Leon Camier – Aprilia WSB 2010

The Aprilia Alitalia rider Leon Camier will not be riding at the penultimate round of the World Superbike championship at Imola following his crash at the Nurburgring.

Camier suffered a broken scaphoid bone in his wrist during practice which needed surgical intervention and is now in doubt for the final round at Magny-Cours.

The British rider is now recovering from his successful surgery but is unlikely to be replaced at the following two rounds leaving Max Biaggi as the sole rider for the team.

Noriyuki Haga – Xerox Ducati 2010

This weekend saw the German round of the World Superbike championship at the Nurburgring with Noriyuki Haga winning race 1 and Jonathan Rea taking the flag in race 2.

Race 1

The initial race 1 was red flagged after just 1 lap after Leon Haslam crashed out at turn 4 sending his fellow riders in all directions trying to avoid him. Troy Corser was unable to avoid the Alstare Suzuki and crashed out leading to the race being red flagged.

As the race got underway for the second start both riders were back on the grid although Haslam struggled with an injured hand after it was hit by another rider during the crash.  Michel Fabrizio crashed out on lap 1 of the restart and retired from the race shortly after.

Max Biaggi had a great start, leading the pack as they headed for the first bend but was forced wide when  Carlos Checa attempted a move to get past and while the Althea Ducati rider managed to hold onto his second place Biaggi dropped back to eighth place.

Jonathan Rea was now leading ahead of Checa, Noriyuki Haga, Tom Sykes and a struggling Haslam in fourth while Corser’s disastrous race continued taking not only himself out of contention but also that of the Sylvain Guintoli at the Dunlop hairpin.

By lap 2, Cal Crutchlow had moved up to fourth place after passing both Haslam and Sykes following his tenth place grid start while his team-mate James Toseland low-sided off of his Sterilgarda Yamaha.

The Japanese rider made his move on Checa on lap three to slot into second position and began to chase down the leading man.  On lap 8 of the race, Checa began to put pressure on Haga to take back that second place which he was given after the Ducati Xerox rider crashed out.

Rea took the chequered flag for his fourth win of the season ahead of Checa in second, Crutchlow in third, Biaggi in fourth, Sykes in fifth, Haslam in sixth, Ruben Xaus in seventh, Guintoli in eighth, Shane Byrne in ninth and Luca Scassa in tenth.

Leon Camier took no part in either of the races after high-siding in the first qualifying session resulted in a broken right wrist.  The Aprilia rider is expected to have surgery on the injury sometime this week but it is unclear as yet if Camier will be back on his machine before the end of the season.

Here are the results;

1. Jonathan Rea GBR Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 20 lap
2. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1198 +1.126s
3. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 +10.006s
4. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +10.716s
5. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +17.391s
6. Leon Haslam GBR Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +19.301s
7. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +19.613s
8. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +19.880s
9. Shane Byrne GBR Althea Ducati 1198 +21.176s
10. Luca Scassa ITA Supersonic Ducati 1198 +29.752s
11. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Ducati 1198 +30.156s
12. Ian Lowry GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +53.622s
13. Roger Lee Hayden USA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +58.820s
14. Matteo Baiocco ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 25.906s

Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 DNS

Race 2

It was Noriyuki Haga that claimed the win in the second race of the day for only the second time this season following his victory at the Valencia round of the championship.

Carlos Checa was the man at the front as the lights went out followed by Haga, Jonathan Rea, Max Biaggi and Tom Sykes.

By lap 4, Haga had found a hug gap to pass Checa, capitalising on the Spaniards mistake which had forced him to go wide.  Checa kept the pressure on the Japanese rider until he made an error on lap 9 of the race and crashed out of the race.

