Various press accounts of today's action at Monza:
Team Alstare Suzuki news
2008 Superbike World Championship
Round 5, Monza, Italy
Sunday 11th May
Circuit: 5.793 kms. Crowd: 112,000 (3-day) Conditions: Dry, mostly sunny 21-22C.
SUPERB DEBUT WIN FOR MAX!
Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner took a superb maiden victory at Monza and also went into the record books for being the first German to win a World Superbike Championship race. Ever since Valencia, when he was cruelly robbed of victory on the last lap, Max has been ready to win and today he emphatically showed that he is a force to be reckoned with this year. Max was a race-long contender for a win in the second race, but was beaten to the line in a photo-finish with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). At the end, he was deprived of victory (and a remarkable double!) by just nine thousandths of a second! Haga took second place in race one, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) third and Suzuki Alstare riders Yukio Kagayama and Fonsi Nieto fourth and seventh places respectively. Behind Haga and Neukirchner in race two, was Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) in third, followed by Fonsi Nieto. Yukio suffered a dramatic crash in the Ascari chicane after just four laps, hurting his ribs and right knee in the process.
Max - Race 1: 1, Race 2: 2nd
I am so happy to win my first ever World Superbike race and proud and happy to be the first German rider to do so. It's a great feeling and I'm sure that there'll be much more interest in Germany now. Although I was a bit nervous before the race, I was not nervous in it or at the end. It was easy to be in front in race one and my bike felt very fast on the straights and good in the corners. I knew exactly where Haga was and knew what I had to do to beat him. I used the same bike and set up for race two, but Haga was a bit quicker in the corners. I was behind him when I suddenly saw a big cloud of smoke coming from his bike. I thought his engine had blown up and waited for him to slow down or pull over, but he kept on going! After half a lap or so, there was no more smoke. I attacked him hard in the last couple of laps, but he just about managed to outdrag me to the line and take the win.
Yukio - Race 1: 4th, Race 2: DNF
I am very sore after my race two crash! I don't know why I crashed because it happened so quickly and I had no chance of saving it. Maybe there was some dirt and gravel on the side of the track and I hit it and that caused the bike to change direction so violently. It was a big shame because I was thinking of maybe a podium and to end up in the Clinica Mobile was not my idea of how to finish the race. I had some brake problems in race one and that me go straight on in the chicanes sometimes, but I did not want to give up, so I kept pushing as hard as I dared. I hope my injuries are not serious, but I know I'm going to be very sore tomorrow morning.
Fonsi - Race 1: 7th, Race 2: 4th
I am not at all happy in race one because I was hit by Checa and the impact broke my seat. Because of that, I lost a little top speed and once I had lost touch with the leaders it was not possible to catch up again. Race two was quite good. I felt very comfortable on the bike and, as the race wore on, I was able to be more confident in one corner that had been causing me a little problem. I was behind Haga, when smoke suddenly appeared from the rear end of his bike. I thought that his engine had gone, so I slowed down because I was worried that oil was coming out. It even smelled a bit like oil, but half a lap later the smoke disappeared. By then I was too far away to challenge for a top spot and so I decided to keep my place and take fourth.
****************
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Italian World Superbike at Monza
Sunday 11 May, 2008
World Superbike and World Supersport race report
Crowd: 112,000 claimed all weekend
Temperature Air: 22 to 21
Temperature Ground: 36 to 40
KIYONARI TAKES FIRST WORLD SUPERBIKE PODIUM
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
CBR1000RR) secured his first ever WSB podium
finish today, taking third in race two, after a
contest that he could have won. He led the last
lap but was passed by eventual winner Noriyuki
Haga, who then pushed Kiyonari onto a tight line
exiting the Parabolica, preventing him from
re-passing. The following rider, Max Neukirchner,
therefore took second from Kiyo also, with the
time difference from Haga to Kiyonari in third only 0.051 seconds.
