Motourage

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.

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.

After success in Australia, Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli are looking forward to getting back on track at round two of the World Superbike Championship at Portimao in Portugal this weekend and chasing the podium again.

This is the third time that the Autodromo do Algarve is hosting a round of the championship, though this year the race takes place in the spring instead of its usual end-of-season date.

Following the opening round at Phillip Island, Haslam is leading the World Championship by nine points with Guintoli fifth, and both are determined to do well at the 4.592 kilometer circuit. Haslam was in superb form in the pre-season tests at the track in January, and Guintoli too showed that he had become very comfortable with the 2010 GSX-R1000 Suzuki Alstare bike. Both riders are eager to continue their attack on the championship and also keep Suzuki at the top of the manufacturer standings.

Leon Haslam:
“Portimao is a fantastic circuit and probably the most demanding one on the calendar. I think all riders like it because it is such a challenge and when you do a good lap there, the feeling is fantastic. From the very first time I jumped onto the Suzuki I knew that the bike could be a contender and so far, I think we have proved that. The whole team has given me tremendous support and we are all now looking forward to another good weekend in Portimao. I went well there in the pre-season tests and I will be chasing two more podiums for sure.”

Sylvain Guintoli:
“I am very pleased with my start to the season and I cannot tell you how happy and comfortable I am with my bike. Of course, every time I go out on it I learn a bit more, but already I am thinking of podiums and that is a good feeling to have. It has been a long break since the first race and I am itching to get back in the saddle and racing again. Portimao is a great track, but very, very challenging. I think it is one of the best race tracks in the series and I will be doing my very best to get on the podium there.”

Leon Haslam holds off Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga for the win in race 1.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam recorded his first ever World Superbike win in the first race of this year’s Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island today.

He led the race from start to finish and took the flag, just .004 ahead of Michel Fabrizio’s Factory Ducati.

He and his Suzuki Alstare team mate Sylvain Guintoli then disputed the lead for most of the second race, but Haslam’s dreams of a double were dashed right at the death by Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati). Nevertheless, his tremendous win in race one and runner-up spot in the second puts him on the very top of the Superbike World Championship, nine points ahead of his nearest rival.

Also encouraging for the team was Guintoli’s ability to run at the front and be in contention: The Frenchman led his team mate eight laps out of 22 and did not look out of place at all. This was his first race of the year, on the new 2010 GSX-R1000 bike, with a new team, but he also showed that he too will be a force to be reckoned with this year. Although he missed out on the podium, he did receive a trophy – for the fastest lap of race two – so he did not leave Phillip Island empty handed.

Leon Haslam – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 2nd:
“I am so happy to get my first WSBK win and it feels great! I want to thank the team and all the staff back at the workshop for all their support and hard work and I’d also like to thank Francis and Patricia Batta for having faith in me.

“The first race was such hard work and it was impossible to relax for a second. I knew that I had Michel and Nori breathing down my neck, but I just kept concentrating on my lines and my braking points and tried to hold them off. I realized that Michel was in my wheel tracks going into the last turn and would try and use the draft to get past me, but I kept my head down and charged to the flag. At the end, I didn’t know if I’d won or not, but when I realized that I had, I was so unbelievably happy and it was such a fantastic feeling. All weekend I knew that a win was possible, but thinking about and it happening are two different things.

The Suzuki Alstare team holds off the triple-Ducati attack of Fabrizio, Haga and Checa. Carlos Checa eventually made his way to the front and held on for the win in race 2.

“In race two, I had some problems with rear traction but I still thought I could win. I had a great fight with Sylvain and when I finally got ahead of him and made it stick, I thought he might act as a buffer between me and the rest. Then suddenly, Carlos was there. He dived under me just three corners from the end, on the last lap. I tried to get it back, but he managed to hold me off and take the flag. But it feels good to take a win and a second in my first race with the team and it feels fantastic to be leading the Superbike World Championship.”

Sylvain Guintoli – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 4th:
“I have really enjoyed today and it’s been great fun. I can’t remember the last time I was leading a World Championship race, so to lead quite a lot of race two was a great feeling and now I want to do it again. When I was in front, I felt comfortable and I knew I could keep up a good pace. Everything felt very smooth and it was all going to plan until I made a small mistake and Leon and then Carlos went through. Carlos and I touched in turn 8 when my elbow was in contact with his front wheel and then I tried a bit too hard to get back straightaway when perhaps I should’ve been a bit more patient and that’s where I lost ground.

