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2006 WORLD SUPERBIKE  LAUSITZ

2006 R10 OF 13: for latest update

• Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama took a superb victory in the first race at the Eurospeedway Lausitz World Superbike Championship 10th round in Germany with team mate Troy Corser joining him on the podium.
• Kagayama had been in third place for most of the 24-lapper, but then charged past Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and Corser with just two laps to go. From then on in, he was determined to stay in front and took the flag just over a second ahead of Haga with Corser close behind.
• Kagayama was ready to go all-out for victory in race two, but tyre problems prevented him from staying with the leading group of three. In the end, James Toseland (Honda) took a hard-fought for win with Haga again second and series leader Bayliss third.
• It was not a good race for reigning World Champion Corser: The starter held the lights for longer than usual and many riders were moving slightly when the lights went out. Corser was judged to have jumped the start and had to pull into the pits for a ride -through penalty. The ride-though caused him to drop from fourth to 23rd place and although he stormed his way through the field, he could only manage 14th.
• Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner scored points in the first race at Lausitz today, but was forced to pull out of the second with a technical problem. Throughout the weekend, Neukirchner had been steadily coming to terms with the GSX-R1000 K6 Alstare bike and qualifying for Superpole had been a very positive step forward.
• Yukio Kagayama - Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 4th: “I was very, very happy after my win in race one because it was such a hard race. My bike worked very well, except for a little braking problem. For the first 15 laps or so, Nori made very good lap times and I was at my maximum just staying in third place! It was hard to overtake. In the last five laps of the race, his lap times started to come down and I saw that I had a chance. I went past my team mate Troy and Nori and was able to finish first. It was very enjoyable having a big battle like that.
• “We used the same tyre for the second race but it did not behave the same way and that is a bit strange. For the first few laps, the front had very little grip and my lap times were not so good and I lost touch with the leaders. Then, later on, the front tyre felt better and I began to catch up the leaders, but it was too late. The bike and the setting was the same for both races, so I don’t know why tyre behaved differently.”
• Troy Corser - Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 14th: “It’d been a good weekend until the problem at the start of race two and the problem with my tyre and it ended on a frustrating note and I am not at all happy. The bike worked pretty well in the first race and the tyre was all right as well. It was good to get back on the podium again because it felt like it had been a long time. I really needed that result and I believed that another podium in race two would be possible. I’m not sure what happened at the start, because I felt that we were held for much longer then normal. I moved, but so did lots of riders, but I didn’t jump the start. Having the ride-though penalty ruined things for me, but I would’ve struggled in the race anyway because I had been having tyre problems before that. The rear tyre lost grip after one lap and I nearly highsided one lap later coming on to the start straight! The bike was virtually identical to race one and the tyre was the same so I’m not sure what happened. I’m very disappointed, very frustrated and very unhappy.”
• Max Neukirchner - Race 1: 13th, Race 2: DNF:
  “I was happy enough with the first race, though it was tough. I’m still getting used to the bike and learning more and more as we race. I had a little problem with the feel of the front suspension when the fuel level in the tank dropped. The suspension seemed to work ok when the tank was full at the start of the race but when the tank was half full, the suspension didn’t work as well.
• “There’s not much to say about the second race, as I wasn’t on the track long enough to give much information. All in all, I guess I am a bit frustrated today because I felt that we’d get better results than we did.”

DUCATI RACE REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) had an up-and-down weekend in the tenth round of the World Superbike Championship at the Lausitzring. The championship leader, who could have clinched the title this weekend, crashed out on lap 5 of race 1 while leading and then recovered from 23rd to finish seventh as Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) took the win from Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha).
• "Like I said, you never know with racing!" declared Troy after the first race. "I got off to a good start and everything was going to plan. I built up a nice little lead and wanted to get it to 4/5 seconds. I just touched the ripple-strip and lost the front, it was just one of those little things that shouldn't happen but did".
• Race 2 saw a fascinating three-way battle between James Toseland (Honda), Haga and Bayliss, but the top 3 positions remained the same for the second half of the race and Bayliss had to settle for third.
• With 100 points up for the taking, Troy still has a comfortable 87-point margin over Haga and 93 over Toseland as the championship heads to Ducati's home race at Imola for the penultimate round.
• "Hats off to James for his win, he rode a really good race, controlling things from the front. I was a bit more cautious but we also changed the front tyre and ran with the rear from the first race and I really struggled with some grip at the rear. In the end I thought it was better to finish a safe third than go for a win which I really wanted to do, but it was going to be very difficult. For me it's been a bit of a mixed weekend but I've still got a healthy points margin, now we move on to Imola and take it as it comes".
• After starting fifth on the grid, team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi could only manage an eighth and a sixth place in the two Lausitzring races.
• "An eighth and a sixth place were not exactly the results I wanted after my performance here last year", commented Lorenzo. "However we made a bit of an improvement in race 2 after making a better choice of tyres. The problem is that after ten laps, when I was there with Barros and we were catching the leading group, I had a drop in performance at the front which forced me to drop the pace. I tried to defend my sixth position until the flag and that was it. Here last year was the turning-point in my championship, this year I still haven't done what I hoped to do. There are two rounds and four races left at Imola and Magny-Cours, let's see if we can end the championship on a high note".

