Motourage

Yamaha Sterilgarda rider Cal Crutchlow got straight down to business in the first qualifying session of the Kyalami race weekend today. Crutchlow spent the session in the top two positions, only losing out to leader Fabrizio at the end by less than a tenth of a second. The British rider had been on a hot lap at the end on track to take the fastest time but was unfortunately held up and unable to complete.

Crutchlow’s teammate James Toseland had a slower start to the South African weekend. Fresh off the back of a big crash last weekend and having not ridden the Kyalami circuit for a number of years, Toseland spent the qualifying renewing his knowledge of the track as he worked on his set-up.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (2nd, 1’38.529)
“I think today went OK, I’m pretty pleased to be honest. I should have been fastest but I got held up on my last hot lap. I think it’s going to be difficult in race conditions; tire wear is a big issue as the track is very abrasive. Overall second fastest isn’t too bad on the first day, we’ll go away now and will look at more improvements for tomorrow with the team.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (15th, 1’39.656)
“It’s my first day back on the bike since my crash last week and it’s also my first time back on this track for ten years, it’s very technical and I’d forgotten how bumpy it is. Unfortunately the base setting we started the session with wasn’t right so we had a lot of work to do to get the bike working well. At the end we found something that worked better and got down to good race times, so tomorrow we’ll improve on that some more and we will get down to the faster times they’re running at the front today. Given everything I’m only just over a second off after the first day so I’m not displeased with that and we’ve got a lot more to give tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“I was a little bit worried today, this is not traditionally a good track for us, but finally the results were good. Tomorrow I believe James will move up as he gets used to the track again and improves his set up. Last year the track was the most difficult for us, but after all our development the situation is completely different, to be second fastest with Cal and James only a second off after a big crash when hasn’t been here for ten years is pretty good, and taking into account our strong performance at Monza I am quite optimistic for tomorrow.”

Circuit Length: 4263
Lap Record: 1’42.178 (Noriyuki Haga, 01/01/2002)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1’37.288 (Ben Spies, 17/05/2009)
Last Year’s Winner: Noriyuki Haga

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.”

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.”

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.

The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team wrapped up a successful two day test in Misano this afternoon, fresh from James Toseland’s two podiums in Assen. Riders Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland spent the two days testing more changes to their 2010 R1 racebikes as they prepare for the next round of the WSBK Championship at the legendary Monza circuit next week. Toseland spent the first day focusing on the electronics and ended the day second fastest on unofficial timing (no transponders) with a 1’36.0, only 0.1 behind the fastest time having completed 69 laps. Teammate Crutchlow was working on a general bike set-up, putting in 87 laps on the first day and ending it just behind Toseland, third fastest with an unofficial time of 1’36.3.

Day two saw Crutchlow working through a different set up than the previous day, finding advantages with each. He finished the second day of testing in third having put in a 1’35.7 lap on race tires. Toseland spent the day working on race pace and durability, using a qualifier towards the end to put in a 1’35.6 and take the second-fastest slot of the day yet again.

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team:
“We’ve achieved a lot and ended up second today. Fabrizio did a really good low-35-second lap on a qualifier, but I think on race tires there were definitely consistent 35s to be had for us as well. The fastest race time last year was a 37 so it shows how much everyone has improved; we’re 1.3 seconds under the lap record. Misano is definitely suited to the Ducati, it’s their strongest track I think; however, I did ten laps in the low 36s, which is great for race pace, and the important thing is we’ve moved forward on durability for race pace, which is key.”

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team:
“It’s been quite a progressive two days. We’ve worked through two completely different set ups and found pros and cons to both. I think we’ve found a clear direction to work in, which we now need to fine tune. I was pleased with the pace we had, we were consistently in the top three without using a qualifier tire, so we’re good with race tires which is important. I have to keep working and hopefully it has put us in a good set for Monza.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda world Superbike Team Manager:
“We’ve had a really good test here at Misano. We tried some different things in both electronics and bike set up with both riders, and in the end we learned some valuable information and we made improvements. We will use these steps to bring upgrades in both electronics and chassis set up. Misano has been invaluable in finally providing us with some structured testing time to really develop a solid base for the rest of the season. Whilst we have made steps at each round including the new linkage for James in Assen, this has been our first real opportunity to make the next step. We now head forward with a more competitive package for the season and are confident this will benefit us from the next race in Monza”

Yamaha Sterilgarda rider James Toseland made every lap count in Assen on Sunday, storming to two podium finishes and claiming hard-earned points that move him up the World Superbike Championship table. The first race saw the British rider tear through the pack from his tenth-place grid start position, making short work of his competitors with clean decisive overtakes, making up eight places to sit in second by just past mid-race point behind leader Jonathan Rea. An inspired overtake three laps to the end on the penultimate corner saw him temporarily lead the race, however Rea was able to get past at the end of the start straight, securing the win just 1.1 seconds ahead of Toseland. Team-mate Cal Crutchlow had a great start, making it up to sixth on the first corner before a bunched up pack of riders pushed him wide, dropping him to 13th initially. He fought back with a determined push and was the fastest lapping rider mid way through. He finally crossed the line in eighth having made up five positions on the tricky to overtake circuit.

