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2006 WORLD SUPERBIKE

• HOME TOWN HEROES
• Aussie contingent: Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss, Karl Muggeridge, Andrew Pitt, Steve Martin, Broc Parkes (WSS), Kevin Curtain (WSS), Josh Brookes (WSS)

2006 R2 OF 13: for latest update

RACE RESULT

WORLD SUPERBIKE RACE 1, MAR 5, 2006 Temp: 22ºC, Sunny

• 1 Troy Corser (AUS) Suzuki 34m 33.545s
  2 Alex Barros (Bra) Honda +0.45
  3 James Toseland (UK) Honda +7.97
  4 Noriyuki Haga (JAP) Yamaha +15.1
  5 Roberto Rolfo (Ita) Ducati +16.2
  6 Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati +17.1
  7 Ruben XAUS (SPA) Ducati
  8 Fonsi Nieto (SPA) Kawasaki
  9 Andrew Pitt (AUS) Yamaha
  10 Chris Walker (UK) Kawasaki

• 1 Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati 34m 33.803s
  2 James Toseland (UK) Honda +5.5
  3 Alex Barros (BRA) Honda +14.3
  4 Noriyuki Haga (JAP) Yamaha
  5 Andrew Pitt (AUS) Yamaha
  6 Yukio Kagayama (JAP) Suzuki
  7 Roberto Rolfo (ITA) Ducati
  8 Ruben XAUS (SPA) Ducati
  9 Fonsi Nieto (SPA) Kawasaki
  10 Chris Walker (UK) Kawasaki
• DUCATI REPORT
• Troy Bayliss put a first race disappointment behind him to take the Ducati Xerox Team's first win of the season and the Australian's 23rd World Superbike career victory at Phillip Island. It was the former world champion's first win since Laguna Seca in 2002 and helps to maintain a slim one-point lead in this year's championship.
• Bayliss set a storming pace in the first race, but excessive tyre wear in the final stages dropped him down to sixth behind eventual winner Troy Corser (Suzuki). Troy made amends in the second race when he fitted a harder rear tyre compound on his Ducati 999 and rode a more defensive race. He out-braked Toseland (Honda) into Honda corner on lap 16 to take the chequered flag in front of an ecstatic home crowd. Earlier winner Corser crashed out on lap 4.
• "It's been a