YRC News
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WSB : Haga top Yamaha in Valencia
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 24 April 2005
Crowd: 35000
Temp: 35ēC
Weather: Sunny
Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga battled changeable track conditions at a
warm and sunny Valencia to secure a fifth and fourth place finishes in the
23-lap races, making himself the highest placed Yamaha rider on the day. With
track temperatures increasing from 22°C in race one to 40°C in race two, grip
altered considerably from race to race, complicating matters for all four of
Yamaha's supported riders.
Both races saw Troy Corser (Suzuki) take the win, followed by Chris Vermeulen
(Honda). A seemingly sure third place, and a possible second, for Norick Abe
(Yamaha Motor France IPONE) in the opener ended in the gravel as the Japanese
rider slid off his machine into the first right hand corner on the 19th lap. He
would end race two in fifth place, despite losing adhesion on the hotter track,
to move up one championship place: fifth overall and the leading R1 rider.
Haga's team-mate Andrew Pitt also fell in race one, while holding fourth
position on lap six. The Australian held a podium position for much of race two,
but slipped back due to a misfire. Starting from row five of the grid each time,
Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) had an excellent ride through the
field in race one, securing sixth. In the second outing an overheating engine
stopped him from progressing beyond 11th.
Corser's double win extended his lead at the head of the championship. Abe moved
to fifth position in the championship, with 44 points, while Haga's good points
scores push him to seventh, on 40. Pitt lies eighth with 39, Gimbert 12th with 26.
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia)
"OK, we got fifth in race one and fourth in race two but it's not good enough
for me, because as a racer you always want to win. I have to remember that the
bike is still developing. We have only finished three meetings so we need to
improve more, step-by-step. I think it will be better though. We are improving
and compared to Friday we have made big progress. Now we have a test at Monza
this week and this should give us a good chance to prepare for the team's home
race."
Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia)
"I tried to stay with them in race two but I just lost one tenth each lap. The
more laps I had, the more I had to be careful. After a few laps the rear tyre
started to lose performance but the electrical problem at the end probably cost
me three places."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia)
"Before we arrived here I said that we would be happy with podiums and we nearly
got them. On Friday we were looking almost looking at a disaster, but
immediately on Saturday we improved a lot. But both riders finished race two.
Andrew's machine had a small problem in that race. In the last two laps he
slowed up, with a misfire. But considering our position on Friday, we cannot be
too disappointed."
Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)
"It was unlucky to crash in race one as I had a good feeling on the bike. I knew
100 percent that I could get third but there was a rider immediately in front of
me so I wanted second; it's better than third. Maybe I pushed the front too
hard, so I crashed. Race two was held in very different conditions, a warmer
track for example, and the rear grip was less from the beginning. That was more
of a disappointment than race one."
Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France)
"In the last couple of laps of race two the engine overheated and I lost a lot
of power. That made it incredibly difficult for me. There was also a big change
in the track conditions between race one and race two, and that made the bike
slide a lot more in the second one. Race one was OK, a good finish in sixth."
Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France)
"Not so bad. Of course in the second race less people crashed so the places were
worse but we are happy because we have made the chassis better, gained some
confidence, even if we have lost a possible podium. Now we have to work on the
engine some more. Sebastien's engine overheated, so we need to inspect the
radiator. Because it lost power as it heated up, he dropped down positions. But
we have shown again we are at a high level and we are fifth in the world
championship with Abe. This is not so bad for the start of the season."