• TOSELAND WINS SECOND LAUSITZ RACE IN DETERMINED STYLE
• James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was made to rue his tyre choice in race one at Eurospeedway Lausitz, but he rode one of the best races of his career to score the win in race two. He dropped to third in the championship but the combined efforts of Toseland and second place championship challenger Noriyuki Haga mean that Troy Bayliss was not crowned champion at Lausitzring. Toseland’s team-mate Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) had the best raceday of the year, finishing sixth and fifth at a tight and twisty German circuit.
• Race one saw a three rider Honda battle in the early stages, with Toseland, Muggeridge and Barros ranged from fifth to seventh. Toseland was to run off track after Barros had passed both he and Muggeridge, with Barros finishing fifth and top Honda rider. Muggeridge went 6th and Toseland ninth. Both Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Treme Honda CBR1000RR) and his team-mate Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda CBR1000RR) retired from the race.
• In race two Toseland’s aggression saw him take the lead on lap one, one he would keep for all 24 laps, yet he was to fight with Haga throughout, holding on for an 0.210 second margin of victory, with Bayliss third.
  Muggeridge had a lonely ride to fifth in the end, and Fabrizio had one of his best rides of the year, despite only finishing eight, as he had come through the field from 24th place on lap one. Barros fell on the 19th lap, failing to score but staying sixth overall. Chili once more retired and now sits 22nd overall.
• Toseland’s tyre choice in race one was soon forgotten with an impressive race win in the second, with Toseland feeling it was overdue. The championship points are now Bayliss 357, Haga 270 and Toseland 264.
• “I was frustrated after race one because I chose a particular tyre because of the temperature difference from Friday and Saturday and it was not the way to go,” said a regretful Toseland. “So we went back to what we knew - and I knew right away I would be in with a shout in the second. We have two rounds and four races to go and I’m third now, just in behind Nori. It’s been a great season racing with Nori all year and it’s about time I was up here on the top step after winning the first race of the year in Qatar, so I owe a big thank you to the team. I’m just happy to be back up here.”
• Muggeridge was happy with his weekend’s work, but is shooting for more at the next round.
• “This was my best race weekend of the year and my highest single finish so I have to be happy with that,” said Muggeridge. “In race one I wasn’t too satisfied with the set-up but I could ride consistently today. I’m now looking to the final two races of the year to score a podium finish and move up the table.”
• Barros lost some points to Pitt and Corser after his fall in race two, but was certain of its cause.
• “We made adjustments for race two, as I was having problems in some of the faster corners,” said Barros. “I also got stuck behind Toseland and Muggeridge for a bit, and it is difficult to overtake here. In race two the bike was a little bit better, I was catching the guys ahead lap by lap but then Bayliss put some grass onto the track with his knee at the final chicane section. I almost saved the front but the tyre gripped again and I was thrown over the bars. A pity, because I didn’t make a mistake.”
• Fabrizio had no choice but to retire in race one, but his run through the field was another high point in his rookie SBK season.
• “My lap times were very good in race two, so I am disappointed not to be further up,” said the young Roman. “I made a terrible start but a very good race after I got going.”
• Chili could not get his machine settings to suit him, especially after a heavy practice fall, after which he had to undergo a scan to check for undetected injury. Cleared to race his lost practice time left him without a useable set-up.
• “I didn’t find the settings to have a good race,” said Chili. “Every time I entered a long corner the bike wanted to run wide, and I made a mistake. I am happy for Michel because in race two I think we were the last two away and yet he came back strongly.”
• The SBK series now goes to Imola, for the penultimate round on October 1, with the final round at Magny-Cours one weekend later.

• Two seconds moves Haga up in the championship
  Noriyuki Haga

  Two second places at today's German round of the Superbike World Championship saw Yamaha Motor Italia's Noriyuki Haga move back into second place in the series.
• Despite suffering a wrist injury in Saturday's free practice session, the Japanese star was able to lead both races and scored more points than any other rider at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz circuit. In the day's first race Haga made a good start and followed championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) in the opening laps. When the Australian made an error, the Yamaha rider led a four-way battle for the lead with Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt and the Suzukis of Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama. Pitt eventually slipped back to fourth as a result of an incorrect tyre choice, while Kagayama was able to pass the Yamaha as Haga's front tyre grip deteriorated in the closing stages.
• Race two saw the same protagonists at the front but Pitt, now running the same specification tyres as the other front men, was an early casualty when he crashed on lap four. The Australian had been sitting comfortably with the leading pack, only to be pitched off in a lowside crash when his bike's footpeg touched the raised kerbing. That left James Toseland (Honda) in the lead with Haga breathing down his neck for the entire duration of the race. Despite his best efforts, the Yamaha rider could not find a way through and took the chequered flag two-tenths of a second behind the Briton.
• Norick Abe :

