Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

World Superbike Championship Series Chris Walker (9) put in a poir of solid sixth'place finishes in front of his hame crowd. Yukio Kagayama (71) squandered his pole position by crashing in the chicane midway through the race. He remounted to finish 11 tho Pier·Francesco Chili (7) quietly grabbed a polr of fifths after race·long battles with Walker. Laconi temporarily passed leader Corser on lap 13, only for Corser to take it right back again. Laconi tried again, around the outside on the brakes. He was pushed to the white line by Corser but passed all the same, but in having to keep it tight, he was himself repassed by Corser. All the attempted passing action up front had allowed the faster lapping Toseland to catch up and make it a four-rider group; he then grabbed third on lap 15. On lap 16, Vermeulen passed Walker to then ride a lonely race for the most part. Laconi went to the lead on the same lap, opening up the opportunity for Toseland, just as Chili closed in on Walker on lap 18. Toseland tried to overtake but almost hit Corser, running his front wheel under Corser's exhaust as they exited the infield hairpin. Chili, still having to mark time for a period behind Walker, was some 12 seconds ahead of his teammate Neukirchner - in a race with some real haves and have-nots. A period of stability in the race, as the leading protagonists seem to be waiting for a closing-stages shootout, saw Laconi 0.444 seconds ahead on lap 22 of 28, with Toseland looking like he might be struggling in some sections. As the race wound down, Haga was being slowly dropped at the rate of 0.5 a lap, and Abe retired on lap 22 with his Haga passed again to lead on lap I I, with Toseland now almost getting the benefit of the slipstream of the leading duo, only.753 seconds off the lead. The top two became a trio on lap 13 as Toseland went right with them - although a crash by Miguel Praia, and the subsequent yellow flags, prevented any overtaking on laps 13 ~ and 14. Toseland was not making any great time up on his fellow riders at this stage, yet only a couple of laps later, Toseland sliced by Haga at the Abbey hairpin on lap 16. Toseland was to go one better on lap 17, as he took the lead and immediately put a half-second gap on Corser, and Haga tried to do the same, allowing Toseland to slowly pull out a bit. He could not, however, shake off the attentions of Corser, as Haga started losing grip from the rear. Corser, free from his threat form behind to some degree, slowly ate into Toseland's lead by a tenth or so. Pitt, Muggeridge and Abe were having a scrap in the closing stages, with Pitt passing Muggeridge on lap 22, followed by Abe, at the final chicane. A battle for fifth between Chili and Walker looked like Walker was having the clutch failing. slight advantage, but the positions On lap 25, Haga suddenly put in a 1:30 reversed at the finish as Chili took fifth. lap, with Vermeulen perking up then, and Vermeulen started to drop back from after a I:37 from Haga, he came touring Haga as a podium placement seemed to in to retire with his fuel pump failing. be elusive, but with two laps left, Corser Laconi made an error on the secondwas still close enough to mount a chalto-last lap to allow Corser closer, but lenge on the lead. Laconi held on despite the pressure, with "Unfortunately, in the first race, the Toseland third, 1.13 seconds back. engine stopped," Haga said. "But it was Another great start by Haga put him made up for in race two. I am also happy into the lead of race two, a lead he kept to make a podium for Yamaha relatively for the first lap, with Corser and early in the season. It was a tough race for Kagayama right with him, Laconi and the first few laps with the other riders, Toseland behind and Vermeulen just and I was losing the front a lot on the last from Walker. few laps. But I have to be happy with a Laconi crashed in the chicane on lap podium after our bad luck in race one." two, and Jose Luis Cardoso and Haga had a go, but with a I:27.5 final Neukirchner followed him in. Neukirchner lap, Toseland did enough in front of his got going again, Cardoso did not. home crowd to win the race. His victory Corser dived inside of Haga at Priory celebrations were something to see, but on lap four to take the lead, while his win may have been more important in Toseland moved into third on lap six at underlining that not one but two more ridLuffield. With a disadvantage of 2.1 secers have beaten Corser this year, just as it onds from Corser's lead, he had some was looking like maybe only the odd fourwork to do. cylinder pilot would get the better of the Haga made a rude but relatively clean 1996 World champ. The twin-cylinderpass up the inside for the lead again at the mounted 2004 champ did and finally broke final chicane, and Corser just blitzed him the yoke of misery he had been lugging on pure acceleration exiting along the around for too long, only eased somewhat start/finish straight. Toseland made use of by a podium at Monza last time around. the interruption to the order at the front With Corser stretching his lead and the to reduce his disadvantage to 1.8 seconds, next man in line, Vermeulen, only getting then 1.7, then 1.3 seconds by lap nine. two fourths, Silverstone was good for Vermeulen passed Kagayama before Corser and a real tonic for the neutrals. 10 laps had elapsed, as the Japanese rider "I was behind James Toseland in the seemed to slow, going into the I:28s. early parts of the race, but it just seemed 26 JUNE 8, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS to take me longer to get past the other riders than it did for him," Vermeulen said. "I got hit by someone in the infield section in the first lap of race two and then Laconi crashed right in front of me on the second lap. Both those incidents cost me time and let the others get away. I was pushing very hard, though, right to the end of the race, but every time I put in a quick lap, I didn't seem to close the gap at all." Winston Ten Kate Honda 200S Supersport sensation Sebastien Charpentier took victory number three in five attempts, winning out in a near racelong battle with Aussie rider Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain. It was no classic, and there were only two riders on the top level today. Such was their pace that Charpentier was some 20.4 seconds clear of third-place rider Fabien Foret. "What can I say except that everything was fantastic for me," Charpentier said. "It was the best weekend possible, with pole position, fastest lap and also another win. Kevin [Curtain] rode very well, but I always felt comfortable and in control. Although it was a long, hard race, I am in good physical condition, and the bike was also great. I am so happy with the atmosphere in the pit garage - the whole team makes me laugh and I never feel any pressure from my team manager, Ronald Ten Kate. On top of that, the CBR is just perfect, so I really think this is the best situation I have ever raced in." British wildcard rider Craig Jones retired early from a front-row start, but it was a season best for GIL Motorsports Honda rider Stephane Chambon, who was fourth overall. Broc Parkes went fifth after Michel Fabrizio retired with clutch problems. Barry Veneman had an excellent sixth on his Suzuki Netherlands machine, while Gianluca Nannelli was top Ducati rider, seventh on his SC Caracchi 749R. Championship second-place rider Winston Ten Kate Honda's Katsuaki Fujiwara struggled against the pain of injury from a practice crash to finish ninth, behind Alessio Corradi, and was gifted his place by then 10th-placed Tatu Lauslehto. Charpentier once more ripped to the lead in Supersport, winning the holeshot with Curtain's Yamaha behind and local boy Jones third after a single lap of the short circuit, of which he was to get three more. The fighting Team Italia Megabike machines of Foret and Fabrizio were on a charge, as was the slow-starting Fujiwara, albeit it was not to last. With Charpentier only .296 seconds clear of Curtain on lap five, the front men were nonetheless a whopping six seconds from a warring pack of riders, led by Foret, with Fabrizio, old stager Chambon and Fujiwara all in close company. Parkes started to join the

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