Haga crossed the line to take the win ahead of Rea while behind Haslam, despite his injuries from his earlier crash, moved into third position.  Crutchlow finished in fourth place ahead of Biaggi in fifth, Guintoli in sixth, Sykes in seventh, James Toseland in eighth, Ruben Xaus in ninth and Shane Byrne in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198 20 Laps
2. Jonathan Rea GBR Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR
3. Leon Haslam GBR Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +8.060s
4. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 +8.457s
5. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +9.392s
6. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +9.556s
7. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +16.819s
8. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 +20.564s
9. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +21.040s
10. Shane Byrne GBR Althea Ducati 1198 +21.168s
11. Jakub Smrz CZE PATA B&G Racing Aprilia RSV-4 +21.734s
12. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +22.746s
13. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Ducati 1198 +24.526s
14. Luca Scassa ITA Supersonic Ducati 1198 +28.218s
15. Max Neukirchner GER Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +38.406s

Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 DNS

Ian Lowry

Following his wild-card ride at Brands Hatch for the Kawasaki team in the British Superbike series, Ian Lowry has now been given the chance to debut in the World Superbike championship at the Nurburgring.

The Irish rider is the latest replacement for the injured rider Chris Vermeulen and said;

“I am really grateful for this opportunity to ride for the Factory Kawasaki squad. It was always a dream of mine to compete in the World Superbike Championship and now this is becoming a reality. I enjoyed my outing at Brands Hatch  and working with such a professional team, and was surprised at how comfortable I felt on the Kawasaki.

“I know how competitive the World Superbike Championship is and I intend to make the most of this opportunity and repay the team with two strong finishes. I’m really looking forward to getting a full spin out in the bike again and am really excited about the race. ”

Leon Haslam – Stiggy Honda – Assen 2009

Leon Haslam will be the only rider on the grid for the Stiggy Honda World Superbike team for the ultimate three rounds of the Championship.

After John Hopkins was forced to retire for the remainder of the season after suffering an horrendous accident at the Nurburgring at the beginning of the month.  Hopkins had returned to the grid after recuperating from his big crash at Assen where he broke his hip and was side-lined for the next four rounds.  However, at the German circuit, the Honda rider was completely run over during a multi-crash, leaving him with further hip problems and a bleed to the brain.  He has since had surgery on the shoulder and wrist  and has had fluid drained from his hip and will return for a brain scan next month.

The team decided not to replace Hopkins on the grid after suffering with their own financial worries and will go it alone with Haslam for the last three rounds.

The team have also let their Supersport rider Gianluca Vizziello go, after failing to deliver the results they had expected plus the situation with the economic crisis, leaving Anthony West as the only Stiggy Supersport rider for the remainder of the Championship.

John Hopkins – Kawasaki Racing Team MotoGP

John Hopkins has not had the best of seasons this year and now he has been told that he will be out for the remainder of the season while he recuperates from his injuries suffered at the Nurburgring.

Hopkins began the year with the Kawasaki Racing Team in MotoGP but ended up losing his seat when the team pulled out of the championship amid the economic crisis.  The World Superbike Stiggy Honda team offered him a ride alongside Leon Haslam, but after only a couple of rounds, Hopkins suffered a huge crash at Assen, leaving him with a badly broken hip and out of the next four rounds.

After struggling to get fit, Hopkins again suffered an horrendous accident at the Nurburgring.  Hopkins appeared to be hit from behind, causing him to crash into Kawasaki of Broc Parkes. Hopkins was thrown off his bike and whilst laying across the track was completely ran over by another rider who was unable to avoid him.

In addition to suffering some minor injuries to his shoulder and wrist, the American also aggravated the previous injury suffered to his hip.  However, Hopkins suffered some bruising and a bleed to the brain and has been seen by a neurologist.  The small bruise to the back of his brain has now stopped bleeding and he has already undergone surgery to his wrist and shoulder as well as having fluid drained from his hip.

In six-weeks time, Hopkins will return to have a scan on his brain to make sure everything is progressing how it should be but he says he’s in high spirits and can’t wait to get back to work.

Here is a clip of the accident;

Race One Crash Nuburgring 2009

Ben Spies is now leading the World Superbike Championship after winning race one and finish second in race two as Noriyuki Haga crashed out.

