Chris Vermeulen now has a race against time to be fit for round two of the World Superbike championship after his spectacular crash in the second race of the day at Phillip Island in Australia.
The Kawasaki rider was thrown and narrowly missed by his own bike, hitting the tyre wall at speed and injuring his right knee in the impact. After undergoing an MRI scan it was discovered that he had five tears to his ligament, cartilage and muscle which may require an operation.
He’s a quick clip of Vermeulen giving an update of his injury;
Leon Haslam - Race One Winner at Phillip Island, Australia 2010
Last weekend saw the first round of the World Superbike Championship of 2010 take place at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia.
Leon Haslam claimed his first ever win in race one at the opening round after crossing the line in a photo finish alongside Italian rider Michel Fabrizio. Noriyuki Haga followed the pair to take third place followed by Jonathan Rea, Max Biaggi and Sylvain Guintoli in sixth.
Leon Camier, the 2009 British Superbike Champion, finished his debut World Superbike race in eleventh place in his first race after qualifying down in sixteenth place following a fall in the Superpole session. The British rider fought his way through to seventh place during the race until a mistake as he tussled for fourth place on lap 15 saw him take to the escape road to avoid a collision.
Leon Camier - Phillip Island, Australia 2010
In an exciting second race of the opening round, Carlos Checa denied Leon Haslam his second win of the day, taking the victory on the final lap. Checa got off to a poor start but had moved into fifth place by lap eight before picking off the race leaders with only Haslam ahead of him until the last lap of the race. The Spaniard forced his Althea Racing machine up the inside of the British rider before the last left-hander and holding the lead to cross the line.
Haslam finished in second place followed by Fabrizio in third and Guintoli fourth. Chris Vermeulen crashed out during the race and was seen following his bike hard into the tyre wall at the entry to Lukey Heights and was taken to the track-side medical centre where he was diagnosed with a badly bruised right leg and a damaged finger.
Carlos Checa - Race Two Winner - Phillip Island, Australia 2010
Here are the results;
Race One
1. Leon Haslam GBR Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 34mins 13.435s22 laps
2. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198 +0.004s
3. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198 +0.769s
4. Jonathan Rea GBR Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +10.201s
5. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +10.782s
6. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +11.079s
7. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1198 +11.208s
8. Jakub Smrz CZE PATA B&G Racing Ducati 1198 +16.522s
9. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +20.291s
10. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Ducati 1198 +26.352s
11. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +29.775s
12. Max Neukirchner GER Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +30.155s
13. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +31.951s
14. Shane Byrne GBR Althea Ducati 1198 +31.957s
15. Andrew Pitt AUS Reitwagen BMW S1000RR +55.082s
16. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR +1min 10.932s
17. Matteo Baiocco ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 11.237s
18. Roger Lee Hayden USA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 17.357s
19. Joshua Brookes AUS Echo-CRS Honda CBR1000RR +6 laps
Not Classified
20. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 5 laps completed
21. Chris Vermeulen AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 3 laps completed
22. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 2 laps completed
Did Not Start
Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR Roland Resch AUT Reitwagen BMW S1000RR
Race Two
1. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1198 34mins 16.428secs22 laps
2. Leon Haslam GBR Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +0.307s
3. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198 +0.434s
4. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +0.837s
5. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198 +3.453s
6. Jonathan Rea GBR Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +11.530s
7. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +12.068s
8. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +13.782s
9. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 +14.401s
10. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 +14.707s
11. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +14.743s
12. Shane Byrne GBR Althea Ducati 1198 +14.851s
13. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Ducati 1198 +15.143s
14. Joshua Brookes AUS Echo-CRS Honda CBR1000RR +30.947s
15. Andrew Pitt AUS Reitwagen BMW S1000RR +41.866s
16. Max Neukirchner GER Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +48.844s
17. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR +1min 06.888s
18. Roger Lee Hayden USA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 07.761s
Not Classified
19. Matteo Baiocco ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 17 laps completed
20. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 13 laps completed
21. Chris Vermeulen AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 7 laps completed
22. Jakub Smrz CZE PATA B&G Racing Ducati 1198 6 laps completed
Did Not Start
Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR Roland Resch AUT Reitwagen BMW S1000RR
It has been a long wait since Ben Spies beat off the challenge of Nori Haga to win the 2009 World Superbike Championship, but the 2010 season kicks off this weekend at Australia’s Phillip Island with a new field packed with aspiring British talent.
