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

Fonsi Nieto

The World Superbike rider Fonsi Nieto is to ride alongside Lorenzo Lanzi for the DFX Ducati team at the Brno round on the 26th July.

Nieto has taken part in three rounds of the championship this season on the Alstare Suzuki, after being drafted in as a replacement rider for the injured Max Neukirchner.  The Spaniard was lined-up to race for the team this year but was dropped after it was decided to condense the riders down to just two, Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama.

Lanzi is riding also as a replacement rider for Regis Laconi, who suffered horrendous injuries when he crashed at the Kyalami circuit.

Nieto said;

“I am really happy about this chance to return to the Superbike World Championship with a competitive bike” declared Nieto. “I’m back on a Ducati again after four years, the last time was the in 2005 with a 999 run by Stefano Caracchi.

Imola is a very difficult track, for me what is important in the next couple of days is to regain confidence with a twin-cylinder bike so I can race at Brno with as much mileage behind me as possible. For the moment the programme doesn’t include anything else, but it’s logical that we are working to finish the season together.

For the moment the collaboration with Fonsi Nieto only includes the Imola test and the Brno race, for the future we still have to decide,” confirmed team manager Daniele Carli. “I wish to underline that the Spanish rider will flank Lorenzo Lanzi and therefore my team will be present in the Czech Republic with two riders. We want to keep the high standard for our group and we are sure that with two riders of this calibre the DFX Corse team will again be able to obtain the results it deserves.”

This week Nieto has been testing in the official three-day test taking place at Imola where he was the eighth fastest rider in this morning’s session.

Troy Corser

This weekend the World Superbike riders and team head to the Miller Motorsports Park, Utah in the USA for round seven of the championship.

Ben Spies on the Yamaha World Superbike will be at his home circuit, no doubt trying to make amends for his non-finish at Kyalami at the last round.

Spies will be up against his friend Jamie Hacking who is replacing the injured Makoto Tamada on the Paul Bird Kawasaki machine.

John Hopkins is another American not racing as he is still recovering from his injuries and will be replaced once again by Jake Semke for the Stiggy Honda team.

Fonsi Nieto will once again be riding in place of the Suzuki Alstare rider Max Neukirchner and has now gained enough confidence on the bike to feel he can finish within the top ten.

Lorenzo Lanzi will be riding in place of Regis Laconi for the DFX Corse team after failing to secure a ride this season.

Noriyuki Haga is the man to beat this weekend, now leading the championship on the Ducati Xerox ahead of his team-mate Michel Fabrizio.  Last year, Haga broke his collarbone during the practice session but continued to race even finishing in sixth in the second race.

Troy Corser is back to work this weekend after missing the last round due to the injuries picked-up at the Monza circuit when he was involved in two crashes.  The 37-year-old Australian is hoping for a good result on the BMW after finishing second at the circuit in 2008, however, it is another track that the team have no previous data for so Corser confessed to being happy to be on the second or third row of the grid.

Max Neukirchner - Monza Accident 2009

It was reported at the weekend that the injured DFX Corse rider Régis Laconi had improved slightly after he was carefully awakened from his medically induced coma.

He immediately began to move both his arms and his legs and the decision was made that he could now go ahead with the planned surgery to insert a metal plate to stabilise his two fractured vertebrae.

The operation took place yesterday morning at the Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg and was a great success, with medics saying that no further procedures should be necessary.

In addition to the insertion of the plate, a fragment of bone was also removed after it was found to be too close to his spinal cord.  A skin graft was then taken from his hip and plastic surgery took place to repair the site of the injury.

The Frenchman is to be awakened once again within 24 hours of the operation where he will then begin on his long rehabilitation programme.

The outcome for Laconi is looking positive and it is hoped that he will be well enough to be moved to a hospital in Paris at the end of the month, providing of course that there are no complications.

No further information has been given as to whether he will ever race again, but who knows, Barry Sheene was practically rebuilt and it never stopped him!

Max Neukirchner, the German Suzuki Alstare rider, is continuing to recover after leaving  the Monza hospital where he was admitted after breaking his leg  and dislocating his foot in an horrendous crash at Monza on the opening lap of the first race.

On the Sunday evening, Max underwent a six-hour operation to repair the broken bones in his right leg which was said to have gone without any complications and he is expected to make a full recovery.