  Yamaha Motor France's Norick Abe brought his YZF-R1 home in 11th place in race two, with team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi gaining another point for 15th. The points provided some reward for the squad, who had a disappointing first race with neither rider scoring a point due to a poor choice of tyres.
• Today's results mean that Haga moves back to second in the championship, 87 points behind series leader Bayliss with two rounds and four races remaining. Toseland is the only other rider with a mathematical chance of the title, a further six behind Haga, although Pitt's failure to score sees him surrender one place in the championship. The Yamaha man is now fifth in the series, although only one point behind Corser. Haga's forty points also saw Yamaha close in on Ducati at the head of the manufacturers championship. The Iwata company is now just 37 points behind their Italian rivals with a maximum of 100 available in the four remaining races.
• The penultimate round of the championship takes place at the Imola circuit in Italy on 1 October.
• Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I am happy with the result because yesterday I hurt my wrist and was in a lot of pain. The doctors gave me some painkillers and I actually enjoyed both races, because there were some good fights. In the first race I was able to lead but in the last five laps my front tyre was gone and I could not do anything when Yuki passed me. We made some changes for the second and I was able to fight with James, although he rode very well and I could not pass him. Still, I am satisfied and I would like to thank all the medical staff who helped me get such good results today."
• Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "For the first race we chose a different rear tyre to most of the other guys and after ten laps it was gone and I had to settle for fourth. It had been a bit of a gamble, but the temperatures were higher than yesterday and we felt it might give us an advantage. We made a few changes for the second race and used the same tyres as the other guys. I felt really strong and was able to pass Kagayama and catch up to the leaders when I just touched the kerb with my footrest. That caused the weight to come off the back and I just slid off. I tried to get going again but the handlebar was broken off. I'm disappointed but the fact that Barros and Corser didn't score many points has limited the damage and I know that we will bounce straight back in Imola."
• Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "We had a lot of small problems in race one so it was hard to ride and I couldn't even get a point. Between the races we changed the bike balance by raising the rear and it was much better than race one. My lap times were much better and I kept them better all the way to the end, so I am quite happy."
• Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "I like the track but it was impossible to get the right setting, lots of bumps and tyre spinning. Between race one and race two I changed the settings but it did not make so much difference."
• Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "The first race was very good for us, with both riders taking points from Toseland in the championship. We came here with the target of getting second and third in the championship by the end of the year, but now Andrew has dropped to fifth. Overall, though, we can leave here with many positives. The championship is still alive and Noriyuki had scored a lot of points despite his injury. Andrew was a little unlucky but has ridden well and I am sure that both our riders will be able to continue fighting at the front in Imola."
• Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France) "We got a little bit lost because it was a long distance for the tyres to last, so we changed the settings for the second race and Norick could fight for tenth position after that. We have improved after the test here because we lost a lot around here at that time, and we have made it up a lot. I think this track is very delicate for set-up. I am happy - no crashes, some points and now ready for Imola."
• RACE REPORT 10/09/2006 Curtain closes in on supersport crown
• Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain took a step closer to winning the 2006 Supersport World Championship after extending his lead to 27 points at EuroSpeedway Lausitz.
• The Australian, who had been fastest in all of the weekend's practice sessions, made a good start from pole position and led for 19 of the 23 laps. Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda) pressurised the Yamaha rider all the way and eventually took the lead on lap 20. Curtain still had some opportunities to retake the lead but, with the championship at stake, chose the discretionary option to take home a safe 20 points and his eighth podium finish of the year - crossing the line just one-tenth of a second behind Sofuoglu. With title rival Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) retiring from the battle for fourth, Curtain leaves Germany with a larger than expected advantage going into the final two races.
• Fabien Foret, standing in for the injured Broc Parkes on the second Yamaha Motor Germany YZF-R6 rode a superb race to take the final podium position. The Frenchman had not even sat on the Yamaha prior to arriving in Germany, but the former world champion improved with each practice session and made a good start from the second row of the grid. Foret found himself fourth into the first turn but quickly passed Christian Zaiser (Ducati) to ride to a somewhat lonely third place, ten seconds behind the winner.
• Gianluca Vizziello
• Yamaha Team Italia's Gianluca Vizziello had one of his best results of the season, ending the day sixth. Team-mate Massimo Roccoli overcame a disappointing qualifying to bring his R6 home in a points scoring 12th by the flag.
• Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany)
  "I really never expected to leave here with a 27 point advantage. I thought that maybe it would be possible to take four or five points from Sebastien today, so to take 20 is unbelievable. I knew that Kenan was with me all the way and I knew that he would be strong here. I tried to make a break but he stayed with me and I decided to ride for the championship. My team let me know exactly what was happening, so I knew that Charpentier was out. It was quite an easy decision for me in the end. I had the choice of settling for a safe 20 points or risking them for another five. From a championship point of view I've exceeded all my expectations and we can go to Imola and just keep doing what we're doing."
• Fabien Foret
• Fabien Foret (Yamaha Motor Germany)
  "The jump from superbike to supersport was not so easy, especially after being off a bike for some time, but the team is really good, the bike too, and I soon remembered what a 600 was like to ride. At the end it was a good result so I have to give big thanks to the team for giving me the chance of this ride."
• Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha Team Italia)
  "I am very satisfied. Every race I am making more progress and so is the team, our understanding of how everything works is improving all the time. Lausitz is very good for my style and the bike has felt good all weekend, and also at Assen last weekend. Sixth is good for the championship and I hope to move up some more places in the last two races."
• Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia)
  "I had a problem getting enough traction out of the slow corners, I think because I am so light, and I had to settle for scoring as many championship points as I could. I'm not particularly happy that I could not ride aggressively but I think I was correct in riding for the points."

