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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128376
FIM World Superbike Championship Series afterward. "It was nice to run up there in the top six, but I need to get more aggressive on the starts though. I was a little tentative the first race, then in race two I was a little better. Igot behind some of those guys and could not quite get past them. It was frustrating, but it was fun watching Kagayama in front of me. We said we would come here and tum it around, and to some extent we did. Now we are in the top 10. I want to be in the top fIVe at Monza." One race finish for Steve Martin was not enough to score a point for the threecylinder Petronas entries at Valencia, with his 17th place all they could do. Another rider leaving Valencia with a no score is local hero Pablo Nieto, 17th and then a retiree on his SC Ducati 999RS. Davide Checa (Yamaha GMT94) had a wildcard weekend to savor, 10th and then ninth, ahead of the plainly exhausted PierFrancesco Chili, who was 10th in race two after a fine seventh in the dramaladen race one. "My left arm and shoulder are finished after two races," Chili said. "I have no grip in my hand it was impossible to brake hard any more. But I finished both races and took points. After breaking my collarbone, I was maybe not going to be able to race here, so we should be happy with that." Corser's fIVe of six leaves him 31 points ahead of his closest challenger, Kagayama, 141-110. Vermeulen is third, with 90. Corser can now fail to finish and still have the lead. Not bad after six races, but lest we forget, there are still 18 left to go. Still in fourth-place overall, despite his hard drive-defragmenting crash, Laconi has a total of 54. Abe is fifth, with 44. WORLD SUPERSPORT Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Sebastien Charpentier scored his second race win of the season, battering his way through the last lap after what looked like a tactile elbowing fight with his following teammate, Katsuaki Fujiwara. Although each rider was not too forthcoming on exactly what happened, it seems they did touch, and FUjiwara was forced to brake, lest he hit Charpentier too hard. In braking, he lost enough time for Charpentier to escape with the 2S points. Charpentier completed the race distance in 38 minutes, 27.276 seconds upside-down forks, newer, more powerful engines than 2004, and all. In 2004, it took Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Motor Italia) 38 minutes, 27.439 seconds to win the race. A big jump? No jump at all - a nudge of O. 163 seconds. So was it a regression for the rest? Or just that wacky Valencia surface doing its stuff? No matter, no one could get near the top two, and it was spaced out for a bit behind them. Team ltalia Megabike Honda Michel Fabrizio was overwhelmed by first the force of Fujiwara and the charge of Kevin Curtain, with teammate Fabien Foret fifth. Keeping the Aussie flag flying more was Broc Parkes, rounding out the top six on his Yamaha Motor Germany R6. And that was that, for the most part. Even after lap one, Charpentier was away in front, with Fabrizio and Foret right behind, but impressive local rider Victor Carrasco was already off at turn three. FUjiwara, sixth after one lap, was in much better shape than the Klaffi Honda team's latest signing, Tatu Lauslehto, who was 18th. Foret was soon relegated to fourth, as FUjiwara went fifth. A big break back to Stephane Chambon's Gil Honda, 3.862 down on the leaders after only two laps, showed how big the gap in modern day World Superbike Series racing is. He was even I.9 seconds from new fifth-place man Foret, who had settled on suspension that he felt was not set up well enough. Fujiwara steamed up to third and then second in only three corners of lap four, then passed Curtain at turn two and Fabrizio at turn four to tuck in at the head of the Charpentier hunt. The Frenchman, two seconds ahead by lap four, was not safe, but nonetheless he set the fastest lap of the race, just 32 MAY 4,2005 • CYCLE NEWS Guess who: Ben Bostrom (155) came from ...IOIIlUl1.... potent Suzuki of Corser teammate Yulda Kagayama (71) in race two. American finished a much-improved sixth. n.. 0.102 seconds from Alessio Corradi's lap record, with his 1minute, 38.976-second charge. Behind the leaders, Javier Fores and Chambon were having a bit of a fight for sixth, the youngster shoWing no respect for