Leon Haslam – Stiggy Honda 2009

Leon Haslam and the Stiggy Honda World Superbike team are parting company at the end of the 2009 season due to the teams ongoing financial problems.

The Stiggy Honda team, earlier quit their relationship with their backer S2 Racing, which has led to the pair parting ways to pursue their own projects for the 2010 season.

Johan Stigefelt, the team owner said;

“After the S2 Racing financial issues and complications it was clear that we had to address the future alone.  Our plans involved Leon but we are not fully in a position to commit for 2010 at this stage therefore its better for Leon to pursue his career elsewhere.

Overall, with Leon, it has been a great year. We didn’t know each other too well at the start but the experience has been thoroughly enjoyable and I hope we can work together again one day”.

Leon Haslam said;

“I think it’s fair to say that we started the year as complete underdogs and outsiders but I knew we had the potential with Johan’s team when I saw the guys he’d brought in for me.

My crew and the rest of the guys have done an excellent job and the results confirm their ability as a team. I want to thank Stiggy for this opportunity, for believing in me and getting me back in the top level of racing again. I hope Stiggy manages to regroup quickly as the team is still young and clearly has huge potential.”

Running sixth in the current championship, Haslam is rumoured to be making a move to the Alstare Suzuki team for 2010.

Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox 2009

The World Superbike series headed to France this weekend with Ben Spies and Noriyuki Haga sharing the wins at the Magny-Cours circuit.

Race One

It was Ben Spies on the Yamaha World Superbike that led into the first corner of race one with Max Biaggi, Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio, all fighting for second place.

Rea on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda passed the Aprilia of Biaggi going into the hairpin while Haga on the Ducati Xerox slipped past the Stiggy Honda of Haslam, but not for long as Haslam soon retook his position.

Tom Sykes crashed out on the fast, downhill section to Lycee at the Magny-Cours circuit on the second Yamaha World Superbike but managed to walk away from the accident.

With 19 laps of the race to run, Fabrizio put his Ducati Xerox ahead of Haslam to take fifth position while just two laps later, Jonathan Rea suffered some sort of technical problem and drove into the pit lane to retire.

Haga continued to hassle the Italian rider but couldn’t find a way past the Aprilia until on lap 17, Biaggi made the mistake of leaving a gap wide enough for Haga to get through and beginning to chase down the American, who by now had made a gap of 1.3 seconds.

With only 6 laps of the race remaining and Haga was realising that only a mistake by the Yamaha rider would see him in the lead,and unusually the error occurred with Spies running wide and letting Haga slip up the inside and at the front.  Spies soon retook his spot and cut up the inside at the corner exit.  The two riders were racing side-by-side heading down to Lycee but it was Spies who was first at the bend.

Biaggi took the final step of the podium finishing in third place ahead of Fabrizio in fourth and Stiggy Honda rider Leon Haslam in fifth.  In sixth place was Carlos Checa on the second Hanspree Ten Kate Honda, after qualifying in twelfth on the grid, followed by the Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama in seventh, Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda Ducati in eighth, Troy Corser on the BMW Motorrad in ninth and Jakub Smrz on the Guandalini Ducati in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 37mins 57.110secs 23 laps
2. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198R +0.181s
3. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +5.009s
4. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198R +16.347s
5. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +22.622s
6. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +24.948s
7. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +27.144s
8. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R +27.578s
9. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +28.486s
10. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +28.716s
11. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +52.680s
12. Matteo Baiocco ITA Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +1min 01.372s
13. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 05.123s
14. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 05.483s
15. David Checa ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 YZF R1 +1min 05.672s

18. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Racing RSV-4 20 laps completred
19. Sheridan Morais RSA Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 13 laps completed
20. Fonsi Nieto ESP DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 12 laps completed
21. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R 10 laps completed
22. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000 7 laps completed
23. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 5 laps completed
24. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 3 laps completed
25. Karl Muggeridge AUS Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 3 laps completed
26. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1 lap completed

Race Two

In race two it was Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox that took the chequered flag, with his eighth win of the season and now leads the championship by 10 points over the Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies.

