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sionally, ahead of Haga and 2005 double race winner Regis Laconi and his PSG-1 Kawasaki - one of a few riders who used a smaller 190-width rear race tire. Ducati Xerox' Lorenzo Lanzi ended up seventh, with the top 10 rounded out by Fonsi Nieto, Ducati privateer Ruben Xaus and Norick Abe, who recovered well from a disastrous qualifying. In the second race, littered with inci- dent for the top riders, Kagayama scored a fifth, with race one retiree Michel Fabrizio and his DFX Treme Honda sixth, one up on Lanzi. "I'm happy to be on the podium again, because it has been such a long time - maybe six months," Kagayama said. "This season has been unlucky for me, so I'm hoping that this is the start of a change of luck. I think I could've got another podi- um in the second race if it wasn't for a tire problem. I used the same bike and the same tires, but the feeling of the bike was not the same as the first race and I could not push as hard. The bike was sliding and wheel spinning a lot more and so my lap times were not as good. Generally speak- ing, we have had a bit of a grip problem all season and I suppose that the very high temperatures here today did not help us at all. It was difficult to ride the bike today, so I am happy to get a podium and a fifth." Toseland's excursion off track left him eighth, with Xaus ninth and Alstare Engineering Suzuki rider Fabien Foret, a former Misano Supersport race winner, 10th. "I was slowly catching the leader, Andrew Pitt, going round the hair- pin and I was going to line him up to pass down the back straight," Toseland said. "As I accelerated out of the hairpin, into third, then fourth, the track kinks left and the rear just came Misano Circuit Misano Adriatico, Italy Round 6 June 25, 2006 JULY 5, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 28 Toseland Is Super! It's been a long time since James Toseland won a Superpole in Superbike (since Magny-Cours in 2003 in fact) but it had almost felt as long for his Winston Ten Kate Honda squad, as they were so used to Chris Vermeulen doing the pre-race business for them last year. The fact that Toseland did it at one of the slipperiest tracks of the year, without the aid of the team's new, but still developing, PI electronics system or traction control was impressive. "It was important for us to set a fast lap time, and for me especially as I have some of my family here for this weekend," Toseland said. "The Winston Ten Kate Honda bike is always fast and the team worked really well. I am very well prepared for tomorrow and need to make a good start. I'm happy to be on pole and I love the track here at Misano. It's been three years since my last pole position, at Magny-Cours. I'm looking forward to tomorrow but I know it will be hard work out there." Toseland had blitzed 1.33.833 lap of the 4.060km Misano Adriatico circuit. After posting fastest time in qualifying, Ducati Xerox' Troy Bayliss looked on course to take his third Super- pole win of the season, but in a tight Superpole competition, Bayliss rode to seventh overall - for a second-row start. He described his lap as "messy," having no rhythm on a qualifying tire. Ominously, he did an impressive long run, race simulation earlier in the day and said, "I don't think anyone else can run at my pace." If he gets out of the first corner cleanly, that is, from a row-two start. Toseland was joined on the front row by Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra's Troy Corser, Yamaha Motor Italia's Andrew Pitt and the third Australian in a row - Petronas' Steve Martin. Martin's performances in qualifying have been superhuman this weekend, despite his machine's 100cc disadvantage to the opposition, but in race conditions he fully expects to be swamped by faster bikes exiting corners - with no advantages on his side to repass them. "I know it sounds a bit funny, but I'm a bit disappointed not to have taken Superpole today," Corser said. "Before I started the lap, I felt that I could do a mid-1:33, but maybe I was a bit too cautious going into the first turn and that cost me some time. But, at the end of the day, being on the front row is the important thing because if you are not in with the lead- ers when you go into the first left-hander, it's easy to lose a lot of time. Today, I had a lot of wheelspin or maybe lack of grip exiting the turns. Part of that might have been due to the very high track temperature out there today. I just can seem to get sufficient grip where I want it. We'll look at the telemetry and see if we can make some adjustments in the morning warmup. After my recent illness my energy levels are not back up to 100 percent. At the moment I'm okay for about 12-15 laps, but then it becomes a bit of a struggle. It's going to be a very long, hard day tomorrow for sure." PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse rider Chris Walker went fifth fastest in Superpole, setting himself on a good spot for the two 25-lap Superbike races on Sunday. His placing ensured that there would be five different manufacturers represented in the top five places, and with Bayliss in seventh, six different machines in the top seven. Yamaha Motor Italia's Noriyuki Haga scored sixth fastest time, after a display of wheel spinning and tire smoking on the Misano tarmac, which reach over 50 degrees Celcius. Ducati Xerox' Lorenzo Lanzi completed the second row, just behind his teammate Bayliss. "That was a messy lap," Bayliss said. "I nearly lost the front and then, in the second-last chicane, almost hit the ripple-strip. I had no rhythm at all with the qualifying tire. I am a little bit disappointed, but it makes it all a little bit more interesting tomorrow. However, we did a long run in the free practice and did a pretty good job. I don't think anyone else can run at my pace, so I'm feeling very confident for the race. For sure the second row makes a little bit of difference, but I'll get a good start and go on from there." PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse's Regis Laconi scored a ninth-fastest time just ahead of the equally aggressive Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), with this pairing rounding out the top 10. Only .8 of a second separated first and 10th in Superpole. The Hondas of Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) and Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) rounded out the third row of the grid. No fewer than 30 riders qualified for Sunday's races, but only 15 made Superpole, after Pedercini Ducati's Max Neukirchner had to withdraw after a practice crash, which resulted in a suspected small fracture of his right wrist and a bashed collarbone, but ended up as a dislocated collarbone and a bashed, but unbroken wrist. He won't ride, and the cause of his accident was reputed to be oil on the rear tire. A lot of riders crashed, a lot of riders almost crashed, on a track that has kept its reputa- tion for slickness for a long time. After only being cleared to ride after a medical inspection, and crashing early in final regulation qualifying, Shinichi Nakatomi rode to an assured and brave 13th place after Superpole, despite picking up a hand injury to add to his healing right arm. A busy Superpole lap for Fonsi Nieto posted him 14th, hating the 190 qualifier opposed to the 200 section tire he likes in regular qualifying. The last Superpole qualifier proved to be Roberto Rolfo, as Neukirchner could not start. Winston Ten Kate Honda's Karl Muggeridge, Alstare Engineering Suzuki's Fabien Foret, Sterilgarda Berik Ducati's Ruben Xaus and DFX Treme Honda's Pier-Francesco Chili were just some of the names that struggled at Misano, failing to qualify for Superpole. With qualifiers used in Superpole, but neither of the previous official qualifying sessions, it World Superbike Championship Chris Walker (9) leads Tory Bayliss (21) early in race two. Yukio Kagayama (71) held off Alex Barros (4) to finish on the box in race one.