His thigh has been stabilised by a pin but the double fracture to his fibula is now being allowed to heal on it’s own.  Max has more of a problem with his right foot than his leg as the fractures to the tiny bones have been fixed together by wires.

Here is a small clip of Max in hospital, guaranteed to put a lump in your throat, be warned;

The World Superbike rider, left the San Gerardo hospital on Thursday and travelled back home in his campervan as the medical team would not allow him to fly.

Max said on his Suzuki website;

“I get a little better every day and of course it feels so much better to be at home. I was very well looked after at the San Gerardo hospital in Monza and would like to thank all the staff there for their kindness and attention. The doctors did a really good job.
I have just seen the video of the crash for the first time and I was shocked! I think I am lucky because my injuries could’ve been so much worse!
However, the most important thing for me is to know that my team and my fans stand behind me. Every Alstare team member visited me on Monday and Tuesday in the hospital before they went to South Africa. Also my race rivals have shown a lot of sympathy and concern.
Thanks to all my fans and friends, particularly for the many entries on my homepage and messages on my mobile phone. As soon as I recover, I will get back in action as soon as possible and start fighting for points again!”

Regis Laconi

Frenchman Regis Laconi, has been seriously injured in a crash at Kyalami today after only a few minutes on the track.

The DFX Corse team rider, was on his first lap at this mornings practice session when he crashed at the fast  left-hander between turns 11 and 12.

He was said to have suffered serious injuries to his head and torso and had to be stabilized at the track-side before being taken firstly to the circuit medical centre and then to a nearby hospital.

After being examined at the hospital it is suspected that he has fractured 5 vertebrae and a severe cranial trauma.  He is currently being kept in an induced coma and is expected to be operated on later today.

Michel Fabrizio

Last weekend, round 5 of the World Superbike Championship took place at Monza in Italy with Michel Fabrizio claiming his debut win of the season in race 1.

Race One

A huge crash brought out the red flag at the first corner in race one as Makoto Tamada on the Paul Bird Kawasaki touched the back of Brendan Roberts Guandalini Ducati.  As Tamada went down, the Guandalini machine and rider went onto the grass before sliding across the track, wiping out Max Neukirchner on the Suzuki Alstare.

Behind this, Tommy Hill on the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda and Troy Corser on the BMW had a coming together with Hill’s bike seen flying up into the air before coming down again in flames.

Neukirchner was taken to hospital with a broken femur and dislocated right foot while Tamada suffered a broken wrist.  Roberts was also taken to hospital as a precaution where he had x-rays taken but was diagnosed with heavy bruising .

Neukirchner has since undergone a six-hour operation to repair the broken bone in his right leg and remains in hospital.

Corser was winded in the carnage on track but eventually made it back to the grid for the restart only to be caught up in a further incident in the restart.  It was decided that he would take no further part in the weekends racing to give his body time to recover.

At the restart, Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox machine took the lead but by the first corner it was his team-mate Michel Fabrizio that was in front.

Second Ducati rider Ben Spies was in third ahead of Max Biaggi on the Aprilia RSV4 and Yukio Kagayama on the Suzuki Alstare.

On lap 4, Fabizio ran wide allowing Spies and Kagayama through with Spies also passing Haga as he got in his slipstream.  Fabrizio soon re-passed his team-mate with 10 laps still to run and setting a new lap record.

As Fabrizio and Haga continued to race, even making contact in their attempts before Fabrizio passed Spies with three laps remaining, even managing a little wave.  However, a lap later Fabrizio ran wide as he approached turn one, letting Spies and Haga in front.

On the penultimate lap, Fabrizio once again passed Haga as Spies pulled over to the side of the track as he ran out of fuel, finally finishing in fifteenth place.