Race One

The red flags were deployed as race one got underway after John Hopkins on the Stiggy Honda, lost the rear of his machine going into turn one, collecting the pair of Paul Bird Kawasaki riders Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada on the way.  Both Tamada and Hopkins were taken to hospital with concussion.

At the restart, it was Haga that led the pack across the line followed by Jonathan Rea on the Ten Kate Honda and Spies.

With 16 laps of the race to run, Spies passed Rea but  the Irishman reclaimed the position one lap later before immediately losing it again as he ran wide.  Spies then set about chasing Haga who had managed to create a 1 second gap.

The Yamaha rider made his move on Haga on lap 10 but couldn’t pull away from the Japanese rider until the penultimate lap .

Spies crossed the line to take his twelfth win of the season followed by Haga, who was riding for the first time since suffering a huge crash at Donington Park.

The Hanspree Ten Kate Honda of Carlos Checa crossed the line to take the third step of the podium after holding off his team-mate Jonathan Rea.

The battle for fifth place was taken by Max Biaggi on the Aprilia RSV4, after he had reclaimed the place taken by Leon Haslam a few laps previous.  Haslam finished in sixth for the Stiggy Honda team ahead of Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox machine.

Troy Corser on the BMW claimed eighth place after running as high as fourth during the race, he was followed by Tom Sykes on the second Yamaha World Superbike and Shane Byrne in tenth on the Sterilgarda Ducati.

Richard Cooper, who was riding as a replacement rider for the BMW man Ruben Xaus, crashed out of the race while running in fifteenth spot.

Here are the results;

1 5 19 B. SPIES USA Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 20 1′56.558 272,7 1′55.938 272,7 25 344 2
2 1 41 N. HAGA JPN Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 20 3.850 1′56.539 270,0 1′55.489 272,0 20 346 1
3 8 7 C. CHECA ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR1000RR 20 6.990 1′56.924 270,7 1′56.699 266,7 16 161 7
4 2 65 J. REA GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR1000RR 20 7.109 1′57.013 272,7 1′55.749 272,0 13 219 4
5 7 3 M. BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 20 12.825 1′56.775 274,8 1′56.440 272,0 11 211 5
6 3 91 L. HASLAM GBR Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 20 13.243 1′57.001 270,7 1′55.776 270,0 10 190 6
7 4 84 M. FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 20 14.223 1′56.933 272,7 1′55.927 269,3 9 282 3
8 6 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 20 14.382 1′56.943 268,0 1′56.296 268,7 8 61 16
9 9 66 T. SYKES GBR Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 20 17.206 1′57.201 271,4 1′56.406 269,3 7 157 8
10 10 67 S. BYRNE GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 20 26.547 1′57.730 268,7 1′56.663 266,0 6 140 9
11 16 14 M. LAGRIVE FRA Honda Althea Racing Honda CBR1000RR 20 27.388 1′57.638 265,4 1′57.293 266,0 5 24 19
12 17 31 K. MUGGERIDGE AUS Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 20 30.968 1′57.866 268,0 1′57.515 270,0 4 8 29
13 14 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 20 31.069 1′57.774 274,1 1′57.091 272,0 3 135 10
14 18 9 R. KIYONARI JPN Ten Kate Honda Racing Honda CBR1000RR 20 31.188 1′57.609 268,0 1′57.522 266,7 2 121 11
15 13 71 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 20 40.165 1′58.150 267,3 1′56.901 265,4 1 97 12
16 25 99 L. SCASSA ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 20 54.897 1′58.889 268,0 1′59.521 262,8 3 34
17 23 25 D. SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 20 1′01.958 1′59.246 262,8 1′59.058 260,2
18 27 88 R. RESCH AUT TKR Suzuki Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 19 1 Lap 2′01.239 258,4 2′02.102 254,1

Race Two

In race two, it was Jonathan Rea on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda that took his second victory of the season despite a late challenge by Sterilgarda Yamaha rider Ben Spies.

