the pace. We both have things to work on I'm having chattering problems but we have managed to get it down to just two areas. We really need to find out where the problem is coming from. Everytime we improve the chatter I go half a second quicker, it's not just a little step. It's the quickest I've been around here and I know there is more that can come off but I can't believe how quick Rossi is going around here. That is incredible. I've come with the same attitude as ever to push as hard as I can but fortunately for this circuit has been quite good as we have been able to eliminate most of the chatter and I can push as hard as I want. We are by no means on the pace I would like to be but at least we are moving in the right direction. I don't want to change too much now and ruin it for the race. I've done 30 laps on the front tyre so I'm happy with that as it is the bigger tyre as well, so it's just a matter of finding a decent rear tyre for the distance.
Carlos Checa (17th, 1'59.289, 22 laps) "I think that is the worst qualifying session of my entire life. I don't know what happened but everything we tried nothing worked. It is very frustrating after how we felt after the first day when we were seventh fastest. Today was a major disappointment because I couldn't lap quicker on qualifiers today that what we did yesterday We haven't got too much time to find a cure and even if we do it will be very hard work from so far back on the grid. I think I will have to put it down to one of those days and hope we can work a bit of magic overnight. Saying that it mightn't be as bad as it seems because the lap times during the race will be nothing like the qualifying laps so that may help us to stay in touch if I can get a good start and stick with the pack
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director Clearly this is not a good day for the team. We were expecting a lot better especially after the last race in the US before the break. Although yesterday we did quite a good pace we have never been on the pace. We seem to have a lot of chatter and we didn't find any real solution to get rid of it and that is what is upsetting Carlos the most. On the other hand, I am quite happy with James. He has been using his qualifying tyre really well to be over a second quicker than on his race tyre. That is the only good point of the weekend so far. We have been struggling. We're nowhere near where we are supposed to be. Dunlop brought many, many new products but we haven't been able to test them properl. We are not so far off on race tyres so hopefully that will help us tomorrow. The only good news is that we have another two days to test here after the race to try and understand what is happening and to fix the problem for the next three overseas races. The other thing that may help us a bit is the weather. We do not pray for rain but if the situation remains the same the race will be quite difficult for us. We will be looking for a few points and then to work hard on Monday and Tuesday.
Circuit Length: 5403 Temp: 25 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Brno 19/08/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'56.191 2 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'56.441 3 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'56.603 4 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'56.694 5 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'56.770 6 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'56.875 7 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'56.913 8 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'56.967 9 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'57.139 10 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'57.185 11 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'57.221 12 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'57.679 13 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'57.894 14 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 1'57.906 15 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'58.239 16 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'59.011 17 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'59.289
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi back to his best at Brno

Valentino Rossi got back to dominant form today as the MotoGP World Championship returned to action in the Czech Republic following a brief summer break. The Italian was able to bounce back from his Laguna Seca disappointment with a series of fast laps at the Brno circuit after quickly finding a good base set-up for his YZR-M1 machine. After lapping second quickest in the morning practice, just 0.047 seconds behind series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), Rossi ended the day on top of the time sheets after improving by almost two seconds in the afternoon - with only Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki) able to lap within 0.5 seconds of his best effort.
It was also a positive first day for Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, who started the day with one of his two bikes configured with the same settings used by Rossi on his way to victory and the circuit lap record last season. The information immediately put the Texan on the front foot and, after reacquainting himself with the YZR-M1 machine following his recent exertions on a Superbike in the Suzuka 8 hour race, he was also able to pick up the pace in the afternoon and lapped fourth fastest.
Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'57.871; 34 laps) "Today was very positive for me because the bike worked well from the start and then we tried some things that improved it even more. We have experimented with some new suspension settings to help the tyres work properly, especially the rear, and they had the effect we wanted so I am happy about this. This year has been difficult because we have struggled so much in practice and then I have ended up on the third or fourth row of the grid, so I am pleased to start off like this. We also tried a qualifying tyre today, in order to give us more of an idea about what we need to adjust tomorrow in the afternoon session in order to challenge for a place at the front of the grid. This is really why I am in first place but anyway the race setting is also good and I was second fastest in the morning practice too so we know we have the pace. Tomorrow we need to continue working like this."
Colin Edwards (4th - 1'58.851; 38 laps) "It's strange that after all the bad luck we've had this season we should roll up here at Brno and things suddenly seem to be turning around! We turned up here today and decided to start with two different settings - one based on what we found in the test last year and the other on Valentino's 2005 race setting. I have changed my riding style since then so I went out and tried both this morning and basically Valentino's setting worked and mine didn't! I felt really comfortable with that so we went with it in the afternoon and just continued making small modifications so that it suits me better. It's early days yet but it is important to get a good start and also a relief to know that we are onto something good. Hopefully the good work can continue tomorrow for both Valentino and I."
 
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It was a good start to the weekend and just what we were looking for after the engineers worked so hard during the summer. This is only the first day and we all know the important thing is to continue like this and make sure we are prepared for qualifying and the race but it is nice to have such good result so early in the weekend. It looks like the bike has responded well for both Valentino and Colin so let's hope it continues to do so. Today has definitely given the team a boost and there is a very positive spirit here but it is still early days."
