Motourage

With just four hundredths of a second between them, James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow shot out of the legendary Parabolica curve on the final lap of race one today in second and third respectively to deliver Yamaha Sterilgarda’s first double podium of the year. Crutchlow, having qualified second, had initially got off the line in fifth with Toseland two places behind in seventh. They worked their way up as a pair, passing Fabrizio and Corser to take third and fourth by lap three. Toseland then passed his team mate for third on lap four at the end of the high speed start-finish straight, then closed down on Haslam and Biaggi at the front. A brief fight with Haslam with some heart stopping passes saw Toseland take second where he stayed tucked up behind race leader Biaggi. Team mate Crutchlow took second from him briefly on lap 14 having caught up again after a missed chicane dropped him to fourth. Toseland was quick to recover position however and got as far as a look up the inside of Biaggi coming out of Parabolica before settling for second less than three tenths from the front at the checkered flag.

Race two was brought short for both riders. Another rider collided with Toseland going into the first chicane on the opening lap, causing a big crash leaving him with light concussion. He was awake following the incident but taken to hospital for a check up to assess if there was further injury. Team mate Crutchlow made a good start and was chasing Biaggi in second place just 0.1 seconds behind the leader. On lap 11 stones from Biaggi’s rear wheel were flicked up, peppering Crutchlow’s helmet, with one piercing his oil cooler. This caused him to low side going into the first chicane on lap 12. He was uninjured in the fall but unable to continue.

After the Monza round Toseland remains in fifth position in the championship on 106 points, now just four points away from Rea in third. Crutchlow remains in tenth position on 65 points, just seven behind Sylvain Guintoli in eighth.

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (2nd, DNF)
“The first race was a good strong race, I just want to congratulate the team, it’s their home race and to get two of us on the podium is great. Max Biaggi rode a great race, he had a strong bike here and we expected him to go well, he didn’t put a foot wrong. I was hoping on the last lap he was going to make a slight mistake, just enough for me to get alongside but he didn’t so fair play to him. We’re getting better with each race, moving in the right direction and it’s getting frustrating finishing in second and third now!”

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (3rd, DNF)
“I felt like I put together a really solid first race, we didn’t get the best of starts but made up for it and got stuck in. All credit to Yamaha; they’ve done a good job to give James and me a competitive package so it was great for us both to deliver them the podiums here for their home round. It was a strong result and we rode well so I was looking forward to the second race. I started really well and didn’t take long to get tucked in behind Max, I knew exactly what I was doing and had my strategy sorted to pass him on the last lap. Incredibly some stones flew up off his back wheel, I was so close behind I felt some hit my helmet and unfortunately a big one made a hole in my oil cooler. I made it through another lap, but coming into the first chicane it must have reached my back tire and I went straight down.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“This has been a really mixed race weekend for us. From Valencia we have been stronger and stronger, it’s clear by the podiums the riders have been delivering and the pace of both of them, especially this weekend and in Assen that we have a very competitive, strong bike. The first race was fantastic for us; to take two hard fought podiums at our home round is very special. The second race was incredibly frustrating; to have both riders out for reasons that were completely out of our control is disappointing when we have been the strongest team here. Following James’s crash and concussion he was taken to hospital for scans as he complained of a pain in his neck. The first scan revealed no injuries, we are waiting for a second for confirmation. We expect to head to South Africa to fight for more podiums.”

HANNspree Ten Kate Racing’s Jonathan Rea was second fastest in today’s opening qualifying session for round five of the 2010 World Superbike championship at Monza in Italy, just two tenths of a second behind provisional pole sitter, Cal Crutchlow.

Despite a dry opening free practice session earlier in the day, the revised 5.777km Monza circuit was damp following afternoon rain as Rea and his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, began this afternoon’s hour-long qualifying period.

After his double win at Assen two weeks ago, Rea concentrated on further developing the revised chassis settings on his Honda CBR1000RR while Neukirchner continued to adapt his riding style to suit the bike’s handling characteristics.

Jonathan Rea – P2, 1’44.789s
“I’m having a lot of fun here, actually! The bike is really good and that’s allowing me to enjoy the circuit. I’m especially pleased with the long run I did in this morning’s free practice. This afternoon’s session had mixed conditions and we’ve still got some work to do to get the final sector nailed. But luckily the Assen set-up is working well, although there’s still some fine-tuning to be done to get it right for Monza. We’ll study the data later and see what we can do to improve it for tomorrow.”