Here are the results;
1 2 84 M.FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 18 1′45.336 322,6 1′44.270 319,4 25 105 3
2 5 41 N.HAGA JPN Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 18 0.239 1′45.522 319,4 1′45.096 311,2 20 200 1
3 3 9 R. KIYONARI JPN Ten Kate Honda Racing Honda CBR1000RR 18 8.175 1′45.671 318,3 1′44.642 318,3 16 49 11
4 8 71 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 18 11.001 1′46.244 321,5 1′45.861 323,6 13 52 10
5 6 65 J. REA GBR HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 18 12.447 1′45.884 319,4 1′45.170 318,3 11 64 9
6 10 66 T. SYKES GBR Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 18 13.693 1′46.006 319,4 1′45.383 317,3 10 80 5
7 14 111 R. XAUS ESP BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 18 19.172 1′46.363 323,6 1′46.571 316,3 9 33 16
8 12 55 R. LACONI FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 18 24.989 1′46.885 314,2 1′45.663 315,2 8 72 7
9 9 7 C. CHECA ESP HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 18 26.930 1′46.339 318,3 1′45.166 323,6 7 47 13
10 13 23 B. PARKES AUS Kawasaki World Superbike RK.aTw. asaki ZX 10R 18 27.418 1′46.657 315,2 1′46.368 322,6 6 14 18
11P 7 3 M.BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 27.752 1′46.073 320,4 1′45.605 325,8 5 70 8
12 20 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 18 29.545 1′46.433 321,5 1′46.522 316,3 4 48 12
13 16 56 S. NAKANO JPN Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 30.952 1′47.117 314,2 1′46.928 316,3 3 30 17
14 15 67 S. BYRNE GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 18 31.414 1′47.113 316,3 1′46.593 316,3 2 41 14
15 1 19 B. SPIES USA Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 18 36.998 1′45.446 318,3 1′44.073 316,3 1 121 2
16 19 31 K. MUGGERIDGE AUS Celani Race Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 18 42.732 1′47.005 310,2 1′46.407 308,2 4 21
17 24 15 M.BAIOCCO ITA PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki ZX 10R 18 48.835 1′47.805 311,2 1′47.220 311,2 2 24
18 25 98 J. ZEMKE USA Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 18 48.888 1′47.899 306,3 1′47.751 310,2
19 27 25 D.SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 18 50.612 1′47.904 308,2 1′47.963 312,2
20 21 33 T. HILL GBR Honda Althea Racing Honda CBR1000RR 18 51.706 1′47.939 313,2 1′47.032 314,2 6 20
21 28 77 V. IANNUZZO ITA Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR 18 55.510 1′48.043 312,2 1′48.063 318,3
22 26 94 D. CHECA ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 IpoYnaemaha YZF R1 18 58.214 1′47.135 305,3 1′47.868 309,2
23 18 99 L. SCASSA ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 18 1′01.130 1′46.730 310,2 1′46.372 310,2 1 26
24 29 88 R. RESCH AUT TKR Suzuki Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 18 1′16.850 1′48.904 306,3 1′48.810 302,5

Not Classified
RET 17 91 L. HASLAM GBR Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 17 1 Lap 1′46.406 315,2 1′46.250 315,2 94 4
RET 11 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 0 1′45.543 318,3 35 15

Race Two

Ben Spies took the victory in the second race of the weekend almost 2 seconds ahead of race one winner Michel Fabrizio and Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda in third.

Noriyuki Haga was hit by a bird at the beginning of the race seeing him go down at the Parabolica and suffering  muscle laceration and a badly bruised right arm.

As Spies led the field of riders followed by Fabrizio, Kagayama and Rea, Kiyonari began to close in on the four front runners.  Kiyonari passed his team-mate Jonathan Rea while Kagayama was given a ride-through penalty.

Max Biaggi on the Apilia finally got past Britain’s Tom Sykes on the Yamaha World Superbike after the pair battled for that fifth position with Leon Haslam in seventh, despite starting in seventeenth on the grid.

It has since been announced that Troy Corser will now be replace at the next round of the WSB Championship in Kyalami by Steve Martin.  The team decided that after Corser’s double crash at Monza, it would be better to give his battered and bruised body time to recuperate fully ready for the Miller Motorsport Park race at the end of May.

It has also been revealed that Fonsi Nieto will be the replacement rider in South Africa for the injured Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner.