• BAYLISS LEADS FRONT ROW WITH HIS MAIN CHALLENGERS ALONGSIDE Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) will start the 24-lap Superbike races at Eurospeedway Lausitz from a perfect pole position, thanks to a best time of 1'37.923 in this specialised single lap contest to determine the allocation of the top 16 grid spots. He had earlier set a new track best in qualifying (1'37.623) and as last rider away in Superpole, knew exactly what was required to take his fourth Superpole win of 2006, and his 11th career Superpole. Right behind Bayliss follow the two riders closest to him in the overall championship chase - Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) in second grid slot, and James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) third, and recovering well from a disappointing tenth in regulation qualifying. Haga had to ride in Superpole with painful wrists, which he jarred heavily saving an imminent high side in the final session before Superpole. The last man on the front row proved to be Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), who continues to impress at the front in the second half of the season.
• LANZI RESURGENT ON THE SCENE OF HIS FIRST TRIUMPH Bayliss' team-mate, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) enjoyed the return to the circuit on which he won his first ever World Superbike race, and was fifth after Superpole, giving him a valuable jump on the riders behind. With such a tight first section of corners to deal with in race conditions, Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) had hoped to be on the front row, but a smooth Superpole lap proved to be not as fast as his main rivals' and he scored sixth grid placing. Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) was another who seemed to do little wrong in his Superpole lap, but lost ground to finish only seventh. Corser's team-mate Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) went eighth after being faster than anyone else in the afternoon's final untimed practice session.
• MUGGERIDGE HEADS UP ROW THREE AFTER DISAPPOINTING SUPERPOLE Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) made a small error in the first split of his Superpole lap and thus dropped time compared to qualifying and now starts ninth on the Lausitz grid. A Superhuman effort from Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) saw him end his day of pre-race competition in tenth place, another positive step forward for the three-cylinder rider as the season draws to a close. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse riders Fonsi Nieto and Regis Laconi round out the third row.
• NEUKIRCHNER MAKES SUPERPOLE AND THEN PUTS IN AN IMPRESSIVE LAP Local rider Max Neukirchner (Alstare Engineering Suzuki) scored 16th in regulation qualifying and thus qualified for Superpole, running out 13th fastest, and giving his fellow countrymen something to cheer about from the vast Lausitz grandstands. Chris Walker (Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse) had a hard time adjusting his ZX-10R to the bumps and ripples of the 4.265km Lausitz circuit, and ended up 14th. Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) ended his Superpole 15th, with Michel Fabrizio (DF Treme Honda) an unexpected 16th. His team-mate, Pierfrancesco Chili, had to go to hospital to get a CAT scan on his right pelvic region after a crash in practice today, to check that he did not have any recurrence of his recent pelvic injury. He was cleared but will make a decision on whether to race or not on Sunday morning.
• SUPERPOLE MISSES FOR TOP SBK MISTERS Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France Ipone) just missed out on Superpole participation by one place, while Ivan Clementi (Team Pedercini) scored 18th place. Marco Borciani (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) was 19th and reigning Superstock 1000 champion Didier Vankeymeulen (MGM TTSL Racing Yamaha) scored a top 20 finish in his wildcard weekend, in front of nine other riders. Craig Jones (Petronas FP-1) was a more than respectable 21st. A tough day for talented riders such as Kurtis Roberts (Pedercini Ducati), Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi Ducati) and Josh Brookes (Kawasaki Bertocchi) saw them finish 26th to 28th respectively in regulation qualifying.
• SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Almost every single rider in the Supersport class improved their Friday times, including championship leader Kevin Curtain, who improved on his already impressive provisional pole time to take pole itself, with a 1'41.006. A cosmopolitan front row, in terms of riders and machines, saw Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) second quickest, with a 1'41.402, Christian Zaiser (LBR Ducati 748) third and Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) fourth.
  With Charpentier only seven points down on Curtain in the championship itself, the Lausitz WSS race promises to be a significant fight. Sofuoglu is the most recent winner of a World Supersport race, only last weekend in the wet at Assen, and is another rider in with a more than fair shout of absolute success on Sunday.