Max Neukirchner – P13, 1’46.402s
“Everything’s OK at the moment, but the first sector stayed quite wet during the qualifying session and I was stuck behind Xaus for a while. The other sectors seem to be not too bad and my riding style is still improving. It’s quite good through most of the corners, but in others I’m probably concentrating on the exit a bit too much. The team’s working really well, though, and the bike is pretty good too. I probably need to wake myself up a bit for tomorrow, so maybe I’ll take an extra coffee in the morning.”

Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager
“The changing conditions made today’s qualifying session very different from a normal Friday and we decided to go out early in the session to see how the intermediate front tire would behave. Towards the end we should have probably put in a new rear tire as well, but at least we now have an extra tire for tomorrow. Both riders are in a position to qualify for Superpole, so we’ll go through everything tonight, improve where we can for tomorrow’s sessions and look forward to the rest of the weekend.”

2010 World Superbike championship – round five
Monza, Italy (5.777kmkm) – first qualifying results:
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1’44.577s
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’44.789s
3. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1’45.134s
4. Troy Corser (AUS) BMW 1’45.234s
13. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’46.402s

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam endured mixed conditions on the opening day of qualifying at the Monza World Superbike Championship round in Italy, but ended fifth quickest and happy enough with his day’s work.

The track was hit by torrential rain yesterday, and although today dawned dry, it was not long before it began raining again. This afternoon’s qualifying session began with a damp track and the first half of the session saw many unfamiliar names at the top of the leader board. The track then began to dry out and by the end; there was virtually a dry line round the whole of the 5.777 kilometer circuit.

Briton Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) posted the fastest lap with fellow countryman Jonathan Rea (Honda) second. Third went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third with Troy Corser (BMW) fourth.

Leon Haslam – 5th, 1:45.303:
“The morning was good and really all today was pretty good, though there were a few small problems in the afternoon session and some of it was a bit of a waste of time. We had some sort of strange clutch problem with both bikes for a while, so to get fifth was not so bad, especially considering the changing conditions. This afternoon’s qualifying started with a wet track and then it began to dry. By the end, there was almost a dry line round the whole track, but there were still some places where you had to keep a look out. The new chicane is a bit safer and it makes the track flow better, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens when the whole pack is charging into it in a race before we can say that it is a success. For me though, the track is now more enjoyable to ride, particularly when you are by yourself.  Slipstreaming round here is crucial and will be a big factor in the races. So far, I’ve not had a tow from anybody so I’m looking forward to that tomorrow. Come Race day though, I’d prefer to be a long way out in front and not have to worry about anybody drafting me. That’s my plan anyway.”

Sylvain Guintoli – 16th. 1:46.588:
“I’ve not been here before, so the new chicane means nothing to me. Today, my first job was to learn the track and that’s what I tried to do. The track is quite technical and there are a lot of high speeds and fast corners and so it’s important to be very accurate if you want to go fast. Conditions were changing a lot in this afternoon’s qualifying session and I think I was a bit too cautious in the first chicane and that’s where I lost a lot of time. If I had been more aggressive there, I would’ve been quite a bit further up the leader board for sure. I know that slipstreaming is going to very important here – especially in the races – but there are a lot of opportunities to do that round here. However, it’ll also be very easy to get done, so I’ll have to watch out for that.”

Friday WSB qualifying: 1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 1:44.577, 2 Rea (GBR-Honda) 1:44.789, 3 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:45.134, 4 Troy Corser (AUS-BMW) 1:45.234, 5 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:45.303, 6 Ruben Xaus (ESP-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:45.542. 16 Sylvain Guintoli (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:46.588.

Crutchlow takes provisional pole at Monza

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow made an impressive start to the Monza race weekend, fastest in both the first free practice session and then the first qualifying session of the weekend that followed. Team mate James Toseland made a slower start, finishing fifth in the free practice and then taking ninth in the first qualifying as he and the team tested a number of set up options.