Here are the results:

1 1 19 B. SPIES USA Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 18 1′45.344 314,2 1′44.073 316,3 1 25 146 2
2 2 84 M.FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 18 2.665 1′45.527 320,4 1′44.270 319,4 25 20 125 3
3 3 9 R. KIYONARI JPN Ten Kate Honda Racing Honda CBR1000RR 18 2.810 1′45.532 318,3 1′44.642 318,3 16 16 65 10
4 6 65 J. REA GBR HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 18 7.706 1′45.876 320,4 1′45.170 318,3 11 13 77 8
5 7 3 M.BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 7.863 1′45.791 325,8 1′45.605 325,8 5 11 81 6
6 10 66 T. SYKES GBR Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 18 10.383 1′46.036 318,3 1′45.383 317,3 10 10 90 5
7 17 91 L. HASLAM GBR Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 18 11.586 1′45.602 315,2 1′46.250 315,2 9 103 4
8 20 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 18 21.112 1′46.336 322,6 1′46.522 316,3 4 8 56 11
9 14 111 R. XAUS ESP BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 18 22.112 1′46.517 317,3 1′46.571 316,3 9 7 40 15
10 9 7 C. CHECA ESP HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 18 22.261 1′46.395 321,5 1′45.166 323,6 7 6 53 12
11 12 55 R. LACONI FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 18 23.453 1′46.632 312,2 1′45.663 315,2 8 5 77 7
12 16 56 S. NAKANO JPN Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 32.956 1′46.792 316,3 1′46.928 316,3 3 4 34 17
13 13 23 B. PARKES AUS Kawasaki World Superbike RK.aTw. asaki ZX 10R 18 37.166 1′46.504 318,3 1′46.368 322,6 6 3 17 18
14 18 99 L. SCASSA ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 18 43.085 1′47.236 315,2 1′46.372 310,2 2 3 24
15 24 15 M.BAIOCCO ITA PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki ZX 10R 18 43.088 1′47.445 314,2 1′47.220 311,2 1 3 25
16 21 33 T. HILL GBR Honda Althea Racing Honda CBR1000RR 18 43.825 1′47.538 314,2 1′47.032 314,2 6 20
17 8 71 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 18 53.211 1′45.913 321,5 1′45.861 323,6 13 52 13
18P 15 67 S. BYRNE GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 18 1′00.917 1′46.721 315,2 1′46.593 316,3 2 41 14
19 26 94 D. CHECA ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 IpoYnaemaha YZF R1 18 1′17.915 1′46.967 307,3 1′47.868 309,2
20 25 98 J. ZEMKE USA Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 18 1′28.545 1′48.319 306,3 1′47.751 310,2
21 27 25 D.SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 18 1′29.016 1′48.348 312,2 1′47.963 312,2

Not Classified
RET 29 88 R. RESCH AUT TKR Suzuki Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 17 1 Lap 1′48.072 307,3 1′48.810 302,5
RET 28 77 V. IANNUZZO ITA Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR 5 13 Laps 1′47.485 295,1 1′48.063 318,3
RET 19 31 K. MUGGERIDGE AUS Celani Race Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 3 15 Laps 1′47.727 310,2 1′46.407 308,2 4 21
RET 5 41 N.HAGA JPN Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 2 16 Laps 1′47.858 296,0 1′45.096 311,2 20 200 1
NS 11 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 1′45.543 318,3 35 16

Noriyuki Haga - Assen 2009

Ben Spies and Noriyuki Haga yet again dominated the World Superbike Championship races at Assen TT circuit on Sunday.

Race One

In race one Ben Spies on the Yamaha World Superbike took the victory after snatching the lead from the Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga on the final lap.

As the race got underway, Spies led the pack followed by Max Neukirchner on the Alstare Suzuki and the Ducati of Guandalini Racing rider Jakub Smrz.

Haslam was in fifth place behind Haga at the start and struggled to get past Smrz, with Tom Sykes on the Yamaha WSB right behind him in the slip stream.

Neukirchner crashed out with 15 laps of the race remaining almost collecting Sykes as he went down on the final chicane.

As Haga led the race followed by Spies, Haslam stuck with the pair of them passing Spies with 10 laps to go.  Haslam desperately tried to catch Haga but was unable to match his pace as his rear tyre began to lose grip and letting Spies back through to take second.

Haga was leading the race followed by Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Honda machine but with only 6 laps left to run he was on the tail of Haslam, trying every way he knew how to try and get past.  He finally passed Haslam and set about chasing down Haga.

The Japanese rider desperately tried to create a gap between himself and Spies but was reeled in and passed by the American with only two corners to go before the end of the race.

Spies took the victory as he passed Haga with only two corners of the final lap to go followed in third place by Haslam.  Tom Sykes took fourth ahead of Max Biaggi on the Aprilia in fifth and Smrz in sixth.