• Having qualified tenth in the combined sessions, James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) showed all his battling qualities in Superpole to earn a hard-won front row start, from third, for Sunday’s 24-lap Superbike races. He improved on his previous best time in a full qualifying session by more than a second and was comfortably faster than his previous best on qualifying rubber this afternoon to boot. James’ team-mate, Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda), who had out qualified Toseland after the two official timed sessions, made a small error in the first split during Superpole and that cost him enough to drop him to ninth position on the grid, offering him a third row start.
• Troy Bayliss headed the Superpole timesheets, with Noriyuki Haga second, and thus the top three on the grid reflect the top three in the championship chase. Toseland is closest to leader Bayliss on points, and two ahead of Haga, and has to shoot for wins on Sunday to claw back enough points to Bayliss to carry the overall fight beyond Lausitz.
• Ronald Ten Kate , Team Manager “Mixed feelings because on one side of the garage we have improved quite a bit and James took it to third. Fairly close to pole position, even. On Karl’s side we moved a bit backwards. He didn’t go as fast as he has done in previous practices, so that was a bit unlucky for him. It means he’s on the third row. Anyway, on race set-ups we are quite happy here. We want to do a bit of research tonight to see if we can improve it a bit, but for sure the racing will be tough and hard tomorrow. I don’t think anyone can walk away with it, so there should be a big group battling in a long, hot race.”
• James Toseland , Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider
  (3rd Position , Fastest Lap 1’38.254 , 45 Laps) “Before Superpole, it looked worse than it was. We were doing OK in terms of consistency and then right at the end we put a tyre in and we just didn’t get it together on my final lap. So we made a few changes and I knew that once we had got the qualifier in we would go well in Superpole and I just had to hold it together for one lap and we did. It’s difficult to pass here in traffic, but when you are on your own you can get into a rhythm, and use lines you need to use to go fast, rather than just stop people coming past you. Troy has been fast all weekend, so we just need to get off the line fast and stick in there.”
• Karl Muggeridge , Winston Ten Kate Honda Rider (9th Position , Fastest Lap 1’38.749 , 45 Laps)
  “I just made a small mistake in my first split and was almost 0.6 seconds down at that point, so it was a lot to come back from. But I tried and didn’t make it, so I’m not happy. It’s ridiculous being on the third row when things had been going so well all weekend. It’s not what we’ve been working for and not what we deserve. I need to get a good start and then we have got a good race pace. We just have to get away from the line well."

• Yamaha Motor Italia stars Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt will start tomorrow's Superbike World Championship races at EuroSpeedway Lausitz from the front row after setting the second and fourth fastest times in today's superpole session.
• Starting his grid deciding lap tenth of the 16 riders, Haga stormed to a 1:38.079 - over half a second quicker than his previous best of the weekend, despite injuring his wrists in the pre-superpole practice. Haga suffered ligament damage in both wrists after the rear of his machine slid away from him. Nori-chan was able to save a potentially huge highside accident but wrenched his arms in doing so. Despite the discomfort, the Japanese Yamaha rider's time was good enough to hold the pole position until the final runner of the day, series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) went one tenth of a second faster and relegate the Yamaha man to second place on the grid for tomorrow's two 24-lap races.
• After ending the combined qualifying in fifth, Pitt was also able to make a big improvement on his qualifying run. The Australian set a time of 1:38.291 to lie third, behind Haga and James Toseland (Honda) after his run. An anxious wait saw Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), Alex Barros (Honda) and Troy Corser (Suzuki) all fail to go faster than the Yamaha, guaranteeing Yamaha Motor Italia two bikes on the front of the grid for tomorrow's races.
• Despite producing stunning times on the soft qualifying rubber, the Yamaha Motor Italia riders spent the majority of the day working to find machine settings that will allow them to run consistently smooth lap times and keep tyre wear to a minimum on the twisting and highly abrasive EuroSpeedway circuit.
• Yamaha Motor France's Norick Abe found himself on the superpole bubble, missing out on a place in the top 16 by just three tenths of a second. Team-mate Shinichi Nakatomi starts his first EuroSpeedway races from 25th position, while Belgian wild-card lines up for his first ever world superbike races on the fifth row after qualifying 20th. The FIM Superstock 1000 Cup champion, who won at Lausitz on his way to the title, is competing on the machine he normally races in the German IDM series.
• Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "It's good to be on the front row, although I had to go straight to the Clinica Mobile after superpole due to my wrist problem. It happened when I was doing a long run in the free practice and I had a big slide. It happened twice and although I was able to save the highside I have hurt myself a little bit. Second place is quite surprising in the circumstances but I was able to ride very smooth and not make the injury worse. The doctors have made an X-ray and that shows nothing is broken. They gave me some treatment and have bandaged me up. Now we have to see how the race goes. I think it will be ok but 24 laps is a very long way!"
• Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I'm really happy to be on the front row and I know that our race set-up should be good. The track temperature is a bit lower this weekend than when we tested and as a result the rear tyres don't seem to last as long. I was able to do over 15 laps on one of the tyres and Nori did a lot of laps on the other choice and I think that we've got the bike working well for the race. I think everyone's going to be going pretty hard in the early laps and I was able to follow and pass a few riders in practice who seemed to be having more tyre wear than us."
• Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) "It's coming better step by step this weekend and the good thing is that whatever we've done we've never taken a step back. I made a long run in the afternoon session where I was able to do consistent 1:40 laps. While that's not at the very top level I think that for now we can be happy with this. If I can continue this in the races then maybe it is possible to make top 10 at the finish."
• Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France) "It is going better and better all the time but we did not have enough time to work through everything. I missed the private tests because I was then injured and the practices are too short. It is very difficult."
• Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "Both riders first row is a good starting point and shows that the team has been working very well this weekend. I predict it will be a difficult race, because the correct tyre choice will make a big difference to the result of the race. We will be working very hard because we have the possibility for both riders to finish in the top three of the championship, so this is target for rest of the season."
• WORLD SUPERSPORT
• Curtain takes pole in Germany
• Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kevin Curtain continued his domination of the German round of the Supersport World Championship today, setting the fastest ever 600cc lap of the venue on his way to setting pole position for tomorrow's race.
• The veteran Australia has topped the timesheets in all four sessions at the modern motorsports facility, posting a best lap of 1:41.006 to take the pole position by almost four-tenths of a second from Assen race winner Kenan Sofuoglu (Honda). Austrian Christian Zaiser (Ducati) and Curtain's championship rival Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) complete the front row.
• Curtain has been in impeccable form all weekend on his Yamaha YZF-R6 but knows that his pole position will count for nothing if he is unable to produce a strong race performance on a circuit where he has taken half of his four world supersport wins. With three races of the championship remaining, Curtain has a seven point over Charpentier.
• Gianluca Vizziello will be the second Yamaha rider on the grid tomorrow, the Yamaha Team Italia rider ending the day seventh with a best of 1:42.125. Starting one place behind Vizziello will be Fabien Foret, who is standing in for the injured Broc Parkes on the other Yamaha Motor Germany machine. The Frenchamn has produced an excellent performance to finish eighth after just three hours on the YZF-R6. Yamaha GMT94's David Checa completed his qualifying in 16th position, one place ahead of Misano race winner Massimo Roccoli on the second Yamaha Team Italia machine.

• Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) smashed all existing lap records at the Lausitzring circuit as he scorched to a provisional pole position for Sunday's tenth round of the World Superbike championship in Germany. The Australian's time of 1m38.331s was over one second quicker than the 2002 lap record, well inside Lorenzo Lanzi's Superpole time from last year and two-tenths quicker than fellow countryman Troy Corser (Suzuki). Team-mate Lanzi also got his weekend off to a good start, setting sixth quickest time but lapping within two-tenths of a second of Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) in third place.
• "It was a good start to the weekend" declared Troy. "Luckily we got some reasonable weather but it was a little bit cooler than when we tested here in July and the track is in reasonably good condition. The tyre I did the long-run here in the test doesn't seem to be working well now so we used a harder one and still did some pretty good lap times. Already we've got a pretty good solution for the race and just hope to get some good weather again. I did 17 laps on the one tyre and some really good laps towards the end of the run. Then I put a new tyre on before the end of the session and went a little bit faster than what I'd done before. So far it's looking good but we'll take it day by day".
• "I am quite pleased with today but seeing as I dominated the weekend last year I thought I could come here and be right there with the leaders this time as well" commented Lorenzo. "However we are in sixth place, which is not bad, two-tenths of a second off third place. We did a lot of work today and tried a number of solutions on the bike. There's still space for improvement tomorrow and that's important. We were able to get a good idea of which tyres to use for the race, both front and back, but tomorrow and Sunday maybe it'll be hotter so the strategies will change. Let's see if we can stay up at the front and not mess up the Superpole this time".

FRIDAY REPORT - SUZUKI   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama finished the first day of qualifying at the World Superbike Championship 10th round at Eurospeedway Lausitz well placed in second and third positions.
• Both will use tomorrow morning’s timed qualifying to improve their GSX-R1000 K6 Suzukis and then go all-out in Superpole in the afternoon.
• The 4.265 kilometre German circuit, with its mixture of fast straights and slow turns, always means that the best combination of set-up and gearing is vital for consistent fast laps.
• Max Neukirchner carried on his steep learning curve on the first day of qualifying. Although he only finished 24th quickest, he was happy because he had improved his time by over two seconds from the morning un-timed session.
• Series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) set the quickest time of the day with a lap of 1:38.331 in the closing stages of the session. Completing the provisional front row is Aussie Andrew Pitt (Yamaha).
• Troy Corser - 2nd, 1:38.550:
  “Well that’s the happiest I’ve been for a long time on a Friday afternoon. I was the quickest out there today, but then I think that Bayliss stuck in a softer tyre right at the end of the session. The grip was definitely up since this morning and that made quite a difference to our set-up. We tried some different gearings this afternoon and it was better in some places and not so good in others, so now we’ll change the internals and we should be able to improve quite a bit. But, as I said, I’m pretty happy this afternoon.”
• Yukio Kagayama - 3rd, 1:38.869:
  “This morning my body felt a little tired but I think that’s because I was fighting a cold or maybe flu. But, in the afternoon I felt much better and I was more comfortable on the bike because I was able to concentrate harder. The lap times this afternoon are not so bad, but I prefer a higher position! I had a problem with one tyre today, but apart from that nothing serious. Tomorrow we'll change the rear suspension a little to see if I can get the power down better exiting the turns. “
• Max Neukirchner -24th, 1:41.334:
  “There’s always lots to learn when you jump onto a new bike and we’re having to do all our learning during a race weekend, so there’s lots to do and not so much time to do it. Certainly the set-up of the bike felt better in the afternoon and now we’ll make some changes tomorrow and I’m sure we’ll improve some more.”