Race classification WSB
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Circuit Length: 4005m
Lap Record: 1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 34.633 (Neil Hodgson, 2003)
Race 1: 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 37'31.052
2 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +9.116
3 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +12.788
4 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +16.867
5 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +17,882
6 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +26.495
7 P. Chili Honda ITA +28.784
8 J. Toseland Ducati GBR +36.604
9 S. Fuertes Suzuki ESP +39.524
10 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +39.775
11 I. Clementi Kawasaki ITA +40.047
12 B. Bostrom Honda USA +42.941
13 G. Bussei Kawasaki ITA +47.505
14 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA +47.585
15 I. Silva Yamaha ESP +48.993
16 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA +49.064
18 M. Borciani Yamaha ITA +54.572
Race 2: 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 37'52.057
2 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +5.361
3 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +7.184
4 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +10.600
5 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +11.903
6 B. Bostrom Honda USA +19.200
7 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +19.345
8 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +23.246
9 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +24.787
10 P. Chili Honda ITA +25.299
11 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +25.495
12 M. Neukirchner Honda GER +27.833
13 I. Clementi Kawasaki ITA +31.339
14 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA +33.013
15 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA +34.024
Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1'36.721
Championship standings WSB
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 141
2 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 110
3 Chris Vermeulen Honda AUS 90
4 Regis Laconi Ducati FRA 54
5 Norifumi Abe Yamaha JPN 44
6 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 41
7 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 40
8 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 39
9 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 38
10 James Toseland Ducati GBR 30
11 Pierfrancesco Chili Honda ITA 26
12 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 26
13 Giovanni Bussei Kawasaki ITA 23
14 Ben Bostrom Honda USA 19
15 Fonsi Nieto Ducati ESP 17
17 David Checa Yamaha ESP 13
21 Ivan Silva Yamaha ESP 10
25 Marco Borciani Yamaha ITA 4
26 Lorenzo Alfonsi Yamaha ITA 3
27 Miguel Praia Yamaha POR 2
28 Gianluca Vizziello Yamaha ITA 2
Manufacturers standings WSB
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Suzuki 150
2 Honda 93
3 Yamaha 65
4 Ducati 64
5 Kawasaki 50
6 Petronas 1
WSS : Another podium for Curtain
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 24 April 2005
Crowd: 35000
Temp: 26ēC
Weather: Sunny
Kevin Curtain grabbed his second successive podium finish in the 2005 Supersport
World Championship to maintain his third place in the championship after a tough
race in Valencia today.
Starting from the front row, the Australian fought with Honda quartet Sebastien
Charpentier, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Michel Fabrizio and Fabien Foret in the opening
laps, until team-mates Charpentier and Fujiwara broke away from the group.
Curtain was able to consolidate third place, despite suffering grip problems,
and could possibly have climbed the top of the podium after Charpentier and
Fujiwara clashed on the penultimate lap, although both riders were able to stay
onboard and retain their positions. Curtain's third place gives his Yamaha Motor
Germany squad a full set of trophies to take back to their Neuss base following
Kenan Sofuoglu and Didier van Keymeulen's first and second in the earlier
superstock race.
Team-mate Broc Parkes also had a tough afternoon after being hit from behind by
a falling rider at the first corner. The incident cost the Australian several
places but he fought back to finish sixth on a track notorious for its lack of
overtaking opportunities after ending the first lap down in 11th place.
With a quarter of the season gone, Charpentier leads the championship on 70
points with Fujiwara a further 12 behind in second. Curtain maintains third, on
49 points, with Parkes tying with Fabrizio for fifth place.
Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany)
"That was a really tough race. As always around here, tyre choice was something
of a gamble, simply because the temperature and grip levels are always changing.
I was happy to bring it home and finish on the podium because my back tyre was
totally gone at the end, although I think it was the same for all the guys. But
we're leaving here third in the championship, hopefully we can now find that
little bit extra to close the gap on Charpentier and Fujiwara."
Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany)
"I got hit real hard on the first corner and there was such a big bang that was
sure the back tyre was flat. I took it easy for a few laps until I was sure
everything was ok but once I got going the bike was actually really good and I
was able to work my way up. By the end I caught Foret but this is a tough place
to overtake and I just didn't have enough time to make a pass."
Race classification WSS
Round: 3 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Circuit Length: 4005m
Lap Record: 1' 38.874 (Alessio Corradi, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 37.331 (Chris Vermeulen, 2003)
Race 1: 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 38'27,276
2 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN +0.844
3 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS +21.382
4 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +25.602
5 F. Foret Honda FRA +31.478
6 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS +32.837
7 B. Veneman Suzuki NED +36.134
8 G. Nannelli Ducati ITA +38.076
9 S. Chambon Honda FRA +38.297
10 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE +38.750
11 X. Fores Suzuki ESP +44.507
12 W. Daemen Honda BEL +45.628
13 S. Le Grelle Honda BEL +52.390
14 A. Tizon Yamaha ESP +52.390
15 T. Lauslehto Honda FIN +53.109
Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1'38.976
Championship standings WSS
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 70
2 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 58
3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 49
4 Fabien Foret Honda FRA 38
5 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 29
6 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 29
7 Stephane Chambon Honda FRA 24
8 Xavi Fores Suzuki ESP 18
9 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 16
10 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 15
11 Tatu Lauslehto Honda FIN 14
12 Jurgen van den Goorbergh Ducati NED 11
13 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 9
14 Tomas Miksovsky Honda CZE 7
15 Christophe Cogan Suzuki FRA 6
Manufacturers standings WSS
Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Honda 75
2 Yamaha 49
3 Ducati 26
4 Suzuki 23
5 Kawasaki 6
Superstock 1000: Sofuoglu leads Yamaha domination
Round: 1 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 24 April 2005
Crowd: 35000
Temp: 23ēC
Weather: Sunny
Yamaha R1 riders dominated the opening round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at
Valencia today, with Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Didier van
Keymeulen taking the top two places ahead of the R1s of Massimo Roccoli and
William de Angelis.