his elder and eventual better as he dived inside and pushed his way in places. Ducati SC's Gianluca Nannelli, Suzuki's Barry Veneman and slow-starting Parkes (hit from behind and thus nervous of damage) were all in with the chance of leading the second riding group at some stage. FUjiwara, .4 seconds behind Charpentier, was still well ahead of the only close fight of the first few positions, between Fabrizio and Curtain, after half a dozen laps. Curtain slotted past, underbraking on lap 12 just as Charpentier realized he had Fujiwara for company in a full-on fashion. Foret ploughed on along a lone furrow, some five seconds ahead of the group headed by Nannelli's Ducati but a similar distance from fourth. As the race wound down, the riders involved jostled their way for their final positions. On lap 16, Fujiwara looked ready to pass, but yellow flags at the end of the main straight (Signifying the crash of a backmarker) may have stopped him. Curtain eased away from the charging Fabrizio in the last few laps, but with the Italian rider already five seconds ahead of his own French teammate, all the action was coming from the front in the tworider game of wills that went the way of Charpentier. Curtain secured third - but with a soul-destroying 21 seconds down on the leaders. Veneman took seventh on his Suzuki Netherlands machine, with Nannelli eighth, Chambon ninth and Johan Stigefelt eN completing the top 10. RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT VALENCIA, SPAIN RESULTS: APRIL 24, 2005 (ROUND 3 OF 12) QUALIFYING: I. Troy Corser (I :35.676); 2. Chris Vermeulen (I :36.125); 3. Regis Laconi (I :36.356); -1. Max Neukirchner (1:36.+47); 5. Andrew Pitt (1:36.+47); 6. Karl Muggeridge (1:36.565); 7. Chris Walker (1:36.847); 8. Norick Abe (I :36.862); 9. Yukio Kagayama (I :36.875); 10. Noriyuki Haga (1:37.031); II. David Checa (1:37.122); 12. Pier-Francesco Chili (1:37.200); 13. lorenzo Lanzi (1:37.297); 14. Steve Martin (1:37.388); 15. Sebastian Gimbert (1:38.203); 16. Ben Bostrom (Han); 17. Jose luis Cardoso (1:37.263); 18. Garry McCoy (1:37.281); 19. Ivan Clementi (1:37.299); 20. lorenzo Alfonsi (1:37,482); 21. Mauro Sanchini (I :37,497); 22. Marco Borciani (I :37.582); 23. James Toseland (I :37.(48); 24. Fonsi Nieto (I :37.654); 25. Ivan Silva (I :37.727); 26. Sergio Fuertes (I :37.864); 27. lucia Pedercini (I :37.872); 28. Giovanni Bussei (I :37.970); 29. Gianluca Vizziello (1:38.336); 30. Alessio Velini (1:38.723); 31. Miguel Praia (1:39.581); 32. Michel Nickmans (I AO. I 32); 33. Bernat Martinez (I :40.243). RACE I: I. Troy Co~er (Suz); 2. Chris Vermeulen (Suz); 3. Yukio Kagayama (Suz); 4. Chris Walker (Kaw); 5. Noriyuki Haga (Yam); 6. Sebastian Gimbert (Yam); 7. Pier Francesco Chili (Han); 8. James Toseland (Due); 9. Sergio Fuertes (Suz); 10. David Checa (Yam); II. Ivan Clementi (Kaw); 12. Ben Bostrom (Han); 13. Giovanni Bussei (Kaw); 14. lorenzo AJfonsi (Yam); IS. Ivan Silva (Yam); 16. Gianluca Vizziello (Yam); 17. Fans; Nieto (Due); 18. Marco Borciani (Yam); 19. Michel Nickmans (Yam). Time: 37 min., 31.052 sec. Distance: 23 laps, 57.20 miles Average speed: 91.287 mph Margin of victory: 9.116 sec. Fastest lap: Troy Corser, lap 2, 1:36.721 RACE 2: I. Troy Corser (Suz); 2. Chris Vermeulen (Hon); 3. Chris Walker (Kaw); 4. NOriyuki Haga (Yam); 5. Norick Abe (Yam); 6. Ben Bostrom (Han); 7. Yukio Kagayama (Suz); 8. Andrew Pitt (Yam); 9. David Checa (Yam); 10. Pier-Francesco Chili (Han); I I. Sebastian Gimbert (Yam); 12. Max Neukirchner (Han); 13. Ivan Clementi (Kaw); 14. Gianluca Vizziello (Yam); IS. lorenzo A1fonsi (Yam); 16. Sergio Fuertes (Suz); 17. 5teve Martin (Pet); 18. Mauro Sanchini (Kaw); 19. James Toseland (Due). Time: 37 min., 52.057 sec. Distance: 23 laps, 56.20 miles Average speed: 90.63 mph Margin of victory: 5.361 sec. Fastest lap: Troy Corser, lap 2.1:37.756 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE C'SHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After) of 12 rounds): I. Troy Corser (141/5 wins); 2. Yuk" Kagayama (110/1 w;n); 3. Chri> Venneulen (90); 4. Regis lMool (54); 5. Norick Abe (44); 6. Max Neukicchnec (41); 7. NoriyukJ H.ga (40); B. Andcew Pitt (39); 9. Chri> w..Jk", (3B); 10. J"""" T""'1and (30); II. (T1E) PIe,·Fr.onc=o Chili (26}1Sebastlan Gimbert (26); 13. Giovanni Bussei (23); 1-4. Ben Bostrom (19); 15. F"",r Nieto (17). UPCOMING ROUNDS: Round 4 . Monzo, Itoly, Moy 8 Round 5 . Silverstone, Groot Britoin, Moy 29