PREVIEW   (TOP OF PAGE)

WSBK PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

• RED 21 HOLDING ALL THE EUROSPEEDWAY LAUSITZ ACES Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) arrives in Germany in an enviable position in the championship chase, with a clear 100 point advantage over second place rider James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda), after the 2001 champion's latest victory in race two at Assen last weekend. A short hop across Northern Europe now sees the entire championship decamped to Central Europe, close to the Polish border, at the magnificently appointed mega-venue of Eurospeedway Lausitz. The 4.265 kilometre circuit is ringed by a NASCAR style banked section, while a test track bisects the back straight, making Lausitz one of the most expansive and versatile circuits imaginable.
• THREE REMAINING ROUNDS STILL OFFER OPPORTUNITIES The hunt for Bayliss may have got all the harder after most of his immediate championship rivals endured tough weekends at Assen, but in the war for other championship positions, Assen's results have pushed even more riders into the frame for top three finishes come season end, at Magny-Cours in France on October 8.
  Bayliss' tenth win of the season came after Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) had scored his first race win of his entire SBK career in race one, making the Englishman the seventh rider in the top eight of the championship to have taken at least one race win in the 2006 season.
  At Lausitz, the possibilities of other riders notching up a victory are very much alive, despite Bayliss' impressive record of scoring three wins in four attempts at the German track. The only other currently active SBK rider to win a race at Lausitz is none other than his 2006 team-mate, Ducati Xerox rider Lorenzo Lanzi, who took his first ever SBK victory at Lausitz in race two last year.
• HAGA AND TOSELAND SLUGGING MATCH ENTERS TENTH ROUND No one involved in SBK racing expects any drop off in the personal points battle between second placed Toseland perennial title challenger Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia). Each has scored one race win, eight podiums in total and are only separated by two points - with 150 still up for grabs for any rider who can win every remaining race.
• PITT ON AN UPSWING OF THE SEASON PENDULUM Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) was the top points scorer in the previous round at Lausitz and now sits in an enviable fourth place in the title chase, 33 points behind his team-mate Haga, but with a high confidence level being pushed along by the momentum of three podium finishes in a row, including two second places at Assen, each in vastly different conditions. At the tight Lausitz track all riders will face a very different challenge from the high speed G-force ride around some sections of Assen, but Pitt has proven nothing if not adaptable this year. As Pitt's fortunes have swung upwards, Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) has found his season on a downward spiral since even before the mid-season break, having scored no podium places since Monza, way back in May. The 2005 champion provided the most consistent early season challenge to Bayliss but six DNFs in 18 races have had an obviously detrimental effect on his campaign, and he enters Lausitz fifth overall.
• BARROS LOOKS TO TESTING RESULTS IN HIS DESIRE FOR HIS FIRST WIN Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) finds himself in an unusual situation on the entry to Lausitz, having carried out a successful test at the German circuit earlier in the year, posting competitive lap times on a machine which is now improved after some engine modifications before Assen. An unhappy Dutch weekend has not aided his Lausitz preparations, but the Brazilian star will once more be out to eradicate his record of being the only rider in the top eight to not have won at least one race so far. Riding for a German-speaking team, a win for Alex would be a popular outcome for both the German fans and neutrals alike.
• KAGAYAMA AND WALKER READY FOR MORE PODIUMS A sensational Brno meeting for Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) delivered him his first race wins in SBK this season, while a wet first race win for Chris Walker at Assen gave him his first ever SBK race win - in 133 attempts. Neither rider will be satisfied with their 2006 totals so far, and after Kagayama's disappointing Assen weekend in general, and Walker's troubles with an erroneously fitted rear tyre in race two at Assen, motivation to return to the top flight will be higher than ever.
• NIETO AND FABRIZIO OUT FOR MORE MEDALS AT EUROSPEEDWAY LAUSITZ Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) got his first chance to sit at the top table in SBK at Assen, by running out third in race two, after looking set for a podium in race one at one stage. A fantastic weekend for two of the three men in the PSG-1 team left multiple SBK race winner Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) out in the cold somewhat, giving him all the impetus he needs to get himself back into the top echelons again at Lausitz. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Treme Honda) has scored three podiums in the last six races, in his rookie SBK season, making him this year's most impressive young strike in what is a rich seam of riding talent.
• XAUS ON THE UP IN FRONT OF IMPRESSIVE MIDFIELD SWELL A fine fifth place in race two at Assen was a season-best for Ruben Xaus (Ducati Sterilgarda Berik), who will be back in the same squad in 2007. Lausitz has been occasionally good to him in the past, and he hopes that his machinery will allow him to challenge once more, as he attempts break into the top ten at season's end. Currently 12th, he leads a talented trio of Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) Regis Laconi and Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda), which completes the top 15.
• ROLFO AND CO READY FOR GERMAN EXPEDITION Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) has had an eventful rookie season so far, but the missing link has this been the fortune to have his machinery match his obvious talents at the right time and place. He is nonetheless fully 32 points ahead of his closest championship challenger, another rookie, Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France). Sebastien Gimbert, Nakatomi's team-mate, injured his back in a crash at Assen, and is now almost certain to miss Lausitz.
• NEUKIRCHNER THE BIG DRAW FOR MANY GERMAN FANS Talented German rider Max Neukirchner (Alstare Engineering Suzuki) will have the best wishes of the large German crowd riding pillion with him at Lausitz, as he takes part in his second meeting with his new team. Sixth in race one at Assen, only a fall stopped his double points score, but at the very same Lausitz circuit he had his first shakedown laps at when he signed for Suzuki, much is expected. Neukirchner's former Klaffi Honda team-mate Pierfrancesco Chili (DFX Honda) hopes to make Lausitz a high-point of his season so far and get back into the top 20 again.
• MARTIN AND BROOKES GO FOR AUSSIE PRIDE Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1) scored magnificent 12th and 11th place results at Assen, despite his power disadvantage on the 900cc triple, and another Aussie force, Josh Brookes (Bertocchi Kawasaki) earned his first point of the season, with a single for 15th in race two. Each is out for points again, while Martin's team-mate Craig Jones (Petronas FP-1) is after his first points score of the year.

