Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Ri(drdo Tormo Ci.cuir WORLD 5UPERBIK€ Round 3 April 23. 2006 WoFld Supenbikc Championship Eil, desperate to do fie double, but waiting while Corser! lap times dowed into the l:37s. The race was on for Abe as well, trying to catch Haga and looking like he might succeed. Abe finally took him on lap 21, and on the start of lap 22, Bayliss went into the lead - in turn one. ''We thought abour changing (he tire for race two, but we didn't, and it was the right decision to stick with the hard tire," Bayliss said. "l didn't think Corser was Soing to be as quick as he was in that sec- ond race. I thought it would be just like the first, but he went really well. I know the limit on my rear tire is exactly l:35.7 or 35.8, but it stays good for the whole race. So when lsaw him pulling awa, it was disheartening. I just kept my eye on the board and did every l4p like a qualify- ing lap, hoping he was going to run into the same sort of problems as he did in race one - and he did. Then when I got there, it took me a long while to put it together and 8et past him." Lanzi passed Abe for third, seftin8 up a grandstand battle on the final lap, one that went to Lanzi. "This podium in race two is worth the win at LausiEring,'' Lanzi said. "lt wasn't a victory, but it was just as hard fouSht. I pushed hard from the fhst lap to the last, never gave in, and to keep up with Abe I had to struggle, because he had far supe- rior race pace at middle distance. I passed Haga on the penultimate lap and Abe on the last, it was incredible." The flnal top l0 was Bayliss - only 0.790 of a second ahead this time - Corser, Lanzi, Abe, Haga, Nieto, Walker, Laconi, Pitt and Fabrizio. "Two good resuls today, so I am very happy with that," Abe said "ln the second race, compared to the first, I had a better feeling but in the be8inning, the top two were gone and in a different world. I caught up with Lanzi then tried so hard to catch Haga. when I passed him I tried to make a gap, but b/ that stage the tires were spinninS a lot. I think the Ducati has good traction in that condition, because I was ver), fast at the end. So I am a little disappointed to miss the podium but the whole day was a bi8 improvement over the firct rounds, so I am very happy." The winners were easy to identify this weekend, as were the losers, expected or otherwise. Honda took a beating at Valencia. with riders like Barros and Toseland, in different teams and with dif- ferent tuners and suspension suppliers, powerless to not only prevent the top two 8eftin8 away, but even stayinS with the best of the oth€r four-cylinder machines- f4onza will probably be different, and there will not be many happy Honda per- sonnel around until some podiums exor- cise the ghosts of Valencia. ''l'm happy, but also frustrated today,'' Corser said. "Happy because I took two seconds, and also, because I know I couldn't have ridden any harder than I did. Itried my best, but lcouldn't overtake Troy Bayliss after he had passed me in both races. That was kind of frustrating, but I could see his bike was working the tires less than mine, and in the end, the difference between us was marginal. "ln race one, I got a pretty good start and managed to pull out a bit ofa 8ap. but in the later part of the race, he cauSht me up when my tires started to go. When he passed me I ried to get back at him, but he could run a bit faster than me, and I iust couldn't do it. lt was much of the same in the second race. I built up a pret- ty good lead. but I got a false neutral going into the flrst hairpin and was llrcky not to crash. That was enouSh for Troy to close the gap. I had to adjust the clut€h slip dur- ing the race, and although it was only a tiny problem, that and tire we:r prevented me from catching and passing him.'' Gil fucAnDo forr,to Cncul' varENcn. SPA|N REsur.rs: APnrr 23 2006 SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING: l. Troy Corser I 1a.992). 