Here are the results;

1 1 19 B. SPIES USA Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 22 1′39.039 279,3 1′37.626 274,3 25 120 2
2 4 41 N.HAGA JPN Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 22 0.154 1′38.742 275,0 1′38.202 273,5 20 155 1
3 3 91 L. HASLAM GBR Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 22 0.779 1′38.730 275,0 1′38.072 270,7 16 74 3
4 8 66 T. SYKES GBR Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 22 8.775 1′39.028 277,1 1′38.790 275,0 13 60 8
5 10 3 M.BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 22 11.275 1′39.373 281,6 1′38.441 275,7 11 65 6
6 2 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 22 16.126 1′39.655 276,4 1′37.765 275,7 10 28 15
7 11 65 J. REA GBR HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 22 19.555 1′39.232 278,6 1′38.510 274,3 9 42 9
8 12 55 R. LACONI FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 22 19.760 1′39.604 275,0 1′38.521 270,7 8 64 7
9 5 84 M.FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 22 23.006 1′39.505 279,3 1′38.215 276,4 7 67 5
10 15 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 22 24.285 1′39.908 269,4 1′38.906 272,1 6 29 14
11 14 67 S. BYRNE GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 22 26.003 1′39.942 272,8 1′38.811 272,1 5 31 13
12 13 31 K. MUGGERIDGE AUS Celani Race Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 22 27.814 1′39.612 269,4 1′38.802 268,7 4 4 21
13 6 76 M.NEUKIRCHNER GER Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 22 36.962 1′39.085 277,9 1′38.353 277,1 3 68 4
14 20 111 R. XAUS ESP BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 22 39.025 1′40.564 271,4 1′39.643 270,7 2 19 17
15 16 9 R. KIYONARI JPN Ten Kate Honda Racing Honda CBR1000RR 22 41.505 1′39.926 277,1 1′39.079 276,4 1 33 11
16 18 24 B. ROBERTS AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 22 41.810 1′40.218 270,0 1′39.390 270,0
17 25 100 M.TAMADA JPN Kawasaki World Superbike RK.aTw. asaki ZX 10R 22 50.186 1′40.581 276,4 1′41.057 270,7 2 23
18 23 32 S. EASTON GBR Kawasaki World Superbike RK.aTw. asaki ZX 10R 22 55.567 1′41.059 278,6 1′40.608 274,3
19 21 94 D. CHECA ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 IpoYnaemaha YZF R1 22 56.425 1′40.856 269,4 1′40.496 264,6
20 22 25 D.SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 22 1′05.169 1′40.958 268,7 1′40.572 269,4
21 28 88 R. RESCH AUT TKR Suzuki Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 22 1′37.663 1′42.528 267,3 1′41.978 265,3
Not Classified
RET 27 99 L. SCASSA ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 18 4 Laps 1′40.909 268,7 1′41.085 264,0
RET 19 56 S. NAKANO JPN Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 13 9 Laps 1′40.464 269,4 1′39.569 272,8 27 16
RET 24 77 V. IANNUZZO ITA Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR 13 9 Laps 1′41.825 270,0 1′41.014 267,3
RET 26 15 M.BAIOCCO ITA PSG1-1 Corse Kawasaki ZX 10R 12 10 Laps 1′41.505 270,0 1′41.062 270,0
RET 7 7 C. CHECA ESP HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 4 18 Laps 1′39.550 272,8 1′38.640 273,5 31 12
RET 9 71 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1 21 Laps 260,7 1′38.288 276,4 35 10
RET 17 33 T. HILL GBR Honda Althea Racing Honda CBR1000RR 0 266,0 1′39.387 270,7 6 20

Race Two

The second race was dominated by Noriyuki Haga from the start finishing the race 3 seconds of second place man Leon Haslam, who claimed his second podium of the day.

Ben Spies crashed out on lap 2 of the race going into turn one as the front of his machine went from under him.  Haga got on with the job in hand opening a gap between himself and the likes of Haslam, Neukirchner, Michel Fabrizio on the second Ducati Xerox and Smrz to battle for the final two podium places.

Haslam battled to pass Fabrizio and finally managed the task on lap 12 staying in front of Fabrizio, who should have been in third.  He unfortuantley made a small mistake with Smrz taking full advantage of his error and passing to take the final step of the podium.

The battle for fifth was going on behind the front group with the position finally going to Jonathan Rea who snatching out of the hand of Tom Sykes.