Checa Czechs in to top ten at Brno
After the opening two practice sessions for Sunday's Gauloises Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at the undulating Brno circuit, Carlos Checa on his Tech 3 Yamaha M1 clocked the seventh fastest time as fellow Yamaha rider and world champion Valentino Rossi claimed the top spot. Fresh from the summer break, Carlos was among the leaders from the outset and after the morning's opening stanza was just over a second off the pace. This afternoon he continued the progress to post a quicker time than series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) and is confident that changes overnight will improve his lap times even further. His teammate, James Ellison time was better than his 17th position indicated as his fastest lap was completed right at the end of the session but mysteriously was not included in the official lap times. As such, James is confident that he can move up the pack and hopefully secure his best grid position of the year in tomorrow's solitary qualifying session
Carlos Checa (7th, 1'59.254, 45 laps) "This morning we had a little bit of trouble testing a few tyres that we thought would work quite well but they didn't. Then we found something in a better direction and this afternoon we started working with the tyres giving up better support and better grip. At this stage it seems we have good endurance. The grip level when the tyres have average wear is better than we expected so maybe we might go with a softer compound. So far the direction of the bike and tyres is quite clear. Our lap times are good but like many we used qualifiers at the end. Basically with the race tyre we have been in the top ten for all of the practices and I can be quite consistent in my lap times. We'll try to improve different areas of the bike tomorrow with the grip of the tyres, turning and reduce the chatter. If we can do that I know that we will go quicker and get an even better lap time. "The grip of the track is ok - its amazing for an old track it is still looking pretty good. Some areas have a few bumps but considering how long since the asphalt has been down maybe they can show the Americans how to make asphalt! "The chatter has nothing to do with the track but under hard braking on the front and flicking it in. Compared to this morning we have reduced a lot and I think that with a few changes to the settings we will make more progress. After the break it is good to be back and this is a good start for the rest of the year."
James Ellison (17th2'02.426, 33 laps) "I don't know what happened to my fastest time because I passed the flag bang on time but they didn't count it. I don't know what happened. It came up on the computer but basically they erased the lap. It doesn't really worry me as it is only practice. We're just making steady progress with all the changes we have made. We have lowered it overall, softened the front and lifted the rear up again, just to get the balance right. It feels pretty good and, like Carlos, we have to eliminate the chatter but every tyre we are putting in it is getting less and less. With the qualifier it came back a bit but that's because you have better grip, you're pushing it harder and have more confidence braking later and things like that. Now we have to run those times on race tyres. We will be able to do it- I know that - because all the changes have been going in a positive direction. I reckon I can take at least a couple of seconds off because I did it last year on race tyres. That's the frustrating thing about it because I know I can do it and I'm on a much better bike than last year. You don't come back to a circuit 12 months later on a much superior bike and go slower so I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director It's good to be back after the summer break. I think everyone was looking forward to the holiday but after two weeks off we all wanted to go racing again. We are happy to be here as it is always a good GP in the middle of August. Our two riders stayed in the US after the GP to work on their fitness and they are in good shape. While we had a rest, Dunlop certainly didn't as after our good result in America, they have brought a new batch of tyres along for the weekend and first indications are that they are again an improvement on what we were using recently. For the first day of the second part of the season we have done a lot of consistent laps and we are happy so far. Every team has been testing qualifying tyres this afternoon and I think that Dunlop have made some improvements in the qualifying tyres as well because both Carlos and James seem quite happy with them although, James's fastest lap time wasn't recorded because something happened to his time when the flag came out. His time is over a second quicker than was recorded. We have to wait and see what tomorrow may bring but at this stage I feel we are in a good shape for the race.
Circuit Length: 5403 Temp: 27 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Brno 18/08/2006 Free Practice Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'57.871 2 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'58.028 3 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'58.470 4 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'58.851 5 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'59.119 6 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'59.240 7 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'59.254 8 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'59.258 9 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'59.313 10 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'59.406 11 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'59.515 12 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'59.607 13 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'59.919 14 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'59.995 15 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 2'0.507 17 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 2'2.426
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Six race challenge starts at Brno for Camel Yamaha Team

The Camel Yamaha team return from a three-week holiday next weekend to tackle the first of a final spell of six races that will determine whether reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi can turn around his fortunes and make a sixth consecutive defence of the title he has held since 2001. The Czech Republic Grand Prix takes place at the legendary circuit of Brno, located just over 200 kilometres south-east of the capital city of Prague, where last year Rossi took victory and the lap record as he edged towards his fifth straight title.
The scenario is dramatically different for Rossi this time around but a similar performance is required as the Italian aims to close down the 51-point gap to series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda). It is a tough task but certainly not impossible, as Yamaha legend Wayne Rainey proved in 1992 when he pipped the injured Mick Doohan to the title despite lying 65 points behind with only five races remaining.
Fittingly this weekend marks the thirteen-year anniversary of Rainey's final 500cc victory for the factory at Brno and is also precisely a decade since Rossi took his maiden Grand Prix win at the very same circuit in the 125cc class. Since then Rossi has added to his Brno tally with a further 250cc success and three wins in MotoGP - including last year's dominant display on the Yamaha.
Colin Edwards can't wait to reacquaint himself with his YZR-M1 machine after riding a specially prepared YZF-R1 SP Superbike alongside Noriyuki Haga in the Suzuka 8 Hour two weeks ago. The prestigious Japanese race proved to be a brief but eventful affair for the American after he was knocked to the ground on lap one and then mounted a stunning recovery, only to suffer a mechanical failure a few laps later - continuing a run of bad luck almost comparable to that of Rossi. Despite the shortened holiday Edwards was able to take crucial time out to recharge his batteries at home in Texas and he returns to Europe even more determined to turn things around.