Haga took the lead from the start while Ben Spies struggled with his machine for the entire race.  After losing the lead to Haga, Max Biaggi was all over the Ducati, making a pass on lap 5 which Haga soon took back.  Biaggi then tried the same move again two laps later, running wide and allowing Jonathan Rea to slip through on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda.

Rea was soon on the tail of the Ducati and the three top riders swapped places several times over the following laps.  The Hanspree Honda rider finally left enough of a gap to allow the Aprilia through and was forced wide as Biaggi retook his second place.

Ben Spies finished in fourth place followed by Leon Haslam, taking his second fifth position of the day for the Stiggy Honda team.  In sixth place was the Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama ahead of Shane Byrne of the Sterilgarda Ducati, Karl Muggeridge on the second Suzuki Alstare, Carlos Checa on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda and Troy Corser on the BMW Motorrad in tenth.

The two leading riders seemed a bit confused as they crossed the line, both Spies and Biaggi continued racing for another lap, oblivious that the race was over.

The British Superbike rider Leon Camier was denied a finish in both races for the Aprilia team after suffering technical difficulties with his machine.

Here are the results;

1. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198R 38mins 00.282s 23 laps
2. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +1.480s
3. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000 +6.024s
4. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 +18.135s
5. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +21.236s
6. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +23.647s
7. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R +23.701s
8. Karl Muggeridge AUS Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +24.838s
9. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +31.455s
10. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +32.507s
11. Fonsi Nieto ESP DFX Corse Ducati 1098R +37.594s
12. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +44.727s
13. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198R +49.782s
14. Matteo Baiocco ITA Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +50.345s
15. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R +56.209s

DNS Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR
DNS Flavio Gentile ITA Althea Honda CBR1000RR

Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox 2009

Noriyuki Haga claimed his first victory in four-months in race one at Imola yesterday with Michel Fabrizio taking his maiden win of the championship in race two.

Race One

Noriyuki Haga is back in contention for the championship once again, after winning the first race at the Imola round  for the Ducati Xerox team.

Max Biaggi on the Aprilia RSV4, led the race by the end of the first lap after starting from sixth on the grid, he was  followed by Michel Fabrizio, Jonathan Rea and Haga.  Ben Spies was back in fifth place after making contact with the BMW of Troy Corser as they battled to get ahead in the first corner.

On lap 3, Rea on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda, made an error heading over the crest leading onto the Rivazza complex.  Unable to stop, he shot across the path of Fabrizio and Haga before going into the gravel trap and dropping his machine, once back on his feet he managed to get his bike back on circuit but was now in last place.

As the leading four headed into the distance, Spies struggled to keep up with the three front runners as Biaggi came under pressure from the Ducati of Fabrizio who had re-taken second position from his team-mate Haga.

Haga took the second place slot back on lap 8 as they went into Rivazza, before making the same move two-laps later on Biaggi, who straight away fought back for his position.  Haga finally made the move stick on lap 18 of the race with Fabrizio finding his way past the Aprilia after getting a better run coming out of the final chicane.

Spies who had now made his way back to the front of the riders, also tried to take advantage of Biaggi by following Fabrizio through but the Aprilia rider had already seen him and shut the door.

On the final lap, Biaggi reclaimed his second position at the final bend as he dived up the inside of Fabrizio and took his place with just a one hundredth of a second.

Spies finished in fourth place, five seconds behind Haga followed by Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda racing machine who had started in fourteenth on the grid.

Leon Haslam took fifth place on the Stiggy Honda after starting in tenth ahead of Jonathan Rea in seventh and Jakub Smrz for the Guandalini Racing team in eighth.

In ninth was Tom Sykes on the Yamaha World Superbike followed by Australian rider Broc Parkes for the Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team.

Marco Simoncelli crashed out of his debut race after replacing the injured rider Shinya Nakano at the Imola circuit.  Running in fifth place at the start of the race after a bad start, Simoncelli crashed out on lap 10 after losing the front of his Aprilia and was forced to retire.