The seven-strong British challenge will be fronted by two-time former champion James Toseland who returns to the series for Yamaha after two seasons competing in MotoGP. Joining Toseland on the grid will be 2009 British Superbike winner Leon Camier who prepares to make the step up and see if he can replicate his championship winning form on the global stage.
Adding to wealth of British talent in the championship will be World Supersport champion Cal Crutchlow who makes the move to the series and will partner Toseland for Yamaha. The 24-year-old finished third in the 2008 British Superbike Championship, following this up by claiming the Supersport crown in his rookie season last year.
Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Shane Byrne (Althea Racing) and Leon Haslam (Team Suzuki Alstare) will complete the super-seven British line-up.
Once again the championship challenge can be followed on Eurosport and this season they will provide their most comprehensive broadcast package yet with LIVE coverage from every round on British Eurosport, high definition content on Eurosport HD and every race available on demand via the Eurosport Player.
From the second round in Portimao and for every European round of the Championship, viewers can also enjoy coverage in stunning high definition on Eurosport HD. All the action will be streamed LIVE on the Eurosport Player and for the first time, every race will be available as video on demand for those who missed it or simply want to watch again.
TV coverage of the first round of the World Superbike Championship 2010 at Phillip Island starts on February 27th and the scheduled times are as follows:
Saturday 27 Feb
0400-0500 LIVE Superpole qualifying on British Eurosport 2
0900-1000, 1215-1315, 1515-1615 & 2230-2330 Highlights on British Eurosport 2
Sunday 28 Feb
0100-0200 LIVE WSB race one on British Eurosport 2
0230-0330 LIVE World Supersport race on British Eurosport 2
0430-0530 LIVE WSB race two on British Eurosport 2
0900-1130, 1400-1630 & 2000-2230 Highlights on British Eurosport 2
Andrew Pitt has signed a two-year deal to ride alongside Roland Resch for the Reitwagen Motorsport BMW team for the 2010 World Superbike Championship.
The double World Supersport champion and former MotoGP rider has been out of the World Superbike series for four-years but is keen to get back in the championship.
Pitt said;
“After four years I’m very happy to be back in World Superbike and excited about riding for such a dedicated and passionate team. The team also includes plenty of very experienced operators and BMW are obviously serious about the World Superbike program, so I think this is going to be a great thing.
I’m looking forward to the challenge of a new bike. I’ve been working hard on my fitness and I’m more motivated than ever to have a successful two-years.”
It has been confirmed that the Stiggy Honda team will not be taking part in the 2010 season in either the World Superbike or the World Supersport series due to financial difficulties.
An official team statement read;
‘The Stiggy Racing Honda team has over its five years of participation been very successful, but nevertheless found itself put in a difficult economic situation and has been forced to withdraw from the World Superbike and World Supersport championships in 2010.
The decision has been made after a close evaluation of the team’s poor economic situation, which was created during this year’s expanded venture by participating in both championship classes, a huge financial project that was poorly executed by the team’s investors as a result of failing to fulfil their financial commitments for the 2009 season.
The Stiggy Racing Honda team has since its beginning shown great potential, starting up in 2005 in the Supersport class, slowly building its ground in the championship and year-by-year advancing to finally set a solid mark as a top contender. The team managed its best result in 2008 by finishing third in the Supersport championship with Joshua Brookes.
Being a private team in a championship like Superbike – consisting of seven factory teams – means not only stiff competition on-track but also an immediate financial weakness, making it very difficult to survive without solid financial back-up and support.
Despite financial disadvantages, the team has been able to achieve incredible performances in its Superbike rookie year, debuting the season with a third-place podium finish and repeating another three podium places during the season including eleven top five finishes – giving Leon Haslam the title of best privateer rider in sixth place in the championship. The team ended the year as the fifth-best ranked team in both SSP and SBK classes in 2009.
‘[This was] a magnificent result by everyone involved with the Stiggy Racing Honda team since its beginning – an achievement to be proud of and one that allows it to finish its career with heads held high.’