 
Valentino Rossi: Race by race This time last season Valentino Rossi arrived in the Czech Republic knowing that two more wins would be enough to seal the MotoGP World Championship title but, for only the second time in his premier-class career, 'The Doctor' must now accept that with six races remaining his destiny is out of his hands. The latest chapter in a catalogue of misfortune came immediately before the holidays at Laguna Seca, where a win for Nicky Hayden combined with a breakdown for Rossi left the Italian focusing simply on his performance in each approaching race.
"This year I've had a lot of bad luck and Laguna could not have been worse, but now we have had twenty days of holiday to relax and forget about what happened there," says Rossi. "Hopefully after this rest we can try to do something better in Brno. It isn't one of my favourite tracks but last year it was a great race for me; almost perfect, with the fastest lap and the victory. I know that everyone at Yamaha and Michelin has been working hard in the break and hopefully in Brno we can come out fighting on Friday morning and make the most of the weekend.
"I don't know what to say about the championship to be honest. We only have six races left which is maybe not enough to make up the difference but anyway I want to try to have some fun and win as much as possible. Right now I'm not even thinking about the championship. I want to take it race by race and try to find a better way forward with this bike and these tyres so I can have some fun and try to win some more races."
Colin Edwards: Refreshed and relaxed If anyone has endured as much bad luck as Rossi this season it is his Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, whose Suzuka misfortune came on the back of illness at his home Grand Prix in the USA and, just a few weeks previously, a last-corner crash that denied him of his first MotoGP victory at Assen. However, after spending some time with his young family at home in America, the 'Texan Tornado' is confident he can kick up a storm at Brno.
"It's been really good to have a holiday because this season, especially during June and July, has been incredibly hard and I definitely needed some time off to relax with my friends and family," says Edwards. "Now I am feeling ready to get back on my bike and enjoy the last six races. After the disappointment of Laguna I went to Suzuka for the Eight-Hour and sadly that didn't work out either - it was a long way to go for six laps! Anyway, I've since had two weeks holiday at home in Texas with my family and I'm feeling refreshed and relaxed now and ready to get going again for the last six races.
"Things haven't worked out exactly how we would have liked up until now but I know that when our package is working we can fight at the top and this is what I am determined to do for the rest of the season. Brno is a track I really like and I've been racing there a long time so I know it pretty well. There's always a good atmosphere there as everyone's nice and chilled out after their holidays! I'm going to give the weekend everything I've got and hopefully the bike will work well so we can get a good result under our belts to set us up for the three flyaways."
Davide Brivio: Keeping the faith Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio echoes Rossi's sentiments about the championship being a 'race by race' affair but outlined the determination of his staff to back up their World Champion with 100% commitment until the end of the season. The Italian admits his team faces a tough challenge over the final six rounds but insists that they will not give up on the title until it is a mathematical impossibility.
"Brno is the start of the final stage of the season and we go into it finding ourselves in a difficult situation," admits Brivio. "We are obviously not where we would like to be in the championship with six races to go but we will not give up and every member of the team is ready to fight until the end. Of course we still want to win the title and we still believe we can do it. We have had a lot of misfortune during the season but we still have faith in our potential.
"The break was good for everybody but after Laguna Seca we are looking forward to getting back on the track and trying to win races again. That is Valentino's goal for every Grand Prix between now and the end of the season. Because of the Eight-Hour Colin barely had a day off for seven weeks before the holiday so I think he needed the break more than anybody and we are looking forward to seeing him back in good shape. Our target for both riders is simply to improve our level of performance and try to win every race."
Technically speaking: Brno according to Matteo Flamigni The current Brno circuit is encircled by the tendrils of the various 'real' road layouts that made up the Czech Grand Prix venues of yesteryear. Used for a Grand Prix for the final time in 1977, the old track was replaced in 1987 by what is basically the current incarnation, subtly altered in 1996 to measure 5.403km in length. Brno has come a long way since riders used to judder across its cobblestone sections but its winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes still provide an interesting challenge for the riders and their engineers.
"Firstly Brno is a difficult track for the riders because it is so wide - around 15m in some parts - and that makes it easy for them to run off line and make mistakes," explains Matteo Flamigni, Data Engineer for Valentino Rossi. "From a set-up point of view we have to give the rider a bike which is strong under braking because there are many areas where a rider can pass or be passed in downhill turns, which adds to the normal stress of braking. The bike must also be stable in the long fast corners, such as turns one, nine and thirteen, and then agile for the chicanes. This is always a compromise situation at any circuit but especially at Brno, where the chicanes are also combined with elevation changes.
"The balance of the bike is critical towards the end of the lap because there is a lot of weight transfer between hard uphill acceleration, which naturally lifts the front end, and braking into the chicanes, where the rider must wait for the front to load up again before turning in. Brno is one of the circuits where you can most clearly see the evolution of the MotoGP bikes since changing from two-stroke to four-stroke because a good lap time has come down by around five seconds, even though the track hasn't changed. As well as showing the general improvement of the bikes and tyres, this outlines the need for a lot of horsepower on the long uphill straights, where gearbox settings are also crucial."
Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 83 (56 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 167 (108 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 41 World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 59 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike
Brno Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1'58.787 Brno Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1'57.504
2005 Czech Republic Grand Prix Results: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 43'56.539 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, +1.837 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda +3.444 7. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, +13.532 
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Everts passes into legend with Namur glory

At a fitting, historic and emotional stage of his home Grand Prix and favourite circuit at Namur, World Champion Stefan Everts completed a successful title defence of his MX1 crown and gave the YZ450FM its third consecutive MX1 distinction this afternoon.