As the lights went out for the start of race two, it was Noriyuki Haga that led the riders into the first corner followed by BMW rider Troy Corser, Carlos Checa on the second Hanspree Honda and Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Honda.

Rea was in seventh place on his Honda as the front leaders headed into the first bend, but passed Spies before the end of lap one.  Carlos Checa passed the BMW of Troy Corser before attempting a move on Haga but ran wide as Rea made his way past Leon Haslam, Michel Fabrizio and Troy Corser.

Carlos Checa again made a move to pass Haga but this time it worked, however, he was unable to keep the pace and  Haga reclaimed his position on the following lap with Rea in his tow as Leon Haslam passed Checa for fourth place.

As Haga passed the Hanspree Honda on lap five at the hairpin, the Japanese rider went slightly wide giving Rea a glimpse of a pass.  As Haga moved back to the racing line he made contact with the Honda and crashed-out.  He was unable to restart his bike and was out of the race and lost his lead in the championship.

Leon Haslam was now sitting in third, moving his way up to second a couple of laps later when he passed the Honda of Carlos Checa.

Ben Spies was now on a charge and passed Checa with twelve laps of the race remaining, Spies then passed Haslam on the inside, forcing the Stiggy rider wide and allowing Checa back through.  Haslam was then passed by Max Biaggi on the Aprilia, demoting the Brit to fifth place.

Jonathan Rea took the chequered flag ahead of  Ben Spies in second and Carlos Checa in third.  Max Biaggi finished the race in fourth place followed by Leon Haslam in fifth and Troy Corser in sixth.

Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda Racing machine, finished in seventh place ahead of Tom Sykes on the second Yamaha World Superbike, Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox in ninth and Yukio Kagayama on the Suzuki Alstare in tenth.

Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda Ducati crashed out midway through the race and Richard Cooper crashed with only five laps left to run.

Here are the results;

1 2 65 J. REA GBR HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 20 1′56.234 274,1 1′55.749 272,0 13 25 244 4
2 5 19 B. SPIES USA Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 20 0.786 1′56.358 277,6 1′55.938 272,7 25 20 364 1
3 8 7 C. CHECA ESP HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 20 4.993 1′56.535 271,4 1′56.699 266,7 16 16 177 7
4 7 3 M.BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 20 8.191 1′56.728 273,4 1′56.440 272,0 11 13 224 5
5 3 91 L. HASLAM GBR Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 20 10.907 1′56.414 272,0 1′55.776 270,0 10 11 201 6
6 6 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 20 17.152 1′57.088 268,0 1′56.296 268,7 8 10 71 16
7 18 9 R. KIYONARI JPN Ten Kate Honda Racing Honda CBR1000RR 20 19.473 1′57.052 269,3 1′57.522 266,7 2 9 130 11
8 9 66 T. SYKES GBR Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 20 19.721 1′57.250 271,4 1′56.406 269,3 7 8 165 8
9 4 84 M.FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 20 22.981 1′56.924 268,0 1′55.927 269,3 9 7 289 3
10 13 71 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 20 24.161 1′57.372 265,4 1′56.901 265,4 1 6 103 12
11 14 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 20 29.367 1′57.404 269,3 1′57.091 272,0 3 5 140 10
12 11 10 F. NIETO ESP DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 20 30.007 1′57.553 266,7 1′56.670 267,3 4 17 21
13 15 23 B. PARKES AUS Kawasaki World Superbike RK.aTw. asaki ZX 10R 20 37.281 1′58.100 266,7 1′57.098 266,0 3 34 18
14 25 99 L. SCASSA ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 20 47.883 1′58.635 271,4 1′59.521 262,8 2 5 32
15 20 77 V. IANNUZZO ITA Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR 20 49.549 1′58.692 266,0 1′59.279 265,4 1 2 36
16 21 15 M.BAIOCCO ITA Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 20 49.635 1′58.553 270,0 1′58.637 261,5 3 35
17 23 25 D.SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 20 1′19.554 1′59.920 259,0 1′59.058 260,2
18 24 94 D. CHECA ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 IpoYnaemaha YZF R1 20 1′22.329 2′00.126 261,5 1′59.467 262,1

Karl Muggeridge

The former Supersport rider Karl Muggeridge, will be on the Alstare Suzuki machine this weekend, replacing the recuperating rider Max Neukirchner at the Nurburgring in Germany.