The afternoon’s qualifying was complicated by weather, rain before the session meant the superbike riders had to contend with an initially wet but drying track, gradually changing from intermediate to slick tires as the session went on. The nature of the Monza circuit with its tree lined track meant some areas including chicanes remained greasy and damp throughout.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1’43.758)
“It was nice to top the time sheets in both sessions today. We’re still looking for better grip a bit on the bike and also need to improve when pushing going into the corners, I think we can work on that. We tried a couple of things today which is good and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s great that it’s the team’s home race and we’ll have lots of fans here and Yamaha guests so it’s nice to be on top today for them.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (9th, 1’46.019)
“It was one of those sessions today where it starts wet then just dries up continually over the heat. We were trying a few different suspension settings over the session but obviously the track was never fully dry, a couple of corners were still quite damp at the end and really quite greasy. With the trees around here in the park it doesn’t dry out too well. All in all we’ve tried some interesting things, and were pretty quick in the free practice, coming in fifth in the dry. We’ve got some work to do tonight, some big things to improve on which is encouraging so I’m optimistic that the changes we’re going to make later which were too long to do today will bring the next step. Fingers crossed again for the weather tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“A good start for us today. The weather gave us some trouble but in the end we finished the day in good shape. Hopefully tomorrow will be dry to finalize the set up and tire choice ahead of Superpole and Sunday’s races.”

World Superbike Championship leader, Suzuki Alstare’s Leon Haslam, is looking forward to this weekend’s fifth-round at Monza in Italy; one of the most-famous and historic circuits on the calendar.

For many, the Autodromo Nazionale is the place of legends and a Mecca for petrol heads worldwide: The 5.793 kilometer track is renowned for its flowing nature, high speeds and fast riders can hit velocities over 300 kHz.

Suzuki Alstare rider Haslam intends to keep up the pressure on his rivals with another pair of top performances and leave Italy still in command at the top of the standings, before heading off to the two flyway races in South Africa and USA.

His team mate Sylvain Guintoli is also keen to do well at Monza and will be aiming to kick his season back into life after a pair of disappointing rounds.

Leon Haslam:
“Monza is steeped in history and it is always a pleasure going there and seeing the remnants of its past. The old banking is amazing and it’s hard to believe how people got round it so fast! Fortunately, we don’t have to try and do that, but the track we race on is pretty fast also. It’s a track where tactics are very important and you have to be able to get your slipstreaming just right. It’s easy to be leading a pack of riders going into the Parabolica just before the start-finish straight and end up second, third or fourth! Although there are some very fast bits, there are also some slowish corners where hard braking is called for, so it’s important to get a good set-up on the bike. Last year I was on a different bike: I qualified 17th, scored no points in race one and got seventh in race two, so I will certainly be looking for a big improvement this time.”

Sylvain Guintoli:
“I have never been to Monza before so this is going to be a new experience for me. I know that it is a high-speed track and that slipstreaming can play a crucial part. Obviously my first job will be to learn the circuit and then try and qualify well. That has been a bit of a problem for me recently, but I aim to turn up with my race head on and find a good rhythm right from the start. Anything less will be a problem, so I have to get down to it as soon as I can. Although it is a new track for me I am looking forward to a good weekend and an upturn on my recent results.”

2009 results:
Race 1: Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 2 Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Ducati), 3 Ryuichi Kiyonari (JPN-Honda). Leon Haslam (GBR-Honda) RET.
Race 2: Ben Spies (USA-Yamaha), 2 Fabrizio, 3 Kiyonari. 7 Leon Haslam.

Provec Kawasaki Racing Team’s Joan Lascorz extended his championship lead at the previous Assen round by finishing second on his Ninja ZX-6R, just ahead of Kenan Sofuoglu. After four rounds he has 85 points to Sofuoglu’s 77.

Katsuaki Fujiwara, Lascorz’ teammate for the second consecutive year, has a long history of racing at Monza, but has had good and not-so-good turns of fortune this year. His immediate goal is to move further into the top ten by posting a strong finish at the ultra-fast Monza circuit.

Both official Kawasaki entrants will find a new-look first chicane at Monza, making the circuit 5.777km long this time around and still one of the fastest tracks on this or any other race calendar. Lap times are expected to drop significantly due to the new chicane layout.

Lascorz has now scored three second-place finishes and one win this season, his victory coming at Valencia. At Monza, Joan will be out to make it win number two of the season, before heading to Kyalami for round six, on May 16.