By dominating both motos at the Citadelle for the 12th round of 15 in the 2006 FIM series the 33 year old Belgian remains undefeated every year since the inception of the MX1 competition in 2004. His tenth World Championship in a eighteen year career, achieved through 125, 250, 500, MXGP and MX1 classes, was also the sixth title in succession with Yamaha in an unparalleled streak of results and glory since 2001. In that time Everts has broken the record for most Grand Prix victories and won three classes on the same day when the 2003 season saw 125, MXGP and 650 categories run with just one moto.
The '06 campaign has been momentous for the Rinaldi-led Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross team and the new aluminium framed YZ450FM. Everts has won 21 motos in a row and all twelve Grand Prix. He now has reached a total of 99.
After a bright and sunny day of practice Sunday dawned cloudy but also warm. The track, already rough and extremely technical after the wear of practice and qualification, was a severe test of concentration and stamina for the MX1 and MX2 competitors. On the brink of history Everts was cheered on by a willing 30,000 partisan crowd and the team had both of their riders flying formation for the first two laps of the opening moto as Cédric Melotte grabbed the holeshot and led Everts. The Champion soon took control and enacted a familiar scene of drawing away from his pursuers. The second race was a repeat with Everts owning the race by forging a blistering speed in the formative stages.
 
On a day when his son celebrated his second birthday there was also the novelty of another generation of the Everts clan rolling back the years as Stefan's father Harry took to the track in the first ever Veteran's World Cup and finished second overall onboard a YZ250F.
Cédric Melotte was competing at his home Grand Prix and the site of his first World Championship victory in 2003 (650 class). The local-born rider grabbed a sensational holeshot in the first moto and would go on to secure his best result of the season with two finishes of 4th and 5th for 4th overall. After treating a breathing problem during the week, Cédric set a decent pace within the top five and was able to produce two positive races for the third time this year.
Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team   
With a lead of 168 points over Kevin Strijbos Everts cannot be caught in the three remaining Grand Prix due to take place in Ireland, Holland and France. He will have these opportunities to reach the magical 'ton' in terms of his career victory tally and a memorable send-off is planned for Ernee and his final race on September 17th. Melotte is currently holding eigth in the standings and six points from seventh.
The MX1 paddock will now disperse for two free weekends before the Grand Prix of Ireland at the Desert Martin circuit brings the fraternity back together for round 13 on August 26th/27th.
Stefan Everts, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "What a great day. I never dared dream of becoming World Champion here at Namur. It has always been a very special place with a special atmosphere. It is a unique track that is hard and demanding. Both races went pretty good. At one point there was a difficult moment for me in each moto because the terrain was so bumpy, slippery and so rough. I had to be really careful because this is one of the hardest circuits in the world and you can only really appreciate it if you get out there and try forty minutes. The motos worked out well though and I am so happy for my 99th victory and the Championship. I had such an exciting feeling going out on the track and unfortunately it is my last time here but I cannot think of a better way to go out. What else can I say?"
Cédric Melotte, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "I did not feel the pressure so much of racing at home this year. This is my best result so far and I could finish in the top five twice. I am happy because today was a tough track; very hard and physical. I made some tests with my lungs this week and found out that I have been suffering with an allergy and asthma. I took the right treatment and feel much better. In the first moto it was great to lead for two laps in front of my fans. I had the holeshot in my mind before the race so to take it was great and I just wanted to lead as long as I could. Stefan was pushing a little bit and passed me, I settled into a speed I could make and finished fourth. In the second moto I followed Strijbos for fifth and I was really happy for a good overall position."
Carlo Rinaldi, Racing Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "It has been a fantastic day and a great conclusion to the season, even if it isn't over yet. It was a familiar GP for us. Good starts and controlling the motos; Stefan may have had some more pressure than usual but he did not show it. What is unbelievable is not that Stefan wins, but how he does it; victory is all he wants. Yamaha is doing a great job. The new bike gave an extra boost to Stefan and with his motivation in his final season it was the perfect tool for a perfect job."
Cedric Melotte   
Michele Rinaldi, Team Manager, Yamaha Intur Sports Motocross Team: "There is not much I can say as you can imagine. I think Stefan managed something that not even he was expecting this season. He did a fantastic job and it even seemed to easy at times. We have had a great atmosphere in the team and he has won everything so far so his decision to finish his career with Yamaha was 100% correct. Our bike has never stopped this year and we have done a lot of work; the result of which can be seen on the track. We could not have imagined a season like this."
Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. - Racing Division: "This is amazing and I think it will take a long time before people really appreciate what has happened. Ten titles for Stefan is unbelievable and for us six titles in six years is also something incredible. Technically we have had almost no problems at all in that period and for that we must give a big thank you to all the guys in the team. Success is about the rider and the bike but it is also about the guys who prepare the bike. The team have won all those titles but still remain so motivated to win. Overall this is a super day for everyone connected with the team and Yamaha."