“I could’ve made a better result in the first race if I hadn’t had such a bad start. My pace was good, but I was too far off the leaders, but I am learning about WSBK race pace and also the fact that the races are longer than what I have been used to. I am very happy with all the work we’ve done and am enjoying riding this bike so much. It was nice to get a trophy for the fastest lap in race two and I hope that it will just be the start of many to come. I am looking forward to Portimao and my next trophy.”

Results:

Race 1: 1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 3 Haga (JPN-Ducati), 4 Rea (GBR-Honda), 5 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 6 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare).

Race 2: 1 Checa (ESP-Ducati), 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 3 Fabrizio, 4 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Haga, 6 Rea.

Championship points: 1 Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) 45, Fabrizio 36, 3 Checa 34, 4 Haga 27, 5 Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) 23, 6 Rea 23.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam didn’t chase lap times in today’s first qualifying session for the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in Australia, but took the third fastest lap of the day.

The young Briton worked all day trying to find a good race set-up and did not even use any soft tires during the timed session this afternoon, when his best lap was set on race rubber.

His team mate Sylvain Guintoli continued to improve his understanding of his GSX-R1000 Suzuki and finished qualifying with the eighth quickest time.

Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati) posted the fastest time in qualifying, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) second.

Leon Haslam – 3rd, 1:32.373:
“I am really happy with today because we are well on the way to finding a good set-up for the race on Sunday. We tried all three different tires and now we have good ideas about which one we will use depending on the conditions. I didn’t even use a soft tire this afternoon and my fastest lap was done on ordinary race rubber.

“The differing temperatures have given us different challenges, but I’m pretty confident about the bike’s set-up, unless of course it rains and then we’ll all be in trouble. The track felt a bit slippery and greasy today, because of the hotter temperatures, and the wind was a bit of a problem in turns 1 and 2 and sector 4, but it was the same for everybody and we just had to cope with it. No problems really today, except that I heard from home this morning that my 19-year-old dog had died. He’s had a good, long life, but he will be missed.”

Sylvain Guintoli – 8th, 1:32.902:
“We’ve made a good step forward today – maybe part of it was down to me using my right hand better – and I am really loving riding the bike. We tried many different settings and also did a lot of work on trying to improve the tire life and, like Leon, I did my best lap on normal race rubber.

“At the moment, I am struggling a bit finding problems with the bike and everything is going very well. That’s also down to the hard work put in by the whole team and we are feeling good about our prospects on Sunday. First aim tomorrow morning is getting into Superpole. After that, we’ll see what happens.”

Friday WSB qualifying: 1 Checa (ESP-Ducati) 1:32.155, 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:32.162, 3 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:32.373, 4 Byrne (GBR-Ducati) 1:32.635, 5 Haga (JPN-Ducati) 1:32.703, 6 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia) 1:32.850. 8 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 1:32.902.

Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli continued to work on finding the best set-up for their GSX-R1000 K10 Suzukis instead of chasing lap times today and ended the two-day World Superbike test at Phillip Island in Australia in 7th and 15th respectively.

Strong winds buffeted the 4.445 kilometer circuit and most riders took things cautiously, especially in the afternoon. Ducatis filled the top four places at the finish with Michel Fabrizio the fastest, with a time of 1:31.650. Second was Shane Byrne, with Jakub Smrz third and Carlos Checa fourth.

Alstare Suzuki's Sylvain Guintoli

Sylvain Guintoli: 147 laps (two days) 15th – 1:32.869:
“Today we did a lot of work on getting the bike working well with race rubber and didn’t concentrate of chasing lap times. I had a small get-off at the tight hairpin after Lukey Heights, but there was no damage to me or the bike. It happened when I lost the front end when I pushed a bit too hard on a tire that I didn’t really like – and now I like it less!