Race two and again Toseland charged through the pack, making fifth position by lap seven. He spent several laps following a furious battle in the top four between Haslam, Rea, Corser and Camier before slipping through and fighting his own battle to take third. Positions changed several times in the tightly bunched pack however he held onto third over the line for his second podium of the day. Team mate Crutchlow had a less fortunate race, with a technical issue with the rear suspension forcing an early retirement.
Toseland now heads to the next round in Monza having climbed to fifth position in the standings on 86 points, just 17 behind Carlos Checa in fourth. Team-mate Crutchlow remains in tenth position just four points behind Michel Fabrizio in ninth.

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (2nd, 3rd):
“We’ve had another tough weekend, especially Friday and Saturday, but we’ve pulled through. Once again the team has worked fantastically well, especially this morning, we had a new linkage system on the rear end just to try and sort some issues and it seems to have worked. It’s been a long weekend but to come from tenth on the grid and get a second and a third, two podiums is just a great result for me and the team. It’s been coming slowly, we’ve come from far behind in the first two races so it’s fantastic to be up there at the front and fighting. There are a lot of Brits out there, and we’re all racing at the front and doing a great job, everybody deserves to be in it. I’ve had great support from my family and friends and want to thank everyone for supporting me in getting back to where I should be.”

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (8th, DNF):
“It’s been a very frustrating end to the weekend for me, I know I had the pace to achieve really good results and be up there fighting with the front guys in both races. I made a good start in the first but lost a lot of places on the first corner when the pack pushed me wide, but fought back and was one of the fastest riders on the track mid-race. Race two was even more frustrating as I was determined and ready to fight for a podium. Unfortunately the technical issue was out of my control so there was nothing I could do.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager:
“We had a great result today, especially considering how we got it, after a lot of challenges over the last two days. James also put all his heart into his racing today. I’m sorry for Cal; I think he had the ability to have a great two races, especially in the second one. Unfortunately we had a technical issue, we don’t know what yet but we will figure it out. We’ve made big advances with our electronics and also with our chassis which could be seen with James’s performance. We are now getting to a point where we have a very competitive bike with a set up that works on different tracks, but obviously we will continue to work for the next level. We head to Misano for testing next week motivated to keep on improving. A big thank you to all the team and the riders who worked so hard this weekend.”

In the European Superstock 600 Championship MRS Racing rider Jeremy Guarnoni took an impressive second place podium finish, less than two hundredths of a second off the front and earning 20 championship points on his Yamaha R6. He maintains his position as the championship leader, 11 points ahead of his closest rival after three rounds.

Circuit Length: 4542
Temp: 20
Crowd: 78000
Weather: Sunny
Lap Record: 2’04.685 (Chris Vermeulen, 01/01/2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1’34.944 (Jonathan Rea, 25/04/2010)
Last Years Winner: Noriyuki Haga