Circuit Length: 2477 Temp: 24 Crowd: 30000 Weather: Sunny     2006 GP of Namur, Belgium 06/08/2006 Race 1 - 16 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 43'13.152 2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'11.409 3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'14.665 4 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 0'16.980 5 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 0'19.086 6 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 0'34.115 7 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 0'54.119 8 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 1'8.640 9 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 1'13.201 10 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 1'24.525 11 James Noble Honda GBR 1'36.862 12 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 1'46.520 13 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 1'49.243 14 Clement Desalle  Suzuki BEL 1'52.460 15 Cyril Coulon Suzuki FRA 1'54.428 16 Marko Kovalainen Honda FIN 2'4.810 17 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 2'7.248 18 Alex Salvini Suzuki ITA 2'12.617 19 Marc Ristori Honda CHE 2'14.930 20 Jaka Moze Suzuki SVN 2'16.058
Race 2 - 16 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 41'10.064 2 Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 0'17.973 3 Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 0'28.484 4 Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 0'46.443 5 Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 0'52.909 6 James Noble Honda GBR 0'57.447 7 Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 1'2.393 8 Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 1'14.458 9 Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 1'23.714 10 Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 1'27.292 11 Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 1'31.291 12 Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 1'39.857 13 Christian Beggi Honda ITA 1'43.852 14 Bas Verhoeven Kawasaki NED 2'4.429 15 Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 2'17.104 16 Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 2'22.634 17 Scott Columb Suzuki NZL -1 Laps 18 Lauris Freibergs Suzuki LVA -1 Laps 19 Ken De Dycker Honda BEL -1 Laps 20 Clement Desalle  Suzuki BEL -1 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 2'38.204
 Rider Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Stefan Everts Yamaha BEL 592 2. Kevin Strijbos Suzuki BEL 424 3. Steve Ramon Suzuki BEL 408 4. Ken De Dycker Honda BEL 371 5. Tanel Leok Kawasaki EST 365 6. Jonathan Barragan KTM ESP 273 7. Pascal Leuret Honda FRA 230 8. Cedric Melotte Yamaha BEL 224 9. Manuel Priem Yamaha BEL 210 10. Joshua Coppins Honda NZL 202 11. Javier Garcia Vico Honda ESP 196 12. James Noble Honda GBR 186 13. Julien Bill Yamaha GBR 167 14. Antti Pyrhonen TM FIN 138 15. Gordon Crockard Honda GBR 137 16. Brian Jorgensen Honda DNK 131 17. Marvin Van Daele Honda BEL 127 18. Wyatt Avis KTM RSA 106 19. Danny Theybers Suzuki BEL 102 20. Sebastien Tortelli KTM FRA 99
Manufacturer Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 592 2. Suzuki 489 3. Honda 447 4. Kawasaki 369 5. KTM 351 6. TM 138
RACE REPORT 06/08/2006 First 2006 double moto succes for Cairoli   Antonio Cairoli   
The MX2 Grand Prix of Belgium took place at a bustling and vibrant Namur circuit today and World Champion Antonio Cairoli gave Yamaha a perfect afternoon with his first double moto success of the season and his second overall victory of the campaign.
The De Carli racing representative - competing at the site of his maiden victory in 2004 - beat David Philippaerts in the first sprint after his Italian rival ran wide while leading and collected green fencing in his rear wheel. Cairoli was waiting in his tracks for a passing opportunity and moved through for his eighth moto triumph this term.
In the second event he started brightly and resisted attention from Carl Nunn and then Christophe Pourcel for win number two in convincing fashion.
Billy MacKenzie   
Yamaha Team Ricci's Kenneth Gundersen experienced a Grand Prix in stark contrast to his Yamaha compatriot. The Norwegian got out of the gate poorly in both motos and hit the ground during each race. He only picked up three points for 18th in the opening foray.
Team-mate Davide Guarneri had been feeling unwell in the build-up to the Grand Prix and retired in the first moto with a headache. He then crashed in Moto2 and again was forced to retire.
Antonio Cairoli   
Bike it Yamaha Dixon Racing rider Billy Mackenzie took a decent jump from the gate in Moto1 and finished 7th but a fall on a frantic set of opening corners on the Esplanade later in the day relegated him to the back of the pack.
The third member of the Yamaha Team Ricci Alessio Chiodi was ruled out of contention on Saturday afternoon when a rock struck his right hand and broke one of his fingers. The Italian was in too much pain to take part in the rest of the Grand Prix. His withdrawal means the sixth non-score after a very promising opening to the season was wrecked by a knee injury at Sugo in May.
Cairoli is second in the World Championship standings, 26 points behind Pourcel, with three Grand Prix and 150 points remaining on the 2006 schedule. Mackenzie is also part of the top ten and lies 7th.
Antonio Cairoli - Team Yamaha De Carli: "We have a good setting on the 250 with De Carli for this track and I like it a lot since taking the win here in 2004. It felt great to win both heats and make a double here. I rode better than I did last year and could change my lines very easily with the suspension set-up we had, so the track was not so hard for me this time. I have been struggling with my physical condition this year but things are getting better now. I am not thinking of the championship I just want to ride well and win more heats. Christophe is very young but he is controlling the class well; he does not make big mistakes and is finishing every race."
Kenneth Gundersen   
Kenneth Gundersen - Yamaha Team Ricci: "In the first moto I made a bad start but I was still in the top ten when I lost the front end into a corner and on the top of a step-down. I completed the rest of the race to get some training done. In the second moto I was last off the start and crashed after 15 or 20 minutes. I did not have much confidence and decided to stop. Normally this track is perfect for me and yesterday it was really good but things did not work out in the races."