“I have had no problems with jet-lag or tiredness today, but I felt that I just couldn’t find my good rhythm. This sometimes happens to me when we test for a lot of time, like today when the two sessions lasted two and a half hours each. In a normal race weekend, practice lasts an hour and race is about 45 minutes and I always manage to find a good rhythm without a problem, so maybe the sessions today were a bit too long for me. But, we’ve done a lot of good work and now I am looking forward to next Friday and the start of the race weekend.”

Leon Haslam: 142 laps (two days) 7th – 1:32.279:
“I am not so happy with the final result, regarding lap times, but overall I am happy with all the work we’ve done and the things we found out and this will help us go in the right direction.

“Today we started with the two bikes set up differently and I preferred some things on one bike and some things on the other bike, so the mechanics will now try and put the best bits of both on one bike and that’s what I will start with during first practice next Friday. We spent quite a lot of time today trying out race tires, so that we will be in a good position next week, but that meant that we didn’t really go for a very quick lap time.

“I am not worried about the guys ahead of me today, because I know that things will be very different come the race next weekend. That’s more important than lap times today. I feel good about our prospects – and that’s the main thing.”

Overall results (two days): 1 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:31.650, 2 Byrne (GBR-Ducati) 1:31.652, 3 Smrz (CZE-Ducati) 1:31.680, 4 Checa (ESP-Ducati) 1:31.959, 5 Rea (GBR-Honda) 1:32.175, 6 Haga (JPN-Ducati) 1:32.247, 7 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:32.279. 15 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 1:32.869.

Suzuki GB and the Crescent British Superbike Team have today confirmed an agreement that will see current Worx Suzuki British Superbike rider, Sylvain Guintoli, move to the Alstare Suzuki World Superbike team for the 2010 season.

Guintoli, who recently signed a contract to remain with Worx Crescent Suzuki in BSB for 2010, was offered the alternative to move to the world series after Suzuki factory bosses and the Alstare team witnessed his impressive migration to the Superbike class in the UK during the 2009 season.

Yasuharu Osawa, Suzuki GB managing director:
“Sylvain has proven to be an incredible asset for Suzuki this year, despite his unfortunate injury early on. We want to support Sylvain’s career while also doing what is best for the Suzuki family, so following Alstare’s request we have unanimously agreed for him to move to World SBK for the 2010 season. We would like to thank the BSB team sponsors, especially Worx, for their complete support in this decision.”

In addition to Guintoli’s move, Suzuki GB is also delighted to announce that current World Superbike rider, Yukio Kagayama, will make a return to the BSB series in 2010 for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team as part of a new two-man team.

Jack Valentine, Worx Crescent Suzuki team manager:
“To have Yukio back in the UK is great news. He is still a class act and was incredibly popular with UK fans during his two year stint in the series last time. He is as determined as ever and will be back here with one goal in mind – to challenge for the title. Our decision to run two riders in 2010 is also good news for the BSB Championship, for Suzuki and for all of our partners.”

While the Worx Crescent Suzuki team have confirmed their two rider 2010 championship assault, confirmation of the full rider line-up will be confirmed at a later date.

Sylvain Guintoli finished yesterday’s British Superbike races at Silverstone with 7th and 8th place results. The Worx Crescent Suzuki star made a terrific start to the day with the fourth-fastest time in the morning warm-up, but in the races, despite respectable lap times, Guintoli struggled to make the results he sought.

Worx Crescent Suzuki's Sylvain Guintoli

Sylvain Guintoli “The first race wasn’t so bad, I definitely had the pace to be running top-five. I enjoyed racing with Tommy Hill and John Laverty, and I was lining up to make a pass on Hill when – I can’t believe this – a large bug splattered my visor in one of the turns, totally obscuring my vision. By the time I had the tear-off sorted, instead of passing Tommy, I’d been passed by John. So that was 7th instead of 5th.  In that second race, I lost too much time at the start. There was some contact in the first turn and that dropped me right down. But no excuses – make a good start and these thing don’t happen to you. I’m quite frustrated as it’s not all coming together as it should. I need to make good starts and I need to get on the pace a lot quicker – these are not endurance races.”

Jack Valentine, team manager
“There’s not too much to say about today. We’ve been conscious of not pressuring Sylvain and allowing him to get his feel back for racing. He has a few issues to sort through, and the job for us now is to work on these.  We’re off to Oulton Park for the final round of the championship and there Sylvain at last has previous experience of the track – and it’s a track where he’s tasted success. With two podium finishes there we’ve also good data to work from, so we expect to be in a much stronger position to help him back to the form which we know he’s capable of.”

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli, Silverstone
Race one results:
1. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha)
2. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) 0.244s
3. James Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 8.837s
4. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) 9.164s
5. Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) 18.278s
6. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) 18.787s
7. Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 18.33s
8. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 22.408s
9. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 22.921s
10. Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 24.682s

Race two result:
1. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha)
2. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 1.200s
3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 3.783s
4. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) 3.974s
5. Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) 9.774s
6. Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 11.099s
7. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 14.340s
8. Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 16.148s
9. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 21.434s
10. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS Evo) 23.963s

Sylvain Guintoli and Jack Valentine of the Worx Crescent Suzuki team took a detour from their respective journeys north to the Croft circuit today, rendezvousing at Suzuki GB’s Milton Keynes HQ (11.00hrs GMT).

There, together with Suzuki GB’s Managing Director, Yasuharu Osawa, they put signatures to Guintoli’s riding contract for 2010 – yes, Sylvain Guintoli will race again for Worx Crescent Suzuki, in BSB, in 2010.

Mr Osawa expressed his delight in the contract renewal with the talented Frenchman. “For Suzuki this is a very exciting development. Sylvain has shown through his races earlier this year – including his win at Brands Hatch – just how competitive the 2009 GSX-R1000 is. He is an exceptional rider and the excitement he generates within the team, and for the fans, to me feels like an extension of the excitement we feel the GSX-R itself generates. With 2010 being the 25th anniversary of the GSX-R we look forward to celebrating the year together with Sylvain in the way he certainly knows how!

Sylvain Guintoli: “This is the first time in my career I’ve signed a contract this early in the year – I think that shows just how comfortable both sides are with each other. Right now we are working on regaining the competitiveness we showed at the beginning of this season, but as well we know now that the experience that I am gaining at the tracks this year will be something we can carry into next season. With the experience we will have of the tracks, of the GSX-R and of working together as a team we can look forward to next year with a lot of optimism.”

Jack Valentine: “We’re very pleased to have Sylvain back on board for 2010 and to have him signed up so early. This allows us to build toward next season as from today, it’s almost a head start.

“But as well, this allows us to now focus on our second objective for the new season. It is our desire to have a young rider partner Sylvain in the Worx Crescent Suzuki team in the 2010 season. There’s no small challenge in making that happen as we’ll need to secure additional backing, but a two-rider team is our intention and will be what we’ll now be focusing on.”

Sylvain Guintoli

Two weeks on from his return to BSB action, Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli is looking forward to another round of challenges at the tenth round of the British Superbike Championship – Croft – this weekend.

Guintoli has never ridden the Croft circuit before, so he faces yet another steep learning curve if he’s to be on the pace come Sunday’s races. As well, he faces increased competition this weekend as Josh Brooks returns to the grid joined by former BSB champion Ryuichi Kiyonari (on a break from WSBK duties). Swelling the grid further is Guintoli’s former stand-in, Tommy Hill.

Sylvain Guintoli: “I’ve been doing my usual preparation of watching DVDs to get an idea of how the circuit goes, and I’ve even been looking at the team’s data from last year. I understand it’s another ex-World War II airfield circuit, so it’s flatter and maybe less technical than Cadwell Park.  I was pretty sore after Cadwell Park and I definitely made a mistake by not icing my leg and knee after each ride, but it was important for me to get back into the rhythm of racing and for my leg to get used to the stresses and strains again. I think Cadwell was certainly the greatest test for it, everything from here on should be easier, physically at least. It’s going to be an exciting weekend this weekend, with Kiyo, Brooks and Tommy Hill added to the starting grid it can only be good for the competition, good for the championship.”

Jack Valentine, team manager: “We always look forward to coming to Croft; it’s a circuit I personally like and it should suit the Suzuki well. We’ll have another one of those weekend’s, though, where Sylvain needs to learn the track and we make a gradual build up. And this weekend he faces probably the strongest field we’ve seen in the championship this year. With the weather forecast looking good it should an exciting weekend.”