Neukirchner had won the first race, from Haga and
Troy Bayliss, with Kiyonari sixth. Front row
qualifier Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda
CBR1000RR) had to fight through to finish eight,
after being dropped off the start to 19th on lap
one. Checa would crash out of race two, having
already run off the track after an earlier
incident at the first chicane. He is still second
in the championship rankings, but lost points on
overall leader Bayliss. Bayliss has 194 to
Checa's 116, while race two winner Haga is now third, on 112.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda Jnr
CBR1000RR) had to withdraw from the Monza race
after the first day of qualifying after his
brother Sinan was killed in a racing accident at
home in Turkey. The whole WSB paddock and all
Kenan's racing friends send their condolences to Kenan and his family.
Gregorio Lavilla (Vent Axia VK Honda CBR1000RR)
was 11th, in race one, despite running out of
fuel towards the end, and Russell Holland (DFX
Corse Honda CBR1000RR) was just out of the points in 16th.
Lavilla had to start the second leg from pitlane
but made up ground, in a race littered by
crashes, to secure a top ten finish. Lavilla is
now 10th overall, on 59 points. Karl Muggeridge
(DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) did not finish the
first race after his machine suffered a technical
problem. He made genuine progress in race two,
running in the top ten throughout and finishing
sixth, equalling his season best. His machine was
trapped at over 200mph in qualifying.
Honda's hopes of more points at Monza were dealt
a blow when regular rider Roberto Rolfo
(Hannspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR) was injured in
a training accident, and his eventual
replacement, Giovanni Bussei, qualified 27th but
had to rule himself out after the effect of his
own arm recent injury began to make themselves felt.
Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR rider Shuhei
Aoyama rode strongly for periods of each race,
but dropped off the pace to finish 18th in race
one and 16th in race two, having to pit in race two to repair his machine.
Luca Morelli (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) was
17th in race one and a non-finisher in race two.
Checa said: "In the first race I had a problem
when I touched with another rider off the start
and I was way down the field. I had a good pace
but I was so far back I could only recover a few
places. In the second race I was in a better
position but then another rider hit me at the
entrance to the first chicane, under braking, and
that maybe bent something at the back of the
bike. I fell at the Parabolica but I still don't
know why, maybe something to do with the earlier collision."
Kiyonari, now ninth on 65 points, said: "I was
too slow at the start of race one so in race two
I concentrated on getting a good start and pushed
hard, right from the beginning. I was able to
catch Neukirchner and Haga, although they were
riding really well. At one stage I thought I
could win, but I knew I had to brake late into
the Parabolica and I nearly lost the front, which
made me run wide on the entry. But I'm really happy with my first podium."
Lavilla said: "I lost two positions in race one
because the bike was running out of fuel. I was
ninth and trying to pass Checa at the time. Our
bike didn't start on the grid before race two and
I had to take my second bike and start from
pitlane. Your second bike never works like the
first but I pushed hard and I knew that some
riders would not finish. Even if I scored a
single point, that was something. At the end of
the day I got tenth, which was pretty good."
Muggeridge said: "In the first race I was a bit
nervous off the start, because we have to run
such a long first gear here. I bogged it off the
start and was about 20th, then got trapped by the
Ducatis. Race two was good, that is more our real
level, and I know we can do even better than
that. Just starting from so far back is a
handicap. In race two, our bike was pretty good."
Holland said; "it feels much better fighting in
with everyone else than running on your own. We
had good speed from the bike this weekend, and we really made some progress."
Aoyama said: "During race one I didn't have a
good feeling with the bike and we didn't make a
good race. We had problems with the rear tyre and
almost did not finish the race because of a lack
of fuel. We made some changes for race two and I
made a good start. I started 13th then I tried to
follow the other riders. We had an electrical
problem and had to pull in but because so many
riders crashed out we carried on, hoping to score
a point. But we just missed out."
The World Superbike series moves to Miller
Motorsports Park in Utah, USA, for round six on
June 1.