2010 WSBK The Netherlands – Assen 4/25/2010
Race 1 – 22 Laps
Position	Rider	Manufacturer	Nation	Total Time
1	Jonathan Rea	Honda	GBR	35’38.483
2	James Toseland	Yamaha	GBR	0’01.106
3	Leon Camier	Aprilia	GBR	0’01.249
4	Carlos Checa	Ducati	ESP	0’01.548
5	Troy Corser	BMW	AUS	0’02.738
6	Max Biaggi	Aprilia	ITA	0’02.813
7	Jakub Smrz	Ducati	CZE	0’06.296
8	Cal Crutchlow	Yamaha	GBR	0’12.022
9	Shane Byrne	Ducati	GBR	0’12.146
10	Noriyuki Haga	Ducati	JPN	0’19.753
11	Leon Haslam	Suzuki	GBR	0’22.204
12	Tom Sykes	Kawasaki	GBR	0’22.282
13	Michel Fabrizio	Ducati	ITA	0’22.780
14	Sylvain Guintoli	Suzuki	FRA	0’23.364
15	Luca Scassa	Ducati	ITA	0’37.097
Race 2 – 22 Laps
Position	Rider	Manufacturer	Nation	Total Time
1	Jonathan Rea	Honda	GBR	35’43.137
2	Leon Haslam	Suzuki	GBR	0’01.942
3	James Toseland	Yamaha	GBR	0’03.928
4	Max Biaggi	Aprilia	ITA	0’04.067
5	Troy Corser	BMW	AUS	0’04.176
6	Carlos Checa	Ducati	ESP	0’04.525
7	Jakub Smrz	Ducati	CZE	0’04.682
8	Shane Byrne	Ducati	GBR	0’07.698
9	Max Neukirchner	Honda	GER	0’09.903
10	Ruben Xaus	BMW	ESP	0’11.465
11	Luca Scassa	Ducati	ITA	0’15.489
12	Michel Fabrizio	Ducati	ITA	0’23.604
13	Sylvain Guintoli	Suzuki	FRA	0’29.085
14	Chris Vermeulen	Kawasaki	AUS	0’35.401
15	Matteo Baiocco	Kawasaki	ITA	0’44.330
Best Lap
Rider	Manufacturer	Nation	Total Time
Carlos Checa	Ducati	ESP	1’36.413
Rider Standings		4/25/2010
Position	Rider	Manufacturer	Nation	Points
1	Leon Haslam	Suzuki	GBR	148
2	Max Biaggi	Aprilia	ITA	128
3	Jonathan Rea	Honda	GBR	110
4	Carlos Checa	Ducati	ESP	103
5	James Toseland	Yamaha	GBR	86
6	Noriyuki Haga	Ducati	JPN	85
7	Troy Corser	BMW	AUS	68
8	Sylvain Guintoli	Suzuki	FRA	55
9	Michel Fabrizio	Ducati	ITA	53
10	Cal Crutchlow	Yamaha	GBR	49
11	Leon Camier	Aprilia	GBR	48
12	Shane Byrne	Ducati	GBR	48
13	Jakub Smrz	Ducati	CZE	38
14	Lorenzo Lanzi	Ducati	ITA	26
15	Ruben Xaus	BMW	ESP	25
Manufacturer Standings		4/25/2010
Position	Manufacturer	Points
1	Suzuki	148
2	Aprilia	134
3	Ducati	130
4	Honda	111
5	Yamaha	93
6	BMW	69
7	Kawasaki	19

The Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team head to Assen this week for round four of the World Superbike Championship. The team prepare for the Dutch round with renewed confidence following rider James Toseland’s first podium of the year last week in Valencia and a second Superpole of the season by Cal Crutchlow, signaling both sides of the garage have made significant improvements in making use of the increased performance of the 2010 WSB R1. Toseland’s podium in particular was key in moving him several places up the championship table; he arrives in Assen now sixth in the standings and looking to go higher this weekend.

Assen is an historic race circuit, although road racing started in the area in 1925, the closed circuit itself was first located there in 1955. It’s undergone a number of changes since that day, including a major redesign in 2006, with the exception of the finish line which has never moved. The typical characteristics of the track include fast flat out corners and slow corners. For this year a change to the back section of the track with a fast flowing corner means the circuit is now even faster, with national classes already seeing a two second a lap quicker time over the circuit.

James Toseland

“I’ve always loved racing at Assen,” said James Toseland. “I’ve had some good results and always gone well there. I’ve won on the Ducati and on the Honda so it would be great to get a win on the Yamaha as well. The bike has come on again from Portugal to Valencia and we knew from the last round what we needed to improve for Assen. We’ve had to do a lot of work to get competitive but on the positive side there’s still room for more and we’re not far from the front. We can improve quite a lot more and we’re going to be a strong package. On a personal side I always try hard, after the Australia crash where I broke my hand, then my mistake in qualifying in Portugal and missing out on the last Superpole session in Valencia by a thousandth of a second I thought I was going to have one of those seasons. But to go from ninth to third and be up there fighting at the front was a massive boost of confidence for me and the garage so it was good to reward the hard work of the team with a result.”

Cal Crutchlow

“I had a good race in Assen last year in Supersport,” said Cal Crutchlow, “but it’s going to be difficult this weekend as a couple of other teams have tested there already with the new circuit changes including the new faster section at the back. Hopefully in the first free practice we’ll get to grips with it. There are some new changes coming this weekend with the bike so let’s hope we’ve made some progress and see how we get on.”

