Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

World Superbike Championship Andrea MazzaJi crashed his MV Agusta on lap seven, just as Pitt dropped off the screens. A replay showed that he had lost the front at Aqua Minerale, the same place that Walker had run off track. Abe was also out, in what was rapidly turning into a race of attrition. On lap eight, Corser speared through to take the lead, but the intervention of a backmarker meant that Vermeulen closed the small gap that had developed as soon as Corser got past. The fastest riders on track by lap I I, just over the halfway point, were Toseland and Haga, risking more as the track dried out. They were going almost a second a lap quicker then the leaders, who were some fIVe seconds ahead. Vermeulen altered the dynamic of the race when he shot through to take the lead on lap 13, at the first Ravazza, pushing his way inside Corser to take the lead and dropping Corser by .3 of a second. The pace of Toseland and Haga was such that they began to make visible ground on Corser, but with Vermeulen upping the leading pace, both he and Corser maintained a 4-second lead back to Toseland and the increasingly ragged Haga. Dipping inside the I :50s, the leaders kept their distance ahead of Toseland and the "Samurai of Slide," Haga. Toseland, having to take different lines to Haga's four-cylinder, ran off at Aqua Minerale, kept it upright and pinned, and then chased after a fleeing Haga. "I deserve a good kicking from [Davide] Tardozzi for that mistake when I ran off," Toseland said. "Just when I changed direction, the bike snapped slightly and went just 2 meters wide where it was wet. The front went away, and I couldn't do anything. If I'd 36 oaOBER 12, 2005 • tried to make the corner, I would have crashed, but I rode hard and was competitive, and that's the main thing for me. When we got to the grid, maybe the race could have started. It was a bit borderline, but the race would have been stopped anyway aftervvards. We cannot race in 2 inches of rain on this track; it's too dangerous. It's just disappointing that Troy [Corser] came away with the title in this way." The gap was five seconds over the line on lap 16 of the 21, with fIVe different makes of machines in the top five places, and soon, all six manufacturers were represented in the top six, as Martin's advancing Petronas passed Neukirchner on lap I7. With Fonsi Nieto and his Kawasaki PSGI machine lapped on lap 18, Pitt (who had restarted) was 16th, one place behind the down-but-not-out Kagayama, searching for a Single point. Kagayama was to get it. In the closing laps Vermeulen kept his advantage, and despite a late pressurizing attack from Corser, who took a bizarre early line into the final chicane, Vermeulen won by .297 seconds. Haga had a lonely third, and Toseland took a similar fourth, but the last cliffhanger of the race was behind. Martin got the better of Walker, fading due to fatigue in his injured elbow and his damaged brake lever, making it six different manufacturers in the top six places. Seventh was Neukirchner, some S2 seconds from the leading Honda, with Gimbert (fresh from the Bol d'Or) eighth, a fatigued Laconi ninth on his comeback and Vizziello 10th, a good result for the local rider in his rookie season. With no race two, there was a pall of disappointment and emptiness, with even Corser confessing to feeling it was all a bit hollow given the great fight Vermeulen and CYCLE NEWS he had in race one, and the fact that he won by a form of default, not of his or his team's own making. Corser is, of course, a deserving champion, and the one consolation everyone can take (except maybe the fans who paid good money for half-visable rations in the atrocious conditions) is that both Vermeulen and Corser will feel they have much to prove at Magny-Cours, adding to the absolute war which is expected between Haga, Toseland, Laconi and Kagayama for the other final top six places. "The experiences of the last few years have made me a better rider," Corser said. "To come here after riding a twin, then a triple and then a four is not so easy to do. I learned a lot in the last couple of years, and it's helped me a lot. We did good, hard winter testing, and it showed in the results. We came out of the blocks ready to go racing, and I think everyone else was caught a bit off-guard, but everyone improved. How did I keep my motivation in the last few years? I'm a racer. I feel than if I can win races, I have a chance to win the World Championship. It doesn't matter what bike I'm riding, I'll give it 100 percent. I think everyone saw in the last couple of seasons that although I couldn't be up at the front, 1 still gave it 100 percent. When you've got the best thing underneath you, it makes the job easier. "My relationship and friendship with Francis and Patricia Batta has been since day one in this paddock," he continued. "They were happy even when I was beating their rider because they enjoyed my company, and me theirs. As soon as the opportunity came up, we were very happy to work together and made a two-year deal. I was confident that I could win in the first year, but I'm really looking forvvard to next year now. I have to thank Yukio [Kagayama] for all the testing that Yukio does away from the races. The stuff he does helps us win races, and we work well on the box and out of the box - also on the beer... It's a really good team, just fantastic, and I hope w.e can all continue next year." It was a washout for Corser rather than the expected whitewash, but no one could deny him the veracity and overall worth of his second crown - and Suzuki's first ever in the top class of Superlbike competition. They also took the Manufacturer's Award for the very first time. It says a lot for the mutual respect between the Aussie Superpowers that Vermeulen went to congratulate Corser as soon as the final news filtered through (even if a sea of yellow and purple A1stare staff were sweeping him down pit lane just as he got there) and that Corser was so complimentary about Vermeulen's championship charge and determination to win, putting him down as a champion of the future. WORLD SUPERSPORT A delayed start to the 21-lap Supersport race led to an all-action contest, which was further interrupted by rain. With warning flags out due to the rains restarting after half-distanee, red flags came out when leader Fabien Foret crashed. With 14 laps completed, the first-leg result was pulled back to 13 laps, and thus an eight-lap restart was required, as it had not gone a full two-thirds distance. In the fully wet restart, SC Caracchi Ducati's Gianluca Nannelli sent the crowds wild with his and Ducati's first-ever win in World Supersport with the 749R. "I knew I could be challenge for win," a shining Nannelli said after the race. "Imola is a track that exalts my riding style, on physical and psychological level. The team has done a perfect work during those weekend, the bike today was perfectly balanced and, as always, our top speed was at the highest standard. I planned to stay with the leaders during the first half of the race, sparing my resources for the final laps. When Istarted to push, I reach easily the front position, but then they showed the red flag for the heavy rain, and my attack was stopped. At the new start, under a bad rain, I took the lead to get a good advantage. "From the pit, they convoy perfect informations about my position, and in the final laps, I took a slowest my pace, avoiding any risk," he added. "But when Isaw the final flag, I cried for the happiness." In second place, Kevin Curtain ensured his second placing in the overall championship, while the drenched "Ducatisti" saw Alessio Corradi take his SI. Selmat Ducati 749R to third place in the race - the double podium finish being another first for Ducati's 749R. Neither new World champ Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) nor his teammate Katsuaki Fujiwara could race, due to injuries from practice crashes. Stephan Chambon scored an amazing holeshot after a long wait on the lights, but after a whole lap, Broc Parkes had headed the pack, with a closely following Michel Fabrizio through to second in the entrance to the final chicane. Robbin Hanms was once more impressive on his Stiggy Honda, third ahead of Curtain and Chambon at the end of lap two. The Paul Smart replica paintjob of Nannelli's bike was up to sixth at that stage, after a slow start from the front row. With pole man Charpentier only present on the grid to collect the Breil watch for winning pole, everyone had moved up one on the grid, in this strange race without a single Ten Kate factory machine in sight, after the exit of both Charpentier and Fujiwara due to crashes in qualifying. After four laps had been completed, Parkes and Fabrizio led Hanms and Curtain, with Nannelli on his own, Foret trying to close the gap and Corradi battling it out with Chambon. Having set the new lap record of

• Cover