Circuit Length: 2477 Temp: 24 Crowd: 30000 Weather: Sunny     2006 GP of Namur, Belgium 06/08/2006 Race 1 - 16 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 43'9.307 2 David Philippaerts KTM ITA 0'2.531 3 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'29.378 4 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'36.668 5 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 0'37.729 6 Maximilian Nagl KTM GER 0'38.835 7 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 1'4.262 8 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 1'4.687 9 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 1'16.247 10 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'18.581 11 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 1'30.575 12 Patrick Caps Honda BEL 1'35.528 13 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 1'46.824 14 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 1'59.253 15 Shaun Simpson Honda GBR 1'59.537 16 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 2'7.078 17 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 2'10.294 18 Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 2'15.929 19 Jeremy Tarroux Kawasaki FRA 2'16.646 20 Xavier Boog Yamaha FRA 2'19.960
Race 2 - 16 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 41'55.640 2 Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'4.597 3 Carl Nunn KTM GBR 0'6.644 4 Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 0'18.363 5 Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 0'29.627 6 Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 0'39.360 7 Rui Goncalves KTM POR 0'40.970 8 Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 0'44.443 9 Manuel Monni KTM ITA 0'45.639 10 Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 0'49.984 11 Carlos Campano KTM ESP 0'55.966 12 Matti Seistola Honda FIN 1'16.716 13 Marc De Reuver KTM NED 1'22.385 14 Matteo Bonini Yamaha ITA 1'26.360 15 Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 1'27.561 16 Dennis Verbruggen Yamaha NED 1'52.850 17 Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 1'59.849 18 Xavier Boog Yamaha FRA 2'9.095 19 Matthias Walkner KTM AUT 2'30.325 20 Jonas Wing KTM SWE -1 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 2'38.198
 Rider Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Christophe Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 458 2. Antonio Cairoli Yamaha ITA 432 3. David Philippaerts KTM ITA 393 4. Tyla Rattray KTM RSA 352 5. Marc De Reuver KTM NED 338 6. Carl Nunn KTM GBR 307 7. Billy MacKenzie Yamaha GBR 264 8. Sébastien Pourcel Kawasaki FRA 259 9. Tommy Searle Kawasaki GBR 254 10. Gareth Swanepoel Kawasaki RSA 251 11. Rui Goncalves KTM POR 236 12. Alessio Chiodi Yamaha ITA 211 13. Kenneth Gundersen Yamaha SWE 200 14. Manuel Monni KTM ITA 167 15. Davide Guarneri Yamaha ITA 153 16. Matti Seistola Honda FIN 105 17. Anthony Boissière Yamaha FRA 98 18. Aigar Leok Yamaha EST 97 19. Luigi Seguy Yamaha FRA 94 20. Pierre-Alexandre Renet Honda FRA 80 37. Matteo Bonini Yamaha ITA 7
Manufacturer Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. KTM 546 2. Yamaha 526 3. Kawasaki 483 4. Honda 195 5. Suzuki 22
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Haga wins Brands Hatch thriller

Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga thrilled the large and passionate Brands Hatch crowd by taking his YZF-R1 to a spectacular win in the eighth round of the Superbike World Championship today. Team-mate Andrew Pitt rode brilliantly to take a hard fought third place to give the team its second double podium finish of the season.
Haga was involved in a race long battle with series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) to take the race two victory by just two tenths of a second after 85km of breathtaking racing.
Earlier in the day Haga finished third in race one after contesting the lead with Bayliss and Honda rider James Toseland. For the second outing Haga switched to his back-up machine, which used alternative settings, to take his fourth win at the venue in three years. In a thrilling race the pair were never separated by more than a quarter of a second as they crossed the line for lap after lap. Championship leader Bayliss applied considerable pressure in the final lap but the Yamaha man, wearing a new helmet design for this race, showed all of his experience and legendary late braking skills to take his first race win of the year and the 20th of his illustrious world superbike career.
Team-mate Pitt proved to be one of the stars of the show at Brands, providing plenty of thrills for the fans as he overcame bad starts to take a third and fourth place finish. The Australian over-revved his YZF-R1 on the line on both occasions, relegating him to the middle of the pack. The former supersport world champion was able to match the pace of the very fastest men, working his way to fourth in the opener and a fine third in the second race to complete a great day for the Italian Yamaha squad.
 
Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert brought their Yamaha Motor France machines home in the points in both races, with two 13th places for the Japanese and a 14th and 15th for Frenchman Gimbert. The team's Brands Hatch novice Shinichi Nakatomi improved each time he took to the technically demanding English circuit, finishing 17th in race two, an improvement of two places on his opener. Twenty-one-year-old wild-card Tommy Hill came home an impressive 11th on his Virgin Mobile Yamaha YZF-R1 in the day's first race but was forced to retire with technical problems in the second.
With two thirds of the season gone, Haga retains second in the championship, 77 points behind Bayliss and 11 ahead of third placed James Toseland. Pitt stays sixth in the points and has reduced the gap to fourth placed Troy Corser (Suzuki) to 36 points. Honda's Alex Barros is fifth in the series.
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "In the first race I could not push as hard as I wanted to in the last five laps and for the second race I used my other bike, which had other settings. I had a big fight with Troy and I was determined not to see his exhaust pipes again. It feels so good to win today. We have been close so many times, especially at the first race - where I crashed on the last lap - but for some reasons I have not been able to take the win. Today the feeling with the bike was very good and the tyres worked perfectly all the way to the end."
 
Andrew Pitt   
Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I made a terrible start in both races, which is surprising as our R1 is normally one of the quickest bikes off the line. I think that I was a bit anxious and just gave it too many revs, but each time I lost a lot of places. I just had to get my head down and get through as quickly as possible. My rhythm was good and I was pleased with my fourth place in race one, so to top it off with a podium is a fantastic end to the day. I'm especially pleased as I have some friends over from Australia for this race. They've come a long way so it is great to give them something to cheer."
Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "Brands Hatch is difficult, very difficult, and until yesterday our chances were dead. In the race things were not so bad, and in race one I finally had a battle with many riders, and scored points. So compared to qualifying, it was a big jump up. It was the best I could do. We changed the setting between races and in the beginning it was not so bad, just at the end of the race the rear was moving and sliding and my lap time went up and up. But compared to qualifying, it was much better."