Stuart Easton was the replacement rider for the injured Broc Parkes on the Paul Bird Kawasaki but was said to be disappointed with his weekend.  After concern that he hadn’t pushed hard enough in race one, he over did it in race two and lost the front of his machine.

The BMW rider Troy Corser managed two tenth places for his team this weekend despite riding with a broken hand.  Only days earlier new x-rays had shown the fracture which hadn’t previously been noticed, but he rode through the pain barrier to earn points for his team.

Here are the results;

1 4 41 N.HAGA JPN Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 22 1′38.680 275,0 1′38.202 273,5 20 25 180 1
2 3 91 L. HASLAM GBR Stiggy Racing Honda Honda CBR1000RR 22 2.678 1′39.135 274,3 1′38.072 270,7 16 20 94 3
3 2 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 22 4.603 1′39.104 275,0 1′37.765 275,7 10 16 44 10
4 5 84 M.FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 22 8.981 1′38.885 279,3 1′38.215 276,4 7 13 80 4
5 11 65 J. REA GBR HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 22 12.104 1′39.027 275,7 1′38.510 274,3 9 11 53 9
6 8 66 T. SYKES GBR Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 22 14.575 1′39.322 276,4 1′38.790 275,0 13 10 70 6
7 7 7 C. CHECA ESP HANNspree Ten Kate HondHaonda CBR1000RR 22 17.449 1′39.152 272,1 1′38.640 273,5 9 40 11
8 14 67 S. BYRNE GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 22 17.729 1′39.394 272,8 1′38.811 272,1 5 8 39 13
9 6 76 M.NEUKIRCHNER GER Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 22 18.167 1′39.255 274,3 1′38.353 277,1 3 7 75 5
10 15 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 22 25.056 1′39.654 270,7 1′38.906 272,1 6 6 35 14
11 20 111 R. XAUS ESP BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 22 32.617 1′40.072 269,4 1′39.643 270,7 2 5 24 17
12 9 71 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Suzuki Alstare BRUX Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 22 32.688 1′39.694 274,3 1′38.288 276,4 4 39 12
13 18 24 B. ROBERTS AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 22 37.415 1′40.411 268,7 1′39.390 270,0 3 3 22
14 26 15 M.BAIOCCO ITA PSG1-1 Corse Kawasaki ZX 10R 22 55.088 1′40.709 270,7 1′41.062 270,0 2 2 24
15 27 99 L. SCASSA ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 22 55.325 1′41.109 266,0 1′41.085 264,0 1 1 26
16 12 55 R. LACONI FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 22 1′18.514 1′39.501 273,5 1′38.521 270,7 8 64 8
17 28 88 R. RESCH AUT TKR Suzuki Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 22 1′30.780 1′42.468 267,3 1′41.978 265,3
Not Classified
RET 17 33 T. HILL GBR Honda Althea Racing Honda CBR1000RR 20 2 Laps 1′40.510 272,1 1′39.387 270,7 6 20
RET 25 100 M.TAMADA JPN Kawasaki World Superbike RK.aTw. asaki ZX 10R 10 12 Laps 1′40.750 272,1 1′41.057 270,7 2 25
RET 16 9 R. KIYONARI JPN Ten Kate Honda Racing Honda CBR1000RR 7 15 Laps 1′39.413 266,0 1′39.079 276,4 1 33 15
RET 21 94 D. CHECA ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 IpoYnaemaha YZF R1 5 17 Laps 1′40.677 264,0 1′40.496 264,6
RET 22 25 D.SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 5 17 Laps 1′41.840 265,3 1′40.572 269,4
RET 13 31 K. MUGGERIDGE AUS Celani Race Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 3 19 Laps 1′39.772 266,6 1′38.802 268,7 4 4 21
RET 23 32 S. EASTON GBR Kawasaki World Superbike RK.aTw. asaki ZX 10R 3 19 Laps 1′40.644 270,0 1′40.608 274,3
RET 1 19 B. SPIES USA Yamaha WSB Yamaha YZF R1 1 21 Laps 272,1 1′37.626 274,3 25 120 2
RET 24 77 V. IANNUZZO ITA Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR 1 21 Laps 247,3 1′41.014 267,3
RET 10 3 M.BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1 21 Laps 103,2 1′38.441 275,7 11 65 7

Ben Spies

This weekend the World Superbike Championship took place at Qatar with Ben Spies setting a new track record of 1.57.280 to take Superpole.

Spies beat Jakub Smrz by just a tenth of a second to take Superpole with Max Biaggi in third place.  Noriyuki Haga qualified in fourth followed by Tom Sykes in fifth and Shinya Nakano in sixth.

Race 1

Ben Spies on the factory Yamaha took the win in the first of Saturday’s 18 lap race’s ahead of Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox and Max Biaggi on the Aprilia Racing machine.

As the riders took the first corner, Spies had moved back to fourth place after a terrible start but he played the waiting game taking the three riders ahead of him as the race progressed.

He moved into third place with 14 laps to go passing the Aprilia of Shinya Nakano and then began chasing down the leading pair, first taking Haga and then Biaggi as the Italian run slightly wide of the mark.

As Spies disappeared into the distance, the battle continued with Biaggi and Haga, both fighting for the second step on the podium with Haga finally taking Biaggi with only 2 laps to go.

Nakano finished in fourth place in only his third World Superbike race followed by Hanspree Ten Kate Honda rider Carlos Checa in fifth, Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda Ducati in sixth and Tom Sykes, team-mate of Spies, in seventh.

Max Neukirchner on the Alstare Suzuki crashed out on lap six after only managing a 19th grid position in Superpole while Jakob Smrz who had gone well all weekend crashed on lap 13 while battling for fourth spot with Nakano.

Here are the results;

1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 36′06.304 (160,93 kph)
2 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1.893
3 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 2.168
4 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 12.061
5 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 12.597
6 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 12.971
7 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 13.570
8 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 19.306
9 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 19.388
10 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 20.981
11 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 21.164
12 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 21.994
13 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 22.917
14 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 27.218
15 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 31.602
16 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 33.934
17 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 47.496
18 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 47.505
19 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 59.278
20 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 59.295
21 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 59.338
22 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′04.008
RET 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R
RET 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
RET 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR

Race 2

Ben Spies completed his first double win for the Yamaha World Superbike team for 2009 after claiming first place in the second race of the day after he was once again beaten off the line by both Haga and Biaggi.

The rookie AMA Superbike Champion took the win with a gap of 1.2 seconds from second placed man Noriyuki Haga, who was again followed by the Italian Max Biaggi.

Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda took fourth place ahead of Britain’s Tom Sykes in fifth.  Max Neukirchner finished in sixth followed by Shinya Nakano in seventh and Jonathan Rea in eighth.

Rea looked set to take a top position after setting a blistering pace early on in the race but by midway he appeared to have lost tyre grip moving him back to eighth.

Tommy Hill suffered with some sort of technical problems in race two which saw him returning to the pits and retiring from the race with 12 laps left to run on the Honda Althea.

Here are the results;

1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 36′02.126 (161,241 kph)
2 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1.274
3 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1.622
4 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1.845
5 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 5.117
6 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 9.512
7 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 9.514
8 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 12.621
9 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 13.842
10 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 13.884
11 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 13.888
12 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 14.913
13 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 15.762
14 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 15.920
15 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 19.565
16 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 21.759
17 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 28.523
18 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 40.499
19 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 43.761
20 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 44.669
21 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 48.955
22 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R
RET 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
RET 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R
RET 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R

Ben Spies - Phillip Island Qualifying

Rookie World Superbike rider Ben Spies, on the YXF R1, claimed the first Superpole of the season today, while smashing the lap record held by Troy Bayliss at the opening round at Phillip Island in Australia for the Yamaha team.

Spies set a time of 1:31.069 in the new style knock-out Superpole followed by Max Biaggi on the Aprilia, his best ever result ahead of the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea in third and Jakub Smrz for the Ducati Guandalini team completing the front row of the grid.

Xerox Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio starts the second row alongside British rider Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Honda, Carlos Checa on the second Hanspree Ten Kate Honda and Regis Laconi on the Ducati.

The new Superpole formula saw four of the top riders eliminated early in the session.  Troy Corser for the new BMW team was knocked out in the first round alongside Roberto Rolfo on the Stiggy Honda, Ruben Xaus on the second BMW and Tommy Hill for the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda team.

The second elimination session, saw Shinya Nakano on the brand new Aprilia, Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda, Yukio Kagayama on the Alstare Suzuki, Tom Sykes on the Yamaha, Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox, Max Neukirchner for Suzuki Alstare, Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda Ducati, Broc Parkes on the Kawasaki and Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox all excluded.