Here are the results;

1. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198R 21 laps
2. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +2.074s
3. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198R +2.190s
4. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 +5.438s
5. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +14.470s
6. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +14.685s
7. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000 +28.822s
8. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +32.694s
9. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 +33.817s
10. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R +34.801s
11. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +35.296s
12. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +36.442s
13. Karl Muggeridge AUS Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +38.698
14. Matteo Baiocco ITA Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +42.147s
15. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +45.510s

19. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 13 laps completed
20. Marco Simoncelli ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 9 laps completed
21. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 8 laps completed
22. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 7 laps completed
23. Fonsi Nieto ESP DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 7 laps completed
24. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 5 laps completed
25. Luca Conforti ITA Barni Corse Ducati 1098R 5 laps completed
26. Matthieu Lagrive FRA Althea Honda CBR1000RR 3 laps completed
27. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 2 laps completed

Race Two

Michel Fabrizio took to the front of the pack in the second race of the day after starting in pole position, followed by Noriyuki Haga, Max Biaggi, Shane Byrne and Jonathan Rea.

Spies got off to a terrible start and was back in sixth position as the race got underway from second on the grid.  He moved into fifth place after an error by Rea on lap 1.

Haga soon passed his team-mate to take the lead as Biaggi made a move on Fabrizio but only until lap 5 when the Ducati was back in front of the Aprilia.

By lap 11, Fabrizio was all over the back of Haga, apparently ignoring team orders, and took the lead going into turn one on lap 13.

Marco Simoncelli, on his debut weekend in World Superbikes, claimed an impressive third place on the second Aprilia Racing machine.  After closing in on his team-mate Biaggi, Simoncelli made a daring move and passed him at the Variante Bassa with some late braking, forcing Biaggi into the gravel which in turn also took Spies through the gravel trap as he was pushed wide as Biaggi rejoined the circuit.

Spies finished in fifth place ahead of Jonathan Rea in sixth, Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda Ducati in seventh, Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Honda in eighth, Jakub Smrz on the second Sterilgarda Ducati in ninth and Carlos Checa for the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda team completing the top ten.

Here are the results;

1. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198R 21 laps
2. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198R +3.592s
3. Marco Simoncelli ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +6.510s
4. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +7.445s
5. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 +14.678s
6. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000 +16.396s
7. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R +17.110s
8. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +22.502s
9. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +25.268s
10. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +30.203s
11. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R +32.649s
12. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 +36.243s
13. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR +36.368s
14. Karl Muggeridge AUS Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +38.809
15. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R +42.438s

DNS. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R
DNS. Luca Conforti ITA Barni Corse Ducati 1098R

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

Max Biaggi – Aprilia Racing 2009

This weekend the World Superbike Championship took place at the Brno circuit with race wins going to Max Biaggi and Ben Spies.

Race 1

Max Biaggi took the Aprilia across the line in the first race of the day to take his first victory since 2007 and the teams first win since 2001 when Régis Laconi won at Imola.

In second place was Carlos Checa on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda, followed in third by his team-mate Jonathan Rea.  Britain’s Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda Ducati, finished in fourth ahead of Troy Corser on the BMW Motorrad Team Alpha Racing bike in fifth and Jakub Smrz on the Guandalini Racing machine in sixth.

Ben Spies on the Yamaha World Superbike was leading the race on lap 4 ahead of Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox Team bike and Biaggi.  Fabrizio made a move on Spies but collided with the American ending the race for both of them and passing the reins to Biaggi.

Ruben Xaus, the second BMW rider, had been running in seventh place on the first lap when he went down on the exit of the right-hand hairpin.  The bike and rider were thrown into the gravel trap with the Spaniard receiving a leg injury seeing him being taken to the on-site medical centre.  The injury proved worse than was first though and Xaus had actually suffered a break to the femur in his right leg. Xaus is hoping that the scheduled five-week summer break will give his injury enough time to heal and that he will be back on his BMW by the next round in September.

Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Honda, finished in an impressive seventh after qualifying in seventeenth on the grid while his team-mate John Hopkins, crashed out after losing the front-end of his bike.