Assen technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland’s Crew Chief:
“We managed to make a major breakthrough at Valencia, and are looking for further improvement. We found a good base engine map with a user friendly torque delivery. We also found a traction control setting that uses ignition cut, allowing James to control the spin of the rear tire. We were on the dyno as early as Monday morning after Valencia to progress further with areas of our electronics. At Assen we will concentrate on tire life, especially for warmer conditions, as this was an area we suffered in Valencia. Assen has numerous changes of direction, some at very high speeds so we will be also working on making a quick but stable bike. We will be looking to be on the podium both races as we can’t afford to lose any more points for the championship!”

Assen technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow’s Crew Chief:
“Assen has more grip than Valencia so it should suit our bike better than the last track. Assen has fast sweeping corners which are banked so you have to set up the bike to suit these areas. The rear end needs enough damping support and spring rate to keep it under control in the long fast corners. We will also try a new clutch to improve our starts which is arriving from Japan. We will also try some new electronic adjustments to help with Cal’s starts from the line using the launch control system; these include new ignition mappings for Cal’s engine management system.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager:
“I think Assen can be a good weekend for us, the characteristics of the track are well suited to our bikes, which is an advantage we have to make the most of. The developments focused on our electronics areas from the last two races have been steadily progressing forwards which gives me a confidence that we can achieve some good results with both James and Cal. The step forwards with our mapping means we should be able to deliver better corner exits for both riders, and the new clutch we’ll be trying this weekend will hopefully mean we can get them off the line quicker to stay at the front in the crucial first corner.”

Crutchlow and Toseland get set for round three in Valencia

After an exciting second round in Portimao which saw both Yamaha Sterilgarda WSB riders make good progress on their bike set up and development, the team are now gearing up for round three in Valencia this weekend. Moving forward from a difficult first round in Australia, round two saw big improvements in the 2010 bike with both riders making good use of the increased power available. Crutchlow caught the attention of the paddock, impressing with a new Best Lap record in Superpole, knocking nearly half a second off last year’s time set by Ben Spies. The 25yr old British rider also took the first podium finish of the year for the team in the second race. Team-mate James Toseland made up for a less than perfect grid start position in both races, starting from 15th he pushed hard to break the top ten, delivering a 7th and then a 6th place finish.

The Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia is known to both riders, and with Toseland getting back to full fitness as his hand recovers, the weekend has the potential to deliver great results for the team.

“After my podium at Portimao I’m keen to get to Valencia,” said Cal Crutchlow. I think we can continue our good streak. I don’t know how the bike will be there as we used the 2009 bike in our winter test but I’m optimistic. Lots of the teams have tested there recently so we’ve got some work to do, but hopefully we’ll be up there and have a good result.”

“We’ve made massive improvements from Australia to Portugal,” said James Toseland, “which obviously the podium from Cal proved. The second race in Portimao was particularly good for me; I had a really good race pace but couldn’t get to front which was disappointing as I started from too far back. The Valencia test went well in the winter and I’ve done a lot on the Spanish track compared to Portugal so I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting stuck in, being able to concentrate on the bike set up without having the added focus of learning the circuit.”

Valencia technically speaking according to Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow’s Crew Chief
“Valencia is one of the WSB circuits with the most stadium character; the track is flat and has some banked corners. The track conditions vary a lot so it is never certain what it will be. The infield is technical and physical for the riders, the last corner is particularly hard for the tires over race distance so the track is more difficult than it appears. We made some adjustments to the bike in Portimao which Cal really liked, adding weight to the rear to improve the balance for him. We hope that we can find some new improvements again for the coming round.”

Valencia technically speaking according to Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland’s Crew Chief
“We had a successful test over the winter. We have continued to work extremely hard since Portimao to continue improving the electronics on the bike. Valencia is a very challenging circuit, a good front fork setting is important, and a good handling bike, as a lot of corners link together. We will start on a very similar setting to race two in Portimao, with the biggest change coming from a new electronic strategy for corner exit. James will be one step closer to full fitness, and hopefully with another step of improvement from the bike, we can be challenging at the front!”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“Our test at Valencia over the winter went well. Following Portimao we will bring some more electronic updates for the bikes to the Spanish circuit in order to continue the progress we made from the first two rounds and be as competitive as possible. The electronics are our focus for development at the moment so these updates will include new maps for both James and Cal. Unfortunately the time is very short between these races but I am confident that we will get more improvements this weekend again.”

Yamaha bounce back with the first podium of the season

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow showed solid race craft in the second superbike race today, confidently sticking with race leaders Max Biaggi and Leon Haslam to stand on the World Superbike podium for the first time. After dropping to fourth initially Crutchlow capitalized on his opportunity to move up when Johnny Rea was pushed wide by Haslam going into the first corner on lap three. He was never more than 0.3 seconds from the lead, taking his well earned podium in third at the finish line. Team-mate James Toseland wrapped up the day in race two with style, charging through the pack from 15th, overcoming a number of competitive riders to cross the line in sixth, nearly ten places up from the start.

