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2005 WORLD SUPERBIKE: BRANDS HATCH

CIRCUIT: Brands Hatch, UK

• Fawkham, Longfield, Kent UK
• 4.22 km circuit (2.623 miles)
• Opened in 1926
• 2004 winners: Noriyuki Haga, Race 1 + 2
• 2003 winners: Shane Byrne Ducati 998F02, Race 1 + 2
• 2002 winners: Colin Edwards, Honda, Race 1 + 2
• 2001 winners: Ben Bostrom, Ducati, Race 1 + 2
• 2000 winners: Reynolds, Ducati; Edwards, Honda
• lap record: Hodgson, Ducati 1m 26.910s, 2000

RACE RESULT

RACE 1, WORLD SUPERBIKES

• 1 Troy Corser, Suzuki GSXR1000, 25 LAPS
  2 Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha YZF R1 +0.186s
  3 R. Laconi, Ducati 999F05 +1.97
  4 Chris Vermeulen Honda CBR 1000RR +4.59
  5 Chris Walker Kawasaki ZX10 +5.74
  6 Karl Muggeridge Honda CBR 1000RR +8.428
  7 Andrew Pitt Yamaha YZF R1
  8 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati 999RS
  9 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki GSXR1000
  10 Max Neukirchner Honda CBR 1000RR
  11 Abe 12 Bostrom 13 Hobbs 14 Riba 15 Martin 16 Gimbert 17 Vizziello 18 Alfonsi 19 Clementi 20 Cardoso

RACE 1, WORLD SUPERBIKES

• 1 Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha YZF R1, 25 LAPS
  2 Troy Corser, Suzuki GSXR1000 +2.6
  3 Chris Vermeulen Honda CBR 1000RR +8
  4 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR
  5 R. Laconi Ducati FRA
  6 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS
  7 J. Toseland Ducati UK
  8 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA
  9 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN
  10 B. Bostrom Honda USA
  11 M. Neukirchner Honda GER
  12 P. Riba Kawasaki ESP
  13 P. Chili Honda ITA
  14 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA
  15 D. Hobbs Yamaha UK

YAMAGA RACE REPORT

• Noriyuki Haga was the star of the show at Brands Hatch today, taking his second win of the season in a thrilling second race. The two 25-lap races proved to be two-men shows, with Haga and championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) constantly swapping places as they dominated both affairs. Corser took the honours by less than two-tenths of a second in the opener, but Haga gained his revenge in the second after holding off a late challenge that saw Corser run across the gravel on the final lap.
• Haga delighted the crowd with his spectacular riding style. The Japanese, now looking totally comfortable on his R1, showed amazing confidence in his front suspension as he braked deep into the corners in a spectacular race one duel, which was decided when Corser gained superior drive as they came out of out final corner for the penultimate time. Race two was equally dramatic, with Haga narrowly avoiding a crash as the pair accidentally touched as they crossed the line in the early laps. From then on, the race was one of tension as Corser stalked the Yamaha rider throughout - his move on the final lap resigning him to second place.
• Team-mate Andrew Pitt had two strong races at Brands. The Australian qualified alongside Haga on the second row of the grid and made to good starts to run with the group battling for third place, taking a seventh place in race one and improving to sixth in the second outing.
• Yamaha Motor France riders Norick Abe and Sèbastien Gimbert had a difficult day in Brands. Abe made two lightning starts but struggled due to a lack of track knowledge, finishing 11th in the opener and retiring after crashing with Steve Martin (Petronas) in the second. Gimbert bagged two points for 14th in race two.
• The results see both Yamaha Italia riders move up the championship table. Haga's 45 point haul takes him to fifth, just five points behind countryman Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), who occupies fourth, while Pitt moves up to ninth. Championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) left the United Kingdom with an improved advantage. He leads second placed Chris Vermeulen (Honda) by 110 points. Abe slides back to tenth in the standings.
• The championship now makes a four week break before the Dutch round takes place at Assen, where Haga is scheduled to make his 150th world superbike appearance, and his 100th for Yamaha.

WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE

• 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Honda)
• 2 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) +0.98
• 3 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) +1.17
• 4 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) +7.3
• 5 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) +7.7
• 6 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Honda)
• 7 Alessandro Corradi ITA (Ducati)
• 8 Craig Jones GBR (Honda)

BRITISH RIDERS - DENNIS HOBBS, SUPERBIKE REPORT

• Team NVIDIA impressed the World as a Wild Card entry to last weekends at Brands Hatch round of the World Superbike championship. The Team and rider, Dennis Hobbs, were impeccably prepared and highly motivated entering the world championship scene. The first objective of the team was to get into Superpole - the top 16 places on the grid, which was achieved by out qualifying world famous names such as Norrick Abe, Pierfrancesco Chili, Ben Bostrom and Garry McCoy, to take a provisional 15th place on the grid.
• Superpole is a simple spectacle for the TV, each rider in the top 16 is given 1 flying lap to settle the final grid. One lap make or brake you could be 1st and end up 16th if you get it all wrong or of course the other way round if you get it all right. Dennis has never had to do this before but he put in a super-human effort in his one lap qualifying attempt, which, despite making a small mistake, propelled him up the field to take 13th on the grid and 3rd Yamaha pushing behind him many factory bikes.
• After the Superpole session Hobbs commented; “I made a small mistake at Surtees, I justcommitted too early. But it wasn’t too bad for my first Superpole. I think if I hadn’t made that error I could have at the very least gone forward onto the third row.” Dennis’ excellent riding did not go unnoticed by the worlds press with numerous national newspapers and worldwide TV networks following his every move on track gaining excellent coverage for the team’s sponsors. Hobbs was determined to go one better in the highly anticipated two 25-lap races of the day, knowing he would have a tough job on his hands with some big named riders behind him on the grid.
• As expected Dennis did not let the occasion overcome his nerves and rode a faultless first race, despite strong competition in a race long battle for tenth place, to take 13th position over the line and three greatly deserved world championship points. The second race was just as competitive with Hobbs again making a superb start. However with the temperature sky rocketing the NVIDIA rider suffered an early race clash pushing him back from 10th to 21st and now the battle was on to try and get back to the points. Quickly pushing his way through to 18th and then the hard slog forward, with 5 laps left of the 25 lap race he hit the points and set off the make up the 2.7 second gap on 14th placed World Champions Sebastian Gimbert these were the best laps we have seen from Dennis since he started with Team NVIDIA making up the gap he missed out on passing Gimbert by 1/10th of a second. 15th place and take away another world championship point on his British Superbike R1.
• Dennis now sits one place ahead of WSBK full timer and ex-MotoGP rider Garry McCoy in the world championship standings. Team Manager Brent Gladwin commented; “This weekend we showed the world what we could do. Dennis, as ever, gave everything the whole weekend. The whole team worked tirelessly, Derek and Mike put in super human efforts and we have to thank the guy’s on the Ohlin’s service truck for fantastic suspension. The results were well deserved. Everyone who has anything to do with the team is quite rightly very happy right now! But as ever the wheels in the racing world never stop and we are already preparing for the next round of the British championship at Silverstone on the 21st August. We hope to see you all there!”

BRITISH RIDERS - SUPERSPORT REPORT

• Once again Northpoint Honda Racing's Craig Jones and Cal Crutchlow proved they are a force to be reckoned with gaining a fantastic 8th and 10th place respectively in the World Supersport round at Brands Hatch Circuit, Kent. The two who are also backed by Nokia N-Gage proved that they could run with the World's best riders and that they can compete admirably on the World Stage.
• In baking hot temperatures in front of an estimated 80'000 people 20-year-old Jones and 19-year-old Crutchlow wowed the crowd. After a disappointing qualifying session in which Jones ended up 12th with Crutchlow 16th on the grid, they left themselves with a tough task on their hands but a challenge that they were prepared to live up to.
• Jones who got a blinding start and was up to third by the second corner fighting off World contenders Kevin Curtain and Stefan Chambon led a six bike battle for the position. He was looking strong and confident for the 23-lap race when the pace of the World Supersport riders got the better of him as his tyres began to wear. With four previous World Champions and Charpentier, who is looking set to take the title this year among the seven position ahead of him, finishing 8th is an extremely credible position for Jones.
• Commenting the rider from Peterborough said 'It's been a tough weekend and I didn't gain the qualifying position that I would have hoped for and left myself with a fairly big task on my hands. The quality of rider and bike in the World Supersport series is fantastic and once again it was a great opportunity to race amongst them. Obviously I would have liked a better result but I am happy with where I finished. We have managed to gain a good set up for the bike for when we go to Brands GP circuit for the last round of the British Supersport Series in October.'
• Crutchlow also gained a fantastic start and was up to 12th into the first corner. Settling into a rhythm, the still injured Crutchlow put on a brave fight to clinch a top ten finish. Locked in an intense 12-wheeler battle the youngster from Coventry certainly demonstrated considerable skill and talent.
• Speaking with Cal he said 'I had an operation three weeks ago on my damaged right arm, my throttle arm, and this was the first time back on a bike since then. It was a fairly big operation as I was suffering with horrendous arm-pump after losing the use of my bicep muscle at Croft. It was a difficult race and very physically demanding. I'm extremely happy with the result, it was a great learning experience for me and the team and we have taken a lot away from the weekend.'