Monza has been a good track for both Joan and Kats in the past, with Joan second last year and Kats a Monza winner in his earlier career. Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki rider Fabien Foret has also been a Monza race winner, on two previous occasions.

Joan Lascorz:
“I want to have a clean qualifying result to be in the position to fight for the win at Monza. I am taking things one race at a time and just working hard with the team to go for wins and not make mistakes. We are leading the championship because we have been consistent, but also because of our speed in races, which we have been able to repeat each weekend.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara:
“We have had a good pace this year but so far it is not being turned into the kind of results we all want. I want that to change at Monza. This weekend there will be a lot of slipstreaming, so it is important to get away in the leading group and be clever when overtaking. I am going for a good finishing position and want to show my fighting spirit again.”

With four of the 2010 World Superbike rounds already completed, Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio are now mentally and physically preparing for the first of three Italian appointments to take place this weekend at Monza’s Autodromo Nazionale. Monza has hosted the Superbikes since 1992 (the only year that didn’t see a Monza round was 1994), and last year provided the setting for Michel’s first ever Superbike win, achieved in Race 1 and consolidated by a second place finish in the second of the day’s races. Haga also had a strong first race and crossed the line second, just two tenths behind teammate Michel, but was subsequently involved in an unlikely, and extremely unlucky, collision with a pigeon which put a dramatic end to his Race 2.

Just more than a week ago, the TT Circuit of Assen played host to the Superbikes, and at the end of a very difficult weekend, Haga lies in sixth position in the riders classification and Fabrizio in ninth. Ducati is third in the manufacturers’ standings at this point, four points behind Aprilia and eighteen behind leader Suzuki.

Straight after Assen, the factory team carried out two days of testing at Misano, and, although Noriyuki was suffering from a high fever, some very useful work was completed by both riders.  At the end of the sessions Fabrizio proved to be the fastest rider on track.

Noriyuki Haga (6th in championship, 85 points)
The Japanese rider has celebrated numerous race wins and podiums at this track in recent years and lists it among his favorites. “It was unfortunate that I was sick after Assen and so couldn’t make the most of last week’s Misano testing session. The work I did do there went well and now we have to see what happens at Monza. This weekend will be tough; I like the Monza track but at the same time I know that my 1198 does not have the top speed of some of the other bikes and with Monza’s long straights, it will be hard for us I think. Nevertheless, I’ll be opening the gas and giving 200%.” Haga’s Superbike form at Monza:
2009: Race 1 – 2nd, Race 2 – DNF
2008: Race 1 – 2nd, Race 2 – winner
2007: Race 1 – winner, Race 2 – winner
2006: Race 1 – 4th, Race 2 – 3rd
2005: Race 1 – 11th, Race 2 – 9th
2004: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – DNF
2002: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 3rd
2000: Race 1 – DNF , Race 2 – 5th

Michel Fabrizio (9th in championship, 53 points)
Michel put on a great performance here last season, winning Race 1 and finishing Race 2 in second. For this reason, Michel too cites Monza as one of his favourite circuits. “I had a good weekend here last year and am very happy that my first ever Superbike race win came in front of my home crowd, at Monza. We’ve not had an easy run of things recently but testing went well at Misano last week and I’ll be doing everything to put on a great performance this weekend. We need to start to make up lost ground.” Fabrizio’s Superbike form at Monza:
2009: Race 1 – winner, Race 2 – 2nd
2008: Race 1 – 9th, Race 2 – 5th
2007: Race 1 – 8th, Race 2 – 11th
2006: Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 14th CIRCUIT DATA: Name: Autodromo Nazionale

Monza
Country: Italy
Circuit length: 5.777 km
Pole position: Left
Corners left: 5
Corners right: 8
Length of race: 18 laps = 103.986 km

Lap Records:
Best lap – Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1’45.336 (2009). Superpole – Spies (Yamaha) 1’44.073 (2009). 2009 RESULTS: Race 1 – 1. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 2. Haga (Ducati Xerox); 3. Kiyonari (Honda). Race 2 – 1. Spies (Yamaha); 2. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox); 3. Kiyonari (Honda)

Two good podium finishes by James Toseland at Assen followed by a successful two day test in Misano last week have given the Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team extra motivation for the team’s home race. Riders Toseland and Crutchlow head to Monza for round five of the World Superbike Championship this weekend, the first of three Italian races this year, intent on capitalizing on the steps taken recently in development. These include steps forward in electronics and chassis set-up, making the bike even more competitive and making the British pairing serious contenders for victory at the legendary high speed circuit.