Starting from second on the grid, Sofuoglu grabbed the holeshot to lead his Van
Keymeulen into the first corner and avoid a turn two pile-up that took out
several riders. Van Keymeulen was able to stick with his Turkish team-mate for
the opening few laps before Sofuoglu pulled away to build up a lead of over four
seconds by the flag.
The 21-year-old Sofuoglu, the 2002 German Yamaha R6 Cup champion, celebrated his
first win in the class with a spectacular stand-up wheelie down the entire
length of the Valencia straight, much to the appreciation of the crowd.
Massimo Roccoli, winner of the 2003 Italian Yamaha R6 Cup, rode spectacularly to
make it an all Yamaha podium. The 20-year-old from Rimini was involved in a
pulsating three-way battle with former 125 GP rider William de Angelis (Yamaha)
and Craig Coxhell (Suzuki), a former Australian superbike champion no less.
Roccoli broke the class lap record, previously held by his team-mate Gianluca
Vizziello, by over half a second on the penultimate lap to make the podium on
only his second outing in the class. De Angelis finished fourth to complete a
great day for the Yamaha riders.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motor Germany)
"It feels very good to get that first win. It was always my plan to push hard in
the early laps to try and build a good lead. I got a great start and I was able
to stick to my plan. I felt very strong here today - now we must continue this
for the rest of the year."
Didier van Keymeulen (Yamaha Motor Germany)
"I tried to stay with Kenan but after about five laps I had a problem that we
didn't have in practice and that meant I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to. I
found that the rear was pushing the front going into the corners and therefore I
had to let the bike settle down before going into the corners. But second is a
good start to the championship. Kenan rode very well and although I could
possibly have pushed a bit harder we still have a full season ahead of us."
Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini by Leoni)
"I got caught in the crash on the first lap and that cost me a lot of time. I
absolutely wanted the podium and I pushed really hard even though we did not
have a perfect set-up. In the test we had had the same problem and we did not
manage to fix it. Perhaps I am too light and the Yamaha R1 has too many horses!
But it is been a good beginning and I want to experience the win at Monza in two
weeks' time."
Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup
Round: 1 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Circuit Length: 4005m
Lap Record: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)
Race 1: 13 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 K. Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR 21'42.070
2 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL +3.876
3 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA +5.027
4 W. De Angelis Yamaha ITA +5.203
5 C. Coxhell Suzuki AUS +6.564
6 F. De Marco MV Agusta ITA +13.936
7 I. Dionsi Suzuki ITA +22.396
8 H. Gantner Yamaha CHE +24.228
9 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +25.219
10 R. Cooper Honda GBR +25.485
11 P. Vanstaen Suzuki BEL +29.217
12 D. Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA +32.641
13 J. Mazuecos Yamaha ESP +32.656
14 S. Vermonden Suzuki BEL +32.985
15 P. Solli Yamaha NOR +34.615
Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA 1'39.034
Championship standings FIM Superstock 1000 Cup
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Kenan Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR 25
2 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 20
3 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 16
4 William De Angelis Yamaha ITA 13
5 Craig Coxhell Suzuki AUS 11
6 Fabrizio De Marco MV Agusta ITA 10
7 Ilario Dionsi Suzuki ITA 9
8 Herve Gantner Yamaha CHE 8
9 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 7
10 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 6
11 Pierrot Vanstaen Suzuki BEL 5
12 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 4
13 Julian Mazuecos Yamaha ESP 3
14 Sepp Vermonden Suzuki BEL 2
15 Petter Solli Yamaha NOR 1
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