 
Tommy Hill   
Tommy Hill (Virgin Mobile Yamaha) "These boys are on it, and it was definitely a fast pace out there. I just needed to get past Nieto to get up to Walker and Kagayama, but it took too long. We changed the rear tyre to get more grip on the rear in race two but the bike had no drive and I had to stop. That was disappointing but things are a different league here and I have learned a lot."
Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) "In the first race I was able to make a good start but lost a few places when I made a small mistake. After around four laps the tyre lost some grip but I tried to push as hard as possible to get a point. In the second race my start was not so good and I had to fight hard to get 14th."
 
Shinichi Nakatomi   
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "This was a very difficult track. Enjoyable to ride but difficult to learn and go fast on. In race one, the feeling was better than in practice, and race two, it was better again. Results were not so good, but my feelings about the improvements were better."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "This is a great result for the team to take into the month's break. After the first race Noriyuki said to me that he could not go any faster on that bike - but he felt he could win on the other bike. I think he had only done about 10 laps on that bike over the three days but he knew what he was doing and rode brilliantly in the second race. Andrew rode well in the first race but said that he needed to make a better start. Unfortunately in the second race he made an even worse one but was able to make it through for our second double podium of the season." Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "Not so bad, because again we had each rider finish, six out of six. We also had two riders in the points so for us, as a team developing kit parts, this is not so bad. In front we only had factory bikes, so I am proud of this result."
Circuit Length: 4197 Temp: 29 Crowd: 115,000
  2006 WSB Brands Hatch 06/08/2006 Race 1 - 25 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 36'26.855 2 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'1.657 3 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 0'2.248 4 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'2.860 5 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'9.666 6 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 0'16.731 7 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 0'16.892 8 Alex Barros Honda BRA 0'20.707 9 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'25.196 10 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'25.338 11 Tommy Hill Yamaha GBR 0'26.477 12 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'26.709 13 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 0'27.335 14 Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 0'29.465 15 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 0'39.195 19 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'51.243
Race 2 - 25 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 36'29.709 2 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 0'0.184 3 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 0'2.242 4 Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 0'6.523 5 James Toseland Honda GBR 0'7.073 6 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 0'7.521 7 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 0'10.903 8 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 0'19.715 9 Alex Barros Honda BRA 0'22.202 10 Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 0'26.797 11 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 0'29.702 12 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 0'29.804 13 Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 0'31.829 14 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 0'34.177 15 Vittorio Iannuzzo Suzuki ITA 0'35.267 17 Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 0'43.413
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time James Toseland Honda GBR 1'26.351
 Rider Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 307 2. Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 230 3. James Toseland Honda GBR 219 4. Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 193 5. Alex Barros Honda BRA 166 6. Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 157 7. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 126 8. Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 96 9. Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 96 10. Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 87 11. Ruben Xaus Ducati ESP 84 12. Fonsi Nieto Kawasaki ESP 83 13. Norick Abe Yamaha JPN 77 14. Regis Laconi Kawasaki FRA 72 15. Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 66 17. Shinichi Nakatomi Yamaha JPN 29 19. Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 18
Manufacturer Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Ducati 317 2. Honda 267 3. Yamaha 259 4. Suzuki 259 5. Kawasaki 140 6. Petronas 4
RACE REPORT 06/08/2006 Parkes and Curtain make a perfect day for Yamaha Germany   Broc Parkes   
Broc Parkes scored an exemplary start to finish win at Brands Hatch today as team-mate Kevin Curtain moved to the top of the championship table in Yamaha Motor Germany's second successive one-two finish.
Starting from pole position Parkes was able to fend off early challenges from Honda team-mates Sebastien Charpentier and Kenan Sofuoglu before consistently pulling away to win by almost two seconds at the end of a tough 23 lap race.
For the second year in a row Curtain found himself crowded out at the first corner and resigned to fighting his way through the pack. The veteran Australian ended the first lap in seventh but carved his way through the field, setting a new lap record on lap five and joining the leading trio on lap four. After sitting behind Charpentier and Sofuoglu for the mid section of the race, Curtain took second place with an audacious move around Sofuoglu as they entered the daunting Paddock Hill bend for the 20th time. Curtain's 20 points takes him onto equal points with Charpentier, who slipped back to sixth at the chequered flag. Both men are tied on 131 points, with Parkes moving right back into the title chase - just 12 points behind the leading duo with eight of the 12 races run.
 
Massimo Roccoli   
Yamaha's other competitors had a tough day at Brands Hatch. Misano winner Massimo Roccoli had been part of the group battling it out behind the leaders but was forced to settle for ninth after struggling for grip in the latter laps. His Yamaha Team Italia colleague Gianluca Vizziello ran in 11th for much of the race but was forced to pull in due to sickness. The Italian was suffering from a fever and decided to pull in on safety grounds after 14 laps. Yamaha GMT94's David Checa finished an unusually low 21st, suffering from a crash sustained in Friday's qualifying session.
Parkes' win also takes Yamaha to within nine points of Honda in the manufacturer's championship in the latest YZF-R6's first year of world supersport competition.
The series now takes a one month break, before resuming at the historic Assen circuit in the Netherlands on 3 September.
Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) "That was the perfect win for me. I knew that I didn't want to be playing around in a battle with these guys so I got my head down and tried to break away. It's not always easy when you've got a bit of a lead and although the bike ran perfectly I could hear all these imaginary engine noises in my head! I tried not to think about the win too much and just ran the laps down like it was a practice session. There's still a third of the season to go, at four tracks that I like, and with only a 12 points between me and Kevin I'm right back in the championship. It's between the three of us for the title now and I can't wait until Assen."