The circuit itself was first constructed in 1922 and has undergone various changes from then to its current set up. Its 5.7km layout is characterized by long high speed straights and chicanes, with three main corners, the Curvone di Biassono, Curva di Lesmo and the Curva Parabolica. For 2010 the first chicane at the end of the start/finish straight has been modified. The current and previous lap records were both taken on Yamaha R1s, the current last year by Ben Spies, the previous in 2007 by Noriyuki Haga.

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team:
“The test last week was encouraging; I think I ended up second and third. I am particularly looking forward to Monza; I’ve always loved riding there, as we didn’t in MotoGP I’m happy to be going back. It’s got an ambience in the park, to hear the engines resonating through the trees is really special and you can feel the history. The high speed circuit is also pretty special; to hold it flat out in top gear for 7 or 8 seconds is something you don’t do anywhere else. I’m really pleased with the way things are progressing with package and the team and as it’s the home race for them it also adds something extra to the weekend.”

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team:
“I’m looking forward to putting the Assen weekend behind me and getting back to the front at Monza. We’ve been working hard as a team to keep improving the bike and it was really useful to spend the two days at Misano working on a set up for me. I’m confident both James and I can be at the front this weekend and fighting for podiums on Sunday. I love the high speed Monza circuit and enjoyed racing there on the Supersport bike last year; I can’t wait to tackle it with the R1.”

Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland’s Crew Chief:
“At Assen we were able to make more steps forward with the electronics and chassis, and more importantly close the gap on the championship lead. Since then we have had a successful test at Misano where we were able to evaluate different links and further improvements to the power delivery. Monza is the fastest track on the calendar and requires good top end speed, strong brakes and good at changing direction as it has three chicanes, also tire life for the famous Parabolica corner which dictates the speed on to the main straight. We are hopeful that with the further improvements we have made, and the strong Yamaha engine, James can again fight for the win and close the gap for the championship.”

Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow’s Crew Chief:
“The Misano test was really interesting for us using different approaches to chassis set up. We’ve improved our mid corner grip and stability and also our straight line traction and drive coming out of the corners. Monza has the highest average speed of any circuit we visit this year, with chicanes in between the high speed sections so we will be setting up for high speed stability as well as working on a bike that can change direction quickly and drive out of the chicanes.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager:
“For me Monza is something special, it was the same when I was racing here. In the past we have traditionally had good results in all race categories at the track, and after the last two races and the test in Misano we are arriving with good expectations. Unfortunately the weather forecast is bad for this weekend so that is a question mark but hopefully it is wrong!”

Unique FIMER logo
Tomorrow, May 5, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike team sponsor FIMER will launch a new division at the SOLAREXPO in Verona dedicated to renewable energy. To mark this occasion the bikes of James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow will have green FIMER logos on the fairings instead of their usual red color for the Monza race weekend.

Following its 2010 World Superbike Championship no-show at the weekend’s fourth round at Assen in Holland due to flight restrictions in Europe caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption, the Japanese Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team is now set to debut at the Italian fifth round at Monza next month.

Yukio Kagayama's Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000s crated and ready to leave Yoshimura's Japanese headquarters

With European flights cancelled from Tokyo Narita airport last week, the team was unable to make the grid for the first of three 2010 World Superbike wildcard entries. But last-minute permission has now been granted by the Italian organizers which will see the team – and long-time Team Suzuki rider Yukio Kagayama – take part at the race on May 9th.

Yoshimura Team Manager Yohei Kato:
“Since our Assen WSBK cancellation due to the airline chaos caused by volcanic activities in Iceland, the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team has been working to reschedule its debut, and we will now participate at the next round in Monza. Without the support from everyone, it could not have been done, and we are glad to have this opportunity to challenge at this stage.”

Yoshimura Suzuki’s new 2010 schedule – and riders participating at each round – is now:
May 9th: Monza, Italy – Yukio Kagayama.
September 26th: Imola, Italy – Daisaku Sakai.
October 3rd: Magny-Cours, France – Yukio Kagayama.