Neukirchner was advised by doctors to sit this round out and continue with his rehabilitation programme, which will no doubt disappoint his fans at his home race.  Max explained about his two recent operations, one to have screws inserted into his back and another to have a metal plate put into his side, making it more comfortable for the rider who no longer has to wear his body cast.

Muggeridge will ride alongside Japanese rider Yukio Kagayama who understands Max’s frustration at not getting back on the Suzuki and said;

“Last year I missed the race because I broke a bone in my hand after crashing in the Saturday free practice session, so this year I hope that I will be able to do both races at the very least! We have had a long break since the last race and I am itching to get back on my bike again and hungry for some good results. It is a shame that  Max will not be racing this weekend and I would like to wish him a speedy recovery. Nurburgring is not an easy circuit because there are many changes of elevation and some slow corners, but I hope we can find a good bike set-up early on, have a good Superpole; and then a good day on Sunday.”

Neukirchner fully intends to be at the circuit to cheer on Karl and Yukio, although he admitted that it would be hard to watch as he is itching to get back to work.

Karl Muggeridge said;

“Firstly I would like to wish Max all the best and say ‘get well soon mate.’ This coming weekend is a nice opportunity to work with Alstare again. The last time was when I raced Supersport for them in 2001 and it’s good to see that many of the mechanics are the same ones I knew then. That will make my life easier when we start working with the bike on Friday for sure.  The team is not putting any pressure on me at all and have told me to just ride the bike and do the best I can. I have spent some time with the Alstare mechanics and have seen the differences between the bike and the Suzuki I raced earlier this year. I think that the biggest difference will be the handling and the electronics: These days it takes quite a lot of time to understand the electronics and the changes that can be made and the quicker I can understand them, the better it’ll be. I’m really looking forward to the weekend, even though I know it’s not going to be an easy one, but whatever happens I will give it my best shot.”

Karl Muggeridge – Celani Suzuki 2009

The latest casualty of the economic crisis is the Celani Suzuki team, who have decided not to take part in the next round of the World Superbike Championship at Nurburgring on September 6.

The team are planning to make a come-back for the following three rounds at Imola, Magny Cours and Portimao with a more competitive machine after scoring only 5 points so far this season.

Karl Muggeridge was the initial rider for the team, scoring 4 out of the total 5 points before suffering a cracked vertebrae in a crash at Assen.  Alessandro Polita replaced the injured rider after he was left without a ride when the Suzuki Hoegee team pulled out of the Supersport World Championship.

Muggeridge will be riding as a replacement for the injured Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner.  The team will however have David Giugliano riding for them in the Nurburgring Superstock 1000 FIM cup on the same weekend.

Max Neukirchner – Suzuki Alstare 2009

The Suzuki Alstare rider Max Neukirchner has undergone a second operation to stabilise the damaged vertebrae he suffered in an accident at Imola back in July.

The operation was done in two stages by specialist Dr. Stöckel at a hospital in Chemnitz.  Firstly the broken thoracic vertebra was stabilised by screws and then three days later, the second vertebrae in the lumbar region was set.

One of the main priorities for the young German rider was that the healing process would not be delayed by going ahead with the surgery as he fully intends to race at least one or two more rounds this season.

Max is disappointed that he will not be on the grid for his home race at the Nürburgring, however, he will be attending the event to meet fans and to promote the Suzuki team.

The Australian Karl Muggeridge will be the replacement rider for Max at the next round of the World Superbike Championship on September 6