QUALIFYING

GRID, SUPERPOLE, AUG 6, 2005

• 1 Troy Corser , Suzuki GSXR1000 1m 26.672
  2 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 1' 26.833
  3 J. Toseland Ducati GBR 1' 26.910
  4 R. Laconi Ducati FRA 1' 26.982
  5 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR
  6 N. Haga Yamaha JPN
  7 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS
  8 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS
  9 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA
  10 S. Martin Petronas AUS
  11 G. McCoy Petronas AUS
  12 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN
  13 D. Hobbs Yamaha GBR
  14 G. Bussei Kawasaki ITA
  15 P. Riba Kawasaki ESP
  16 B. Bostrom Honda USA

FRI, AUG 5, 2005

• 1 Troy Corser , Suzuki GSXR1000 1m 27.137
• 2 Laconi Ducati 999 F05 1m 27.652
• 3 Walker Kawasaki 1m 27.656
• 4 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS
• 5 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN
• 6 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS
• 7 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS
• 8 J. Toseland Ducati GBR
• 9 P. Chili Honda ITA
• 10 M. Neukirchner Honda GER
  11 S. Martin Petronas AUS
  12 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1
  13 M. Borciani Ducati ITA
  14 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA
  15 B. Bostrom Honda USA

RACE PREVIEW

SUZUKI

• Troy Corser: "Brands Hatch is a great circuit and the atmosphere there is usually tremendous. It is one of the few tracks where we can actually feel the presence of the spectators because they are very close to the action. It is an old style circuit and very demanding because there are some blind approaches and changes of camber and it is easy to get caught out if you are not careful. I like the track a lot and I will be going into the event completely relaxed on all fronts.
• "I am particularly happy that Sam gave birth last week to a beautiful baby girl because at one time it might have happened during the Brands Hatch weekend! That might have caused me a little less then 100% focus, but now I don't have to worry about that at all. It was good to get back to winning ways in Brno and I can't see any reason why I will not be on the podium at Brands Hatch - it's what I'll be chasing for sure."
• Yukio Kagayama: "I am happy to be going to Brands Hatch - a circuit I know and like - after two circuits I did not know. Because I know Brands Hatch, I can be a bit more relaxed and just concentrate on getting a good set-up early on in practice. Brands is not an easy circuit but it is fun to ride. I think it is a circuit that suits my style and so I will be trying my best to end my run of bad luck and get a podium or two. Also, I will have many British fans there, so I am determined to do well and chase that second place in the championship."

YAMAHA

• Noriyuki Haga: "It was great to be back on top of the podium again and I hope to make another good result for the Brands Hatch fans. We're still a little bit down on power but at Brno we found the perfect setting for the bike and if we can find good settings at Brands then we can be competitive. Since Brno I've been back in Japan to spend some time at home with the family. I'm feeling relaxed, fit and ready to go this weekend."

HONDA

• Chris Vermeulen: “I'm feeling pretty pumped after the good result for me and Kats (Fujiwara) at the Suzuka 8-hour. Now I have to make the switch back to my Ten Kate Honda, which feels like a completely different machine to the full HRC bike I rode in Japan on Michelin tyres. We had a good test at Lausitzring before going to the 8-hour, though, and made some more progress with the bike .There's a lot of work to do in the championship and I have to be aiming at finishing in front of Troy (Corser) to try and close the gap on him. But it's going to be tough because I've never done well at Brands Hatch. I like the layout of the track but it's dangerous in places. I'll have a lot of friends supporting me though, which will be important because it's a big event and the British crowd will be cheering for Walker and Toseland. But England is like my second home really so, as always, I'll just be trying as hard as I can.”
• Karl Muggeridge: “Our test at Lausitzring after the last round at Brno gave us the chance to do some more work at finding grip and durability from the tyres in a race situation and that should help us to move forward at Brands Hatch. We still need to find something with the front of the bike but we know what we're looking for and we'll use the first sessions at Brands to develop that. I got my first World Supersport win at Brands Hatch and I won again there last year on my way to the title, so I have good memories of the place. It's the biggest event on the calendar but this my first time here on the Superbike so I'll do what I've been doing all season and work steadily towards a good set-up for race day. I need a couple of solid results here, so the team and I are going to be working really hard to achieve that.”

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