***************
PRESS RELEASE
2008 HANNSPREE FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP®
MONZA- 5th ROUND - 9, 10 and 11 MAY
RACE REPORT
Monza, Sunday 11 May 2008
Neukirchner and Haga share the wins in spectacular day of World Superbike action at Monza
Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) shared the wins in the IDS Italian Round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in front of a record crowd of 112,000 spectators.
Race 1: The first-ever win for a German rider in World Superbike history came at the end of a sprint finish to the line with Haga, just 0.058 seconds behind at the flag. The final podium place went to championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) after a late attack by Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare), who finished fourth despite a couple of errors at the chicane. Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) recovered from ninth on the grid to finish fifth. The first Honda to the line was the Hannspree Ten Kate version of Ryuichi Kiyonari in sixth, ahead of Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare) and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who lost time at the start after a clash with Nieto. The Spanish rider was relegated to the back of the field but recovered to finish eighth.
Max Neukirchner: "It's the first win by a German rider in World Superbike and I'm really happy about that. My team did a great job this weekend. Our engine for sure is very fast, Suzuki have done a lot of development work on it. I felt the pressure all the way through the race, but once Yukio made a little mistake, I thought ?great! Now I can try and do it alone!"
Noriyuki Haga: "I tried so many times to push but it was difficult to pass Max, but anyway I really enjoyed the race. It was very close but in the straights it seems like my engine is a 250 and Max has 1200! We will have to try and look for some more horses in race 2!"
******************
Sunday May 11 2008
Race day - Monza
TOP FIVE FINISHES FOR TROY BAYLISS AND MICHEL FABRIZIO IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD AT MONZA
Monza (Italy) Sunday 11th May 2008: As Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) himself predicted yesterday, today's races consisted of hard fought battles. Despite a DNF in Race 2, a third place finish in Race 1 means that Troy and his Ducati 1098 F08 have nonetheless further increased the championship lead. Michel Fabrizio rode hard in both races to take ninth and fifth position finishes, and hence 18 extremely important championship points.
Troy Bayliss (Race 1 - 3rd, Race 2 - DNF)
Race 1 saw Bayliss caught up in a fight against Max Neukirchner and Noriyuki Haga, a closely contested race from the start right down to the finish line, in which Max eventually prevailed and Bayliss crossed the line in third. In Race 2 Bayliss' 1098 F08 suffered a technical fault, an engine problem that resulted in oil leaking, and which unfortunately led subsequently to his retirement from the race.
"I knew today's races would be hard and that proved to be the case. In Race 1 I felt the bike was missing a couple of things and struggling on the long corners but in the end I was happy to take a third place in Race 1. My compliments to Max who takes his first Superbike win, both him and Nori rode a great race and there was nothing I could do to get past them. Race 2? Let's just say I'm happy to leave Monza with a bigger points lead than I had when I arrived."
Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 - 9th, Race 2 - 5th)
In Race 1 Michel Fabrizio was able to make up several positions, having started thirteenth on the grid and took home valuable points from his ninth place finish. Race 2 panned out in a similar way and the young Italian rode even harder to pass several strong rivals, taking away 11 useful points from a solid fifth place finish.
"I'm very happy at the end of the day. There was some real racing going on out there today, and I had to fight hard to make up the places that I did. I needed to take points away this weekend and I did that, and in front of my home crowd too, so I can say that I'm pretty satisfied really."
************
Neukirchner and Haga rule at Monza
There were two victors at the fifth round of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship at Monza, Italy today as Max Neukirchner and Noriyuki Haga took the top spot in races one and two respectively.
Despite current championship leader Troy Bayliss? superb start from the line in the first race, Neukirchner had slotted nicely into position at the front of the pack by the fourth lap. The German then dominated the remainder of the 18-lap race, leading Haga and Bayliss to the chequered flag, and adding a well-earned 25 points to his championship tally.