 
Kevin Curtain   
Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) "I got a bad start again and I wasn't sure if I could mow them down or not. In the end I was able to get the Hondas, but unfortunately by the time I got past Kenan I couldn't catch Broc on that other Yamaha! That said, I'm delighted with the result today. We had a few bad results from the middle of the season but we are right back on track now. Everything's level in the championship so it is back in our own hands again."
Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) "I made a good start only to lose three or four places when I made a mistake at Druids on the first lap. I was with the second group and tried hard to get to the front but the bike started sliding around and I couldn't push as hard as I wanted. By the end by front tyre was sliding around too so I could only think about the championship and bring it home for as many points as possible."
Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia) "I have had a high temperature all weekend but tried to push as hard as I could in the race. It was going ok but in one lap I just felt all the power drain out of my body and I decided that it was safer to pull in than trying to continue."
Terrell Thien (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor Germany) "This is a great result for the whole team, who have worked so hard over the past few months. Since the Misano race we have brought in a few new working practices and, as a result, everyone is working better together. We've been able to make some small improvements to the bikes, in the suspension and engine, and our tyres worked very well today too. Broc made a smart decision by going for a harder rear tyre, which proved to be very consistent over the whole race. Kevin has a smoother style and chose the softer option, and would probably have been able to run a similar race to Broc if he hadn't had to come back from a bad start. Now our team can have a well earned week's holiday before the next race in Assen."
Circuit Length: 4197 Temp: 29 Crowd: 115,000 Weather: Sunny     2006 WSS Brands Hatch 06/08/2006 Race 1 - 23 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 34'27.306 2 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 0'1.758 3 Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 0'2.088 4 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 0'12.146 5 Cal Crutchlow Honda GBR 0'12.309 6 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 0'12.570 7 Stephane Chambon Kawasaki FRA 0'15.144 8 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 0'16.848 9 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 0'17.058 10 Leon Camier Honda GBR 0'17.380 11 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 0'19.834 12 Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 0'20.967 13 Maxime Berger Kawasaki FRA 0'21.597 14 Mauro Sanchini Yamaha ITA 0'24.048 15 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 0'25.071
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 1'29.074
 Rider Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 131 2. Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 131 3. Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 119 4. Robbin Harms Honda DNK 87 5. Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 78 6. Kenan Sofuoglu Honda TUR 67 7. Yoann Tibero Honda FRA 67 8. Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 57 9. Xavi Fores Yamaha ESP 49 10. Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 37 11. David Checa Yamaha ESP 29 12. Simone Sanna Honda ITA 27 13. Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 22 14. Joshua Brookes Ducati AUS 21 15. Christian Zaiser Ducati AUT 21
Manufacturer Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 177 2. Yamaha 168 3. Ducati 48 4. Kawasaki 44 5. Suzuki 12
RACE REPORT 06/08/2006 Corti fourth in Brands Hatch thriller   Claudio Corti   
Yamaha Team Italia youngster Claudio Corti overcame a bad start to take fourth place in today's sixth round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at Brands Hatch.
After qualifying in seventh place, Corti found himself down in tenth at the end of the first lap. The 19-year-old European Superstock 600 champion set about cutting through the field on his YZF-R1 SP. By lap nine of the 15 lap race Corti had slotted into fourth place but, with the leaders three seconds ahead, he was unable to challenge for a podium placing.
Early in the race it was Australian Brendon Roberts (Suzuki) and Spaniard Ivan Silva (Kawasaki) who took turns at leading, only to slip back in the order after making mistakes. That left Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) to battle with MV Agusta riders Ayrton Badovini and Luca Scassa in an all-Italian punch up at the front. The three passed and repassed each other throughout the race, with all three remarkably making it to the finish line - Scassa taking the honours from Polita and Badovini. Corti brought his YZF-R1 SP home in fourth, six seconds behind the leader, to move himself up to retain fourth in the championship. Polita continues to lead the series, six points clear of Badovini and a further 13 ahead of third-placed Scassa.
 
Claudio Corti (Yamaha Team Italia) "I made a good start but lost some positions when I touched with Rocamora going into the first corner. That left me about three seconds behind the leading group and although I could run the same times as them the gap was too much to catch up. Overall though I am happy with the result. I have scored some good points and we have been able to make some changes to the set-up which has helped me to overcome the traction problems I have had in earlier races."
Circuit Length: 4197 Temp: 24 Crowd: 115,000 Weather: Sunny     2006 Superstock Brands Hatch 06/08/2006 Race 1 - 15 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 22'48.907 2 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 0'0.449 3 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 0'0.583 4 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 0'6.200 5 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 0'7.829 6 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 0'7.904 7 Brendan Roberts Suzuki AUS 0'10.196 8 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 0'12.933 9 Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 0'14.474 10 Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 0'14.520 11 Guy Sanders Kawasaki GBR 0'14.973 12 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 0'15.055 13 Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 0'15.254 14 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 0'15.329 15 Nick Henderson Suzuki AUS 0'20.965
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 1'30.037
 Rider Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 115 2. Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 109 3. Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 96 4. Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 65 5. Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 55 6. Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 45 7. Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 43 8. Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 38 9. Richard Cooper Honda GBR 34 10. Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 30 11. Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 29 12. Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 27 13. Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 25 14. Loic Napoleone Suzuki FRA 24 15. Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 23
Manufacturer Standings 06/08/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Suzuki 124 2. MV Agusta 118 3. Yamaha 83 4. Kawasaki 78 5. Honda 35
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno