Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

fun on his Yamaha Motor Germany machine, shadowed by Nannelli only one second down on lap eight. The front two, away from the whole scene going on behind, were lapping between half a second to a second a lap better than their peers as they grappied for the lead. Charpentier had already set the fastest lap of the race on the second circuit, so with 12 down, he tried to repeat fast lap after fast lap. With 20 laps gone, the action switched to the fight for the final podium, with Chambon past a slowing Fabrizio and Parkes looking down his sights at the young Italian. Fabrizio pulled up on the main straight on lap 20, slowing down as his bike as he slowly lost drive from a failing clutch. Up front, Curtain was finally lost from Charpentier's slipstream with six laps to go, and the gap was 2.4 seconds behind with only four laps remaining. Charpentier's margin of victory was a firm 2.8 seconds, with Curtain second and ahead of Foret by a whopping I 8 seconds. Charpentier is 24 points ahead of Fujiwara as the season reaches halfway at Misano, but the truth is the combination of bike, rider and team is so much better than the rest - it must be soul-destroying for the likes of Aussie battler Curtain, who rode so well only for second. eN SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT SILVERSTONE, GREAT BRITAIN RESULTS: MAy 29, 2005 (ROUND 5 OF 12) SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING: I. Yukio Kagayama (U6.679): 2. Noriyuki Haga (1:26.985): l. Regis Lawnl (1:27.086); "1. Troy Corser (1:27.177); S. Chris Vermeulen (1:27.261); 6. Jose Luis Cardoso (1:27.399); 7. James Toseland (1:27.5&4): 8. Chris Walker (I :27.805); 9. Andrew Pitt (1:27.861): 10. Max Neukirchner (1:27.888); 11. Karl Muggeridge (1:28.014): 12. Ga....y McCoy (1:28.085): Il. Pier·Francesco Chili (I :28.129): 14. Norick Abe (I :28.133); 15. Ben Bostrom (1:28.897); 16. Massimo Roccoli (I :28.908): 17. Giovanni Bussei (I :28.503); 1a. Ivan Clementi (1:28.623); 19. Fansi Nieto (1:28.983); 20. lorenzo Lanzi (1:28.997); 21. Mauro Sanchini (1:29.287}: 22. Steve Martin (1:29.696); 23.~sio Velin! (1:19.760); 24. Michel Nlckmans (l:lO.204): 25. M;guel P.-ala (l:lO.lI5). SUPERBIKE RACE I: I. Regis Laconi (Due); 2. Troy Corser (Suz); ]. James Toseland (Duc); 4. Chris Venneulen (Han); 5. Pier-Francesco Chili (Hon); 6. Chris Walker (Kaw); 7. Max Neukirchner (Han); 8. Giovanni Bussei (Kaw); 9. Jose Luis Cardoso (Yam); 10. Karl Muggeridge (Han); II. Yukio Kagayama (Suz); 12. Mauro Sanchini (Kaw); I]. Andrew Pitt (Yam): H. Alessio Velini (Duc); IS. Miguel Praia (Yam); 16. Michel Nickmans (Yam). Time: 40 min., 58.899 sec. Distance: 61.81 miles, 18 laps Average speed: 90.50 mph Margin of victory: .096 sec. Fastest lap: Regis Laconl, lap 9, 1:27.130 SUPERBIKE RACE 2: I. James Toseland (Duc); 2. Troy Corser (Suz); 3. Noriyuki Haga (Yam): 4. Chris Vermeulen (Han); 5. Pier-Francesco Chili (Hon); 6. Chris Walker (Kaw); 7. Yukio Kagayama (Suz); 8. Norick Abe (Yam); 9. Andrew Pitt (Yam); 10. Karl Muggeridge (Han); II. Lorenzo Lanzi (Duc); 12. Ivan Clementi (Kaw); 13. Garry McCoy (Pet); 14. Ben Bostrom (Han); 15. Massimo Roccoli (Yam); 16. Giovanni Bussei (Kaw); 17. Mauro Saochini (Kaw); 18. Max Neukirchner (Hon); 19. Alessio Velini (Due); 20. Steve Martin (Pet); 11. Michel Nickmans (Yam). Time: 10 min., 55.190 sec. Distance: 61.81 miles. 28 laps Average speed: 90.64 mph Margin of victory: .473 sec. Fastest lap: Troy Corser, lap 5, 1:27.166 SUPERBIKE WORLD C'SHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After S of 12 rounds): I. Troy Corser (22216 wins); 2. Yukio Kagayama (1·44/1 win); 3. Chris Vermeulen (14111 win); 4. Regis Laconi (11211 win); S. James Toseland (98/1 win); 6. Chris Walker (74); 7. Andrew Pitt (70); 8. Noriyuki Haga (68); 9. Pier-Francesco Chili (66); 10. Noriek Abe (62); II. (TIE) Max Neukirehner (50)/Kari Muggeridge (50); I]. Giovanni Bussei (]9); 14. Sebastien Gimbert (26); IS. Ben Bostrom (11). WORLO SUPERSPORT: I. Sebastien Charpentier (Han); 2. Kevin Curtain (Yam); 3. Fabien Foret (Han); 4. Stephane Chambon (Han); S. Brae Parkes (Yam); 6. Barry Veneman (So2); 7. Gianluca Nannelli (Due); 8. Alessio Corradi (Due); 9. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Han); 10. Tatu Lauslehto (Han); II. Sebastian Le Grelle (Han); 12. Javier Fares (So2); 13. Julien Da Costa (Kaw); 14. Tom Tunstall (Hon); 15. Jamo Jansen (So2); 16. Christophe Cogan (Suz); 17. Robbin Harms (Han); 18. Alessandro Antanello (Kaw); 19. Tomas Miksovsky (Hon); 20. Sami Penna (Han). Time: 41 min., 53.540 sec. Distance: 61 .81 miles, 28 laps Average speed: 88.53 mph Margin of victory: 2.843 sec. Fastest lap: Sebastien Charpentier. lap 2, 1:29.027 SUPERSPORT WORLD C'SHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After S of 12 rounds): I. Sebastien Charpentier (11513 wins); 2. Katsuaki Fujiwara (90n wins); ]. Kevin Curtain (80); 4. Fabien Foret (54); 5. Brae Parkes (19); 6. Stepnane Chambon (45); 7. Mkhel Fabrizio (42); 8. Gianluca Nannelli (40); 9. Taw Lauslehto (30); 10. Javier Fares (27). UPCOMING ROUNDS Round 6: Son Morino, Italy, June 26 Round 7: Brno, Czech Republic, July 17 Briefly... Continued from poge 25 what they expected would be another of the fastest tracks on the calendar. It is now one of the slower ones. Pirelli were thus unable to bring its Monza-spec tires with any realistic expectation of using the stiffer-carcass triple compound. spec it needs to overcome the effects of the high-speed corners, which no longer come into play. It seems that raceday choices will be limited to dual-compound tires, but the single-make supplier remained confident that it would have product capable of running 28 laps on race day. The International circuit itself was panned by some, with more than one rider commenting that a World Championship event should not be run on a "club racing" circuit. Most others, once faced with a track of any kind and a load of other competitors trying to beat them, stopped any rumblings when it came time to qualify. One who particularly hated the International layout was Andrew Pitt, who stated: "It's more like a club racing circuit. It just seems like such a shame to have such a great track available and we have to ride on the short one. It's the worst track we've ever raced on." Troy Corser, analytical as ever, stated that "there are a few undulations and humps that show up under braking, and the first esses are not so bad. It's a busy track for the riders. We're running more or less the same gearing as the big track, with a couple of small alterations. The tires will be important, and we only did about 16-17 laps on the same tires in the first session. Normally that gives you a good idea of what it will be like over race distance, but that's only about halfway!" Brewing ructions in the Bertocchi Kawasaki camp came to a head after Monza, with Ivan Clementi's exit from the team in a row over money and equipment levels. Giovanni Bussei only stayed in the team after finding money to run WP suspension, not the Bitubo units he and Clementi did not prefer. Clementi went off to ride for Lucio Pedercini's team. A charity fove-a-side football match, organized pre-race on Thursday, between an UK select team and a rest of the world "select" team was won by the home team. The Brits Carl Fogarty (two goals), James Toseland (two goals), Chris Walker, commentator Jonathan Green and Les Ferdinand (former England striker) - were a force to be reckoned with, according to eyewitnesses. Their opposition was Gianluca Nannelli, Chris Vermeulen, Karl Muggeridge, Andrew Pitt and Les Ferdinand's son. Apparently, the highlight of the game was a tackle by uber-competitor Fogarty on Nannelli, which saw the Florentine rider writhing on the ground in agony for some time. Another young rider to make a name in the early stages of 2005 came forward at Silverstone. Massimo Roccoli, drafted into the Lorenzini by Leoni team to replace Gianluca Vizziello, was well inside the top echelons on Friday. At only 20 years old, he improved his position even more on Saturday, easily qualifying for Superpole in ninth place and ending up 16th on the grid. Fabien Foret, banned from the previous race at Monza, was back at Silverstone, but a crash late in the first timed session while he was pushing hard on a 'lew spec suspension put him out of his usual top fIVe positions. The great discussions regarding the track change showed that the short Silverstone layout had at least one advantage: The qualifying was very close, with the top 12 within one second of one another on Friday, and the top 17 on Saturday. Yamaha Motor ltalia's R Is still had the Monza-spec exhausts - with one silencer raking the main exhaust route and the other fed by just a balance pipe upstream of the second silencer - fitted at Silverstone. According to Andrew Pitt, "We found that they gave more acceleration as well as more top speed, so we have kept them on for here as well." A massive multi rider crash at Imola in the Italian Superbike Championship race, one weekend before Silverstone, had a groundswell effect in the World Superbike Series. Marco Borciani hurt himself, as did Italian Championship regular Alessandro Gramigni, and SBK rookie rider Gianluca Vizziello, replaced by Roccoli. Ben Bostrom, pin-up boy of the World Superbike Series, made that idea a reality recently when he appeared on the front cover of Italian Men's Health magazine. The exodus of staff from the Renegade Honda teams slowly continued, as Roberto Valetta left the Honda setup to join the SC Ducati squad. The Caracchi team is frequently stripped of talent by the Xerox Ducati squad, among others, making an offseason headache every year for the Caracchi team to find new people. With Brno a new circuit on the SBK calendar in 2005, tests are planned after the Silverstone race, first with Ducati Xerox and then with Yamaha Motor Italia, PSG-I Kawasaki, Yamaha Motor G_ermany and Team ltalia Megabike. The Winston Ten Kate Honda squad will test at Magny Cours instead, as Brno is not one of their designated test circuits. Ducati will also test at Lausitzring, its other designated test track, before the race there. There is discussion about an official test before Lausitzring, but at present no decision has been made. Pier·Francesco Chili found his front suspension much improved for the Silverstone race after never feeling quite right on the Fireblade this year. "The front feels much better, working well, but still we have some problems on the rear. It is too stiff and does not let the bike transfer weight. But we don't have time to work on the machine anyway." Chili was one of those who preferred the old circuit to the new one. "The track is really intense, and it was a surprise to me that we would be racing on it. When they told me they were using the short one, maybe two weeks ago just after Monza, I thought they were having a joke. It is quite bumpy - for everyone." Barry Veneman has been selected to ride for a Japanese Suzuki team in the Suzuka EightHour. The Select-Racing Team deal was set up by Japanese racing journalist Kai Nakamoto. There was also talk of )urgen van den Goorbergh running in the Assen SBK race on a third Corona Extra Suzuki 1000. CYCLE NEWS • JUNE 8, 2005 27

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