At the start of the second leg, Bayliss, Neukirchner and Haga were again among the frontrunners, all determined to score the second victory at Monza. However, Australian Bayliss was forced to retire on the seventh lap due to technical problems, and could do nothing but watch from the pits as rivals Haga and Neukirchner swapped and changed positions at the front of the field.
Although it was Haga who came out on top, his advantage over second-placed Neukirchner was only 0.009s at the chequered flag.
Meanwhile it was a day of mixed fortunes for the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team. Double British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari scored a superb fourth place finish in the first race, but went one better in the second leg by clinching his maiden podium of the season.
The 25-year-old Japanese rider showed true grit and determination in race two, dicing with the frontrunners and even leading Haga and Neukirchner on the final lap. However, he was unable to maintain his advantage at the front of the pack, losing two positions by the chequered flag. Kiyonari?s fourth and third place finishes add 26 points to his tally, propelling him from 12th to ninth position in the overall standings.
Kiyo?s team-mate Carlos Checa had a poor start in the first race and had to work hard for his eventual eighth place finish. He made a better start in the second race and even avoided a coming together with Troy Corser on the eighth lap. However, the 35-year-old Spaniard crashed out of contention on lap nine.
The third HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu was unable to participate in the Italian event, due to a loss in his family. The 23-year-old returned to Turkey on Friday, but hopes to join the Superbike contingent at Salt Lake City for the sixth round of the championship.
HANNspree Honda Althea?s Roberto Rolfo was also unable to complete the Monza event ? his home round. The 28-year-old Italian broke his left collarbone in a mountain biking accident while training. He hopes to return to the championship for round six.
*******************
PRESS RELEASE | Monza, race
WSBK'08 Round 5
Sterilgarda Go Eleven is satisfied with Alex Polita's podium, taken at the end of a thrilling race at Monza. The young Italian rider was able to avoid the crashes at the first corner, leaving behind his rivals and taking the second provisional position. The big recovery from the forth line made him running the last laps with damaged tyres, restraining him to defend from the attacks of Smrz who passed Polita by a hair's breadth. Less good day in Superbike for Max Biaggi, 5th in race-1, and Ruben Xaus, 7th in race-2. In race-1, the Spanish and the Italian riders finished the first lap in sixth and seventh position respectively. In the first four laps the duo got a gap of two seconds and half from the leading pack. At the end of the battle, Biaggi was able to capitalize his worth, reducing the gap and recording the same time of the first riders, sometimes lapping quicker than them. On the other hand Xaus crushed little before the half of the race.
Just after few laps of race-2, Xaus ran into an engine lack of power, nevertheless he carried on his game with fantastic grit, inflaming the supporters with hazardous braking and spinning, and keeping safe his seventh position until the chequered flag. On the contrary Biaggi was victim of an incident with Smrz just three laps to the end when the Italian champion was sixth, fighting against Michel Fabrizio, Karl Muggeridge and his team-mate Xaus. That caused to Biaggi the fracture of the left little finger.
RUBEN XAUS | Ducati 1098 RS | Retired and 7th Classified: "I would have liked to got a better result and so I'm really angry. In race-1 I slid while I was reducing the gap from the leading riders and I'm sure I would have had the opportunity to fight for a place on the podium. In race 2 the power of my bike decreased, I did my best, but it was really hard for me to defend from the attacks of my rivals in the quickest part of the track ".
MAX BIAGGI | Ducati 1098 RS | 5th Classified and Retired: "I ran a good race-1 especially considering my starting position. I kept my gap from the winner just a bit beyond the three seconds, and I lapped constantly with a good pace. In race-2 I suffered the lack of grip on the rear and I lost many seconds out of the corners. Then Smrz struck my bike at three laps to the end, breaking my left little finger and causing an injury at my ring finger".
ALEX POLITA | Ducati 1098R | 3rd Classified: "Finally the podium! It's fantastic to get back to lift a trophy in the FIM STK1000 world championship, especially after having come close to this goal several times. As well, many of my direct rivals got retired today and that makes me climb the rank to the second place".
**************