Race one proved to be a display of consistency and determination from British rider Toseland. Starting from a less than perfect 15th on the grid, Toseland gradually worked his way through the pack. The final lap saw him close down a half second gap, taking Haga on the last corner to steal a well deserved seventh place finish at the line. His team-mate Crutchlow spent the majority of the race in third until an unfortunate low-side crash three laps from the end dropped him to 15th. He managed to pass 14th placed rider Tom Sykes on the last lap to stay in the points.

Crutchlow heads to Valencia in tenth position with 25 points, Toseland heads to the third round in Spain in 11th, tied on points with his team-mate with 25.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (14th, 3rd)
“It was a tough day today from the first race; I made a stupid mistake, my own fault I was pushing too hard. We’ve made big steps from Australia, all credit to Yamaha they’ve done a fantastic job. We came here fighting but unfortunately in the first race I went down and Johnny Rea got through and got the podium. I’m looking forward to the next weekend in Valencia, if we can continue doing a good job and getting the success we’re starting to experience it’ll be a good season, let’s keep the ball rolling. The team have put in a sterling effort this weekend. Well done to Max Biaggi and Leon Camier as well.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (7th, 6th)
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do but we’ve made massive improvements. We really deserved the third and sixth in that last race, After Cal’s Superpole he was unlucky to crash in the first race so I’m really pleased with his result in the second. The potential of the bike is very good, once we use the full power of the engine we’re right up there. It was only my crash that stopped me being on the front row I think. I was a bit sore today and my head was bit fuzzy after its knock yesterday so I wasn’t completely on form. Considering that and starting from 15th on the grid we achieved some good results. It’s a shame we started on the back foot this year but we’re moving on and we’re keeping on pushing.”

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Crutchlow conquers the first European Superpole of 2010 at Portimao

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow set himself apart from the class this afternoon, storming through the Superpole heats to take pole and breaking the Best Lap record in the process. Crutchlow unleashed the full potential of the Yamaha R1′s power in ideal track conditions, leaving a gap of over four tenths of a second to second placed Aprilia rider Max Biaggi. Team-mate James Toseland had also been progressing well through the sessions with fast consistent speed until an unfortunate high-side on the last corner of the circuit in heat two relegated him to 15th on the grid for tomorrow’s two Superbike races. Although bruised Toseland was luckily uninjured in the high speed crash.

The second qualifying session of the race weekend earlier in the day saw both riders focusing on the set up for race day whilst ensuring they remained within the times for the subsequent Superpole sessions. Incredibly the first 14 riders of the session were within 0.7 of a second of each other. Crutchlow’s time, just 0.6 off the front man was particularly impressive considering the entire session was run on just one set of tires.

Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow claimed Superpole and broke the lap record in the process

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (1st, 1’42.092)
“The Superpole lap wasn’t really a surprise to me to be honest, we had a good session beforehand and I knew we could go really well in the qualifying session this morning. We left a lot in reserve, so down in 14th place I wasn’t panicking. I knew we had a good pace for the pole session, I only used one qualifying tire and we only needed one lap to do it. Yamaha’s done a fantastic job in the last month, it was hard work but we’ve got there in the end, all working together. I’m quietly confident we’ll do a good job tomorrow as well.”

Riding with a still-broken hand, James Toseland could only manage 15th in qualifying

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (15th, 1’49.401)
“What a disappointing end to what has been a great qualifying so far this weekend. The Sterilgarda Yamaha Team have been brilliant in how they’ve transformed the bike from where we were in Phillip Island and I want to thank them for that. The mistake for me was that I was on the second lap on the qualifier tire and I was trying to make it work hard on the last turn as if it had been the first lap on it. Unfortunately it was a mistake, I suffered a lack of grip and the consequence is I’m now 15th on the grid.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“First of all I think a big thanks to the guys to have done such a good job since our not so great performance in Australia. I have to say Cal did a fantastic lap, we are confident that we will be in there tomorrow. The pace Cal had in practice was really good so I’m expecting good things. Unfortunately James had a big high-side during the second Superpole session which was unfortunate, but he has a good race pace which will help. For sure it will be harder for him to start from the back but I think he knows how to fight his way through. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

Circuit Length: 4692
Weather: Sunny
Fastest Lap Ever: 1’42.092 (Cal Crutchlow, 28/03/2010)
Last Year’s Winner: Michel Fabrizio