2. 'lio, Ba/lus (1.15 175) l. Lorenzo L:nz' 35-203); 4. Steve t1anh (l:35-255)i 5. Fni Nieto 35-l5l)i 6. R.gii Lffii (l:15.410); 7. Chns !\/.lk6 35.152)i 8. Noh.k Ah€ (l:3s.701); 9. lam6 Toseland 0. Nori/uki Hasa (l:36.1 l5); I 2 YDkio Kagayama (l:15-670)t I 4. Fabien Foret (l:36.502)i 15. 16. Alex Ba os (!:15.887)1 17. Hd I a being pushed wide by his teammate Laconi Nieto and Xaus, as his niShtmare continued, in turn one. \ /alker continued the happiness On l+ eiSht Ka8afama fell from his GSX- for the PSG- | team in the second race when & ending another up-and{own weekend in he linished seventh, one place up on Laconi. the gravel, but walking. Andrew Pift linished race two ninth on his A three-rider fight beween Lanzi, Abe Yamaha Motor ltalia Rl, one place better and Walker was shaping up nicely by lap than race one, having found the Valencia cir- nine. cuit much less Srippy than during recent test Xaus had a fast crash on lap nine, and sessions. there was nO let up in the misery for Co6er stuck halfa second on the rest on Toseland, who had also been passed by the first lap, with the early order: Corser: Fabrizio by that sEge. He banled back Bayliss, Haga, Lanzi, Abe, Walkei Pitt, ahead, but only desperately at the head ofa Laconi, Kagayarna and Martin. group of riders that included Fabrizio, Foret, Two laps in and Corser had an advantage Barros and Nakatomi, so he had little time of 0.8 of a second, then one lap later he had for relaxation or wonderment at where it all aken an ad\.antage of 1.759. Despite his went wrong. pace, Corser w?s not quite at laP record Pitt and Laconiwere starring to clo6e the speeds, with the drier and warmer track gaptothet nzi/AbeMajker battle but more plalnS traction trick once again. worr/ingly for Laconi was $e fact that Nieto Nieto, inflamed by his first-comer drop was on his way as well, closing up the two- down the order, reeM in Toseland, who second gap nicety. was holding down lfth at that point. By lap l0 Bay'iss was eating into Corser's Bay'iss had Haga as his cons[ant comp:!n- ad\6ntage, bking it from over two seconds ion for mo6t of the early laps, whh Lanzi to L8, then L4 on lap I 2. Haga was plowing heading up Abe, Mlker and, on lap seven, away on his own in third, but behind Abe put Kagayarrn from Pin - after the JaPanese had a spurt on, some l0 seconds behind Corser. swooped pas on the entmnce of tum one. but no,,r' ahead of Lanzi. By lap eigk Toseland had been passed by By lap 14 Bayliss was right on Corser's 30 MAY3,2006 . cYcLE NEt/s (r 16 480): 18. Mrhe Fabnzro ( (r:36 56S)r 10. 14ar.o Eorcrani (l:36.638) :16.s14): l9 21. Shinichi Nak tomi (l:36.659)i 22. Vitto.io lenuzo (l:36.975)i 23. Gianluca Nannell, (l:17.0r9);24. ltr Clemnti (l:37.308)r 25 Nicoh Brirnola (l l7.al3)i 26. GioEnni Busei(l:17.522); ?7.CmisJm6(l:17.623); 28. lavid Del&rcr (l:37.655)i 29. Sertio F@86 (l:38.155)i 10. F6n(o Bartain' (r J62i3/: .ll Luc,o Pede.cini (l'38.668): 12. l. H6ne. (119.092): 31. Lorenzo AlIoN, (l:39.117). RACE ONE tlNAl. L T.oy 8ay'is (D!c)r 2. Troy Co6er(Suz)i l. LoHzo L:n:i (Dk)i ,1. Nonck Abe (Y ): 5. Noriuki Ha& (Yah)r 6.Yukio K.gaFma (Suz); 7. Rub€n /ws (Du<): 8. R€6s L&oni (&w)i 9. lam6 Toeled (Hon)i r0. Andrcw Pitt (Y ): ll. Alex Brror (Hon)i 12. 0t I t I , L I I a - I I t rsil end of ihe top I O. 2''J r- r{ r ,^l .,s 'l / t \_ , -E T , { !., f \ l,rove llarrin quolified wcll, pu[ing ftc foggy Paronos on rho front rcw, though hc rtruggbd in both t- \ Y t A

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