Here are the results;

1. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 20 laps
2. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +3.631s
3. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000 +9.948s
4. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R +12.952s
5. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +14.599s
6. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +19.359s
7. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +19.680s
8. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198R +20.731s
9. Matthieu Lagrive FRA HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR +21.923s
10. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +27.807s
11. Fonsi Nieto ESP DFX Corse Ducati 1098R +35.263s
12. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R +36.535s
13. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +38.586s
14. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +40.061s
15. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR +40.280s

16. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +40.641s
17. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 10.529s
18. David Checa ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 YZF R1 +1min 14.874s
19. Roland Resch AUT TKR Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1min 42.979s
20. Milos Cihak CZE ProRace Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 +1min 43.111s

Not Classified

21. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 18 laps completed
22. Alessandro Polita ITA Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 14 laps completed
23. John Hopkins USA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 10 laps completed
24. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 8 laps completed
25. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 4 laps completed
26. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198R 4 laps completed
27. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 2 laps completed
28. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 0 laps completed

Race 2

In the second race it was Ben Spies that again led the riders to claim his eleventh win of the season, however, this time he had the challenging Max Biaggi to hold back.

Michel Fabrizio took third behind Biaggi, followed by Jonathan Rea in fourth and Carlos Checa in fifth.  An impressive sixth place went to Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox in sixth position.

Haga is still suffering from injuries received at an earlier round and confirmed that he is frustrated at not being able to ride to his full potential.  The Japanese riders shoulder and wrist are still causing him pain but he somehow managed to finish inside the top ten in both races this weekend, with a sixth and eighth position giving him a lead of 7 points in the championship ahead of Spies.

The Stiggy Honda duo were probably glad to see the back of this weekend with Haslam finishing in twelfth in the second race of the day while Hopkins ended with no points again after suffering technical difficulties on his machine.

Yukio Kagayama on the Suzuki Alstare bike, happened to be behind Hopkins when his troubles began.  As Hopkins slowed going into the right-hander, Kagayama had no where to go and hit the rear of the Americans bike causing him to crash out and  with only a fourteenth in race one, not a good weekend for the Suzuki team either.

Here are the results;

1. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 20 laps
2. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +0.213s
3. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198R +0.657
4. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000 +8.311s
5. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +8.915s
6. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198R +21.175s
7. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 +21.384s
8. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R +21.599s
9. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R +21.726s
10. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +25.180s
11. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 +25.612s
12. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR +25.622s
13. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +26.246s
14. Matthieu Lagrive FRA HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR +31.098s
15. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R +32.706s

16. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R +33.173s
17. Fonsi Nieto ESP DFX Corse Ducati 1098R +34.953s
18. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR +57.751s
19. David Checa ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 YZF R1 +1min 00.273s
20. Roland Resch AUT TKR Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R1000 +1min 29.794s

Not Classified

21. Alessandro Polita ITA Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 12 laps completed
22. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 7 laps completed
23. Milos Cihak CZE ProRace Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 7 laps completed
24. John Hopkins USA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 6 laps completed
25. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 6 laps completed
26. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 5 laps completed
27. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 3 laps completed

DNS Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR

Max Biaggi -Aprilia Racing 2009

Max Biaggi on the Aprilia Racing machine, took provisional pole position today for the Brno round of the World Superbike Championship in the Czech Republic.

Biaggi was the only rider to set a time of under two-minutes, staying ahead of his fellow Italian Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox Team bike, who finished less than a tenth-of-a-second behind.

Carlos Checa on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda, finished in third place followed by Ben Spies on the Yamaha World Superbike in  fourth and Lorenzo Lanzi on the DFX Ducati in fifth.

Troy Corser on the BMW Motorrad Team Alpha Racing machine, crossed the line sixth fastest ahead of the second Aprilia Racing bike of Shinya Nakano in seventh.

The second BMW of Ruben Xaus was in eighth place followed by the Kawasaki World Superbike rider Broc Parkes in ninth and Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama completing the top ten riders of the day.

Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda Ducati finished in eleventh ahead of John Hopkins on the Stiggy Honda, who had crashed during the session.

Noriyuki Haga, back on the Ducati Xerox team bike, made steady progress during the session, finishing in fifteenth place overall, a mere 1.080 seconds off the fastest lap set by Biaggi.