Here are the results;

1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1′31.069
2 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1′31.402
3 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′31.596
4 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1′31.600
5 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1′31.837
6 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′32.112
7 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1′32.537
8 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098 RS 09 1′32.649
9 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1′31.843
10 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1′31.860
11 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′31.867
12 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1′31.881
13 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1′31.907
14 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′31.916
15 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1′32.119
16 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′32.719
17 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1′32.873
18 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1′32.997
19 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1′33.152
20 33 Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1′33.363
21 24 Roberts B. (AUS) Ducati 1098R 1′33.588
22 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′33.709
23 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′34.174
24 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′34.194
25 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′34.341
26 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′34.390
27 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1′35.767
28 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′36.363

Shane Byrne

The World Superbike teams ended their first three-day test session of the season on Sunday at the Parkalgar circuit in Portugal.

On Thursday, the Formula One testing session had to cancelled when extreme weather conditions deemed the track too dangerous with standing water and poor visibility.

The riders faced full wet conditions for the Friday morning slot but the track did begin to dry out for the afternoon, seeing Shane Byrne set the fastest times in both wet and dry sessions on the Sterilgarda Ducati.

Byrne was passed later in the session by Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox and Ben Spies on the Yamaha World superbike, but held the upper hand by the end of the day.

Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus, were on track to swing their legs over the new BMW S1000 RR for the first time, testing alongside a total of 25 other riders at the circuit, all of who went quicker in the drying conditions in the afternoon.

Byrne’s led the timesheets again on the second day of testing, beating the previous track record of Troy Bayliss, and not even on qualifying tyres.  Quite impressive for a privateer in his first full season in World Superbikes.

For the third and final day of testing the dismal weather conditions returned and only two of the riders improved on their times, Troy Corser and Max Biaggi.

All the riders became familiar with the new Superpole qualifying rules on the final day as each of them was given a trial run.

There will now be 20 riders in the qualifying group, which will then be brought down to 16, and then finally to just 8, to determine the pole setter.

The only other main rule changes for this season include a switch to ‘flag-to-flag’, this is where a change of bike is allowed if it rains during the race.

Most of the teams and riders will now move-on to Phillip Island to prepare for the opening round of the World Superbike Championship which starts on 1st March in Australia.

Here are the overall best times for the third day of practice;

Pos – Rider – Team – Best Time

1 – Shane Byrne – Sterilgarda – 1′43.294
2 – Ben Spies – Yamaha World Superbike – 1′43.484
3 – Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox Team – 1′43.487
4 – Tom Sykes – Yamaha World Superbike – 1′43.546
5 – Carlos Checa – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda – 1′43.657
6 – Max Neukirchner – Suzuki Alstare – 1′43.674
7 – Jakub Smrz – Guandalini Racing – 1′43.767
8 – Michel Fabrizio – Ducati Xerox Team – 1′43.951
9 – Jonathan Rea – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda – 1′44.115
10 – Leon Haslam – Stiggy Racing Honda – 1′44.170
11 – Troy Corser – BMW Motorrad Team Alpha R. – 1′44.261
12 – Yukio Kagayama – Suzuki Alstare – 1′44.425
13 – Régis Laconi – DFX Corse – 1′44.546
14 – Ryuichi Kiyonari – Ten Kate Honda Racing – 1′44.610
15 – Broc Parkes – Kawasaki World Superbike R.T. – 1′44.704
16 – Alessandro Polita – Sterilgarda – 1′45.108
17 – Shinya Nakano – Aprilia Racing – 1′45.179
18 – Max Biaggi – Aprilia Racing – 1′45.199
19 – Brendan Roberts – Guandalini Racing – 1′45.278
20 – David Salom – Team Pedercini – 1′45.393
21 – Makoto Tamada – Kawasaki World Superbike R.T. – 1′45.446
22 – Gregorio Lavilla – Pro Ride World Superbike – 1′45.672
23 – Tommy Hill – HANNspree Honda Althea – 1′45.679
24 – Luca Scassa – Team Pedercini – 1′45.820
25 – Ruben Xaus – BMW Motorrad Team Alpha R – 1′46.128
26 – Roberto Rolfo – Stiggy Racing Honda – 1′46.916
27 – Vittorio Iannuzzo – Squadra Corse Italia – 1′46.971