YAMAHA PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

• World superbike takes its annual trip to Germany this weekend as the impressive EuroSpeedway Lausitz plays host to round ten of the 12 that make up this year's championship.
• Last weekend the rain gods wreaked havoc at Assen, with each of the top four riders in the championship going into the weekend crashing at least once in the races. For Yamaha Motor Italia the Dutch races were bittersweet: on one hand Noriyuki Haga missed a golden chance to pull back points on the championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati), while Andrew Pitt was the man of the day, taking a second place in each outing to catapult him two places in the championship, up to fourth.
• Situated in the former East Germany, EuroSpeedway was opened in 2000 and first played host to the series the following year. The venue comprises of a high-speed oval circuit with an inner road course which is used for the superbikes. The circuit itself consists of several slow speed corners linked by long straights. Previous experiences of the circuit suggest that qualifying will be important as overtaking is difficult due to the layout and 'single-line' nature of the track.
• The venue hosted a test for the Pirelli development teams in July, including Yamaha Motor Italia, with Haga fastest and Pitt just one tenth of a second behind. Haga will look to bounce back from his Assen disappointment in the only way he knows, by fighting for the win at a track where he finished on the podium twice last year. The Japanese rider's failure to score in the Netherlands saw him slip back to 102 points behind Bayliss with just 150 points at stake in the final three rounds, making winning the title a tough task for the ever popular Yamaha star.
• For team-mate Pitt, the German race gives him an opportunity to continue his impressive form. The top scorer in Assen is now just one place and 33 points behind his more experienced team-mate, with the Australian hoping to add to his tally of five podiums so far this year.
• "When your confidence is high you look forward to every race and that's how it is with me just now," explains Pitt. "I'm really enjoying racing just now because our bike is working so well everywhere we go, but it's not just about me as the team has worked so hard to get us to this point. The R1 is not only one of the best bikes on the grid, it is also very consistent and we can now pretty much take it out of the truck and go racing without having to make big changes.
• "Assen was a really tough weekend but to get a couple of second places in such differing conditions shows how well the bike is working. Getting ahead of Barros and Corser in the championship was the main thing and now we have to make sure we keep challenging for podiums and wins so that we're ahead of them at the end of the season. We had a really good test at Lausitz about a month ago so the whole team is looking forward to racing here."
• In the Supersport World Championship, Yamaha Motor Germany's Kevin Curtain goes to his squad's home race with a seven point advantage over Honda's Sebastien Charpentier after taking second place at a wet Assen race.
• "Assen was a great result for me and I'm a lot more confident going to Lausitz," says Curtain. "The objective in Assen was to take points from Charpentier but, equally, it was important not to throw it down the road in those wet conditions. The race was tough because we had no wet weather data, so to come away with a seven point advantage in the championship was about as good as we could ask for.
• "Lausitz has been a good track to me in the past. I won there in 2001 and again last year, when I took my first win for Yamaha Motor Germany. We've also tested there and have a lot of set-up information, so we're not going there in the dark like we did in Assen."
• Curtain's team-mate and fellow Australian Broc Parkes will be absent from the German race after sustaining serious injuries in Assen. The 24-year-old was leading the race only to crash out after touching a wet white line on the outside of the track. Parkes was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed as having sustained a punctured lung and several broken ribs. Thankfully the injury has proved slightly less serious than originally feared and no operation was required to fix his injured ribs. Parkes is currently recuperating in hospital and former world champion Fabien Foret will take his ride in Germany. The 2002 world champ is no stranger to Yamaha, having raced for the Yamaha Motor Italia supersport team in 2004. The Frenchman started out the year in superbikes and was the obvious replacement for Parkes, having recently left his team by mutual consent. He will ride the latest generation YZF-R6 for the first time in Friday's free practice session.

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