Another rider returning to the championship was Makoto Tamada for the Kawasaki Superbike Racing team.  The Japanese rider ended the day in seventeenth place after his final lap, which would have seen him in fourth position, was annulled after it was deemed he had started his fast lap after the chequered flag had been shown.

Here are the results;

1 3 M.BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′59.982
2 84 M. FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 2′00.066
3 7 C. CHECA ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR1000RR 2′00.205
4 19 B. SPIES USA Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 2′00.558
5 57 L. LANZI ITA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 2′00.581
6 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 2′00.603
7 56 S. NAKANO JPN Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′00.648
8 111 R. XAUS ESP BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 2′00.731
9 23 B. PARKES AUS Kawasaki World Superbike R.T. Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′00.887
10 71 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 2′00.958
11 67 S. BYRNE GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 2′01.017
12 121 J. HOPKINS USA Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 2′01.021
13 65 J. REA GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR1000RR 2′01.023
14 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 2′01.031
15 41 N. HAGA JPN Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 2′01.062
16 66 T. SYKES GBR Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 2′01.070
17 100 M. TAMADA JPN Kawasaki World Superbike R.T. Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′01.385
18 91 L. HASLAM GBR Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 2′01.403
19 9 R. KIYONARI JPN Ten Kate Honda Racing Honda CBR1000RR 2′01.439
20 14 M. LAGRIVE FRA Honda Althea Racing Honda CBR1000RR 2′01.720
21 99 L. SCASSA ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′02.155
22 77 V. IANNUZZO ITA Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR 2′02.346
23 10 F. NIETO ESP DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 2′02.644
24 25 D. SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 2′02.691
25 94 D. CHECA ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 Ipone Yamaha YZF R1 2′02.785
26 53 A. POLITA ITA Celani Race Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 2′02.940
27 88 R. RESCH AUT TKR Suzuki Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 2′04.041
28 51 M.CIHAK CZE ProRace Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 2′04.905

Max Neukirchner – Suzuki Alstare 2009

The teams and riders of the World Superbike Championship, will begin the official three-day test next week at Imola, for the first time in three-years.

On day one of the test, the Superstock machines take to the track leaving the two days free for the Superbike and Supersport riders.

Since the series last tested at the circuit in 2006, many changes have taken place including a new chicane on the main straight, approved by Claude Danis.  The track now features new pit garages as well as an international standard media centre.

Max Neukirchner will be returning to work for the Suzuki Alstare team after his horrendous accident at the first corner at Monza.

Michel Fabrizio will be the sole rider for the Xerox Ducati team while Noriyuki Haga continues to recuperate from his accident at Donington which left him with a broken arm and fractured scapula.

It is also rumoured that Matteo Baiocco, who recently lost his ride with the PSG-1 Corse team after they withdrew from the championship with financial difficulties, is to ride as a wild-card for the DFX Ducati team alongside Lorenzo Lanzi.

Other riders attending the test are ; Makoto Tamada (Kawasaki WSB Team), (Yamaha WSB) Ben Spies & Tom Sykes, (Ten Kate Honda) Carlos Checa, Jonathan Rea & Ryuichi Kiyonari, (BMW Motorrad) Troy Corser & Ruben Xaus, (Aprilia Racing) Max Biaggi & Shinya Nakano, (Stiggy Racing Honda ) Leon Haslam & John Hopkins.

The first day of testing takes place on Tuesday 14th July until Thursday 16th July 2009.

Ben Spies – Donington Park

The Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies, won both races in round nine of the World Superbike Championship at Donington Park on Sunday.

Race 1

Spies dominated the qualifying session on Saturday and continued by winning the race on Sunday shadowed by the Aprilia Racing rider Max Biaggi.

On the final lap of the race it looked like all the hard work from Biaggi had been wasted as his machine came almost to a halt, just a couple of hundred yards from the chequered flag.  However, after a bit of weaving by the Italian he picked up speed and shot across the line to take his place on the podium, it was later confirmed that he had some sort of fuel problem.

Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox bike took the final step of the podium followed in fourth place by Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Motorsport Honda.

Shane Byrne was right on the tail of Haslam for the Sterilgarda Ducati team ahead of the second Aprilia Racing bike ridden by Shinya Nakano in sixth.

Jonathan Rea on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda took seventh followed by John Hopkins on the second Stiggy Honda, Jakub Smrz on the Guandalini Racing bike was in ninth and Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda Racing bike to complete the top ten riders.

Here are the results;

1  19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 34′57.230 (158,831 kph)
2   3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.156
3  41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 10.968
4  91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 18.843
5  67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 19.125
6  56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 21.286
7  65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 23.644
8 121 Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 32.849
9  96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 32.904
10   9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 33.192
11   7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 34.535
12  84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 35.093
13  22 Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 35.441
14  57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 39.034
15 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 41.067
16  14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 46.452
17  71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 47.924
18  23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 48.246
19  99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 50.932
20 117 Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 55.032
21   2 Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 55.216
22  53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′02.758
23  25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′02.977
24  94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1 1′12.255
25  79 Young B. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′12.531
RET  11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR
RET  27 Ellison J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1
RET  88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET  66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1
RET  36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R
RET  77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR

Race 2

The second race was again dominated by the American rider Ben Spies, who started the race as he meant to go on, creating a gap from the off, and claiming his tenth win of the 2009 season.

Noriyuki Haga crashed out from second place on lap 5 of the race while trying to bridge the gap between himself and Spies.  The Ducati rider was taken to a Derby hospital and was treated for a fracture to the ulna in his right arm.  Haga today underwent surgery to insert a plate and screws to the ulna which has been deemed a success, the multiple fractures discovered to his left shoulder will heal on their own and did not need intervention.  The team believe it would still be possible for Haga to ride at the next round at Brno but he will not take part in the test due at Imola.

British rider Leon Haslam, took the Stiggy bike across the line to claim the second step of the podium, after battling for the position with Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox and Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda machine.  Haslam finally made his move stick with three laps of the race remaining and said that he had been spurred on by the British fans at his home track.

Fabrizio finished in third ahead of Byrne in fourth after suffering technical problems in race one.  The Italian had broken the lap record during qualifying but a gear problem saw him sliding backwards to finally finish in twelfth position, but he was back on the podium in the second race after jumping on his spare bike.

Neither of the Aprilia Racing riders finished the second race with Biaggi crashing out on lap 4 at the Melbourne hairpin.  The Italian got back on his machine only to make contact again with another rider and later x-rays showed he had received a hairline fracture to his right foot.  Fortunately, with the three week break now before Brno, Biaggi is expected to be fit to ride in the next round.

Shinya Nakano, on the second Aprilia, amazingly walked away without injury when he crashed at high speed just after the opening lap of race two.

John Hopkins was not on the grid for the second race despite finishing the first race in eighth place from thirteenth in qualifying.  Hopkins apologised to his fans and supporters for not taking part but was said to be suffering so much pain from the first race that he could not carry on.

Simon Andrews, riding as a wild-card, achieved his aim of a top ten finish in race two for the Kawasaki team after qualifying in twenty-sixth position.

Leon Camier was another wild-card rider this weekend, claiming sixth in race two after starting in twenty-second place.  The Airwaves Yamaha rider demolished his number one bike during provisional qualifying and on the spare could only manage seventeenth position.  In both races he made a terrible start but fought his way back to the top in race two.  His team-mate James Ellison, crashed out in the first race but finished an impressive eighth in race two.

Here are the results;

1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 35′14.788 (157,512 kph)
2 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 6.622
3 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 6.816
4 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 7.349
5 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 8.145
6 22 Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 13.463
7 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 15.751
8 27 Ellison J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 16.837
9 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 22.891
10 117 Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 30.347
11 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 30.622
12 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 31.562
13 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 32.148
14 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 32.607
15 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 32.806
16 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 34.269
17 79 Young B. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 40.644
18 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 40.956
19 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 41.302
20 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 42.856
21 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 47.769
RET 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET 53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1
RET 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R
RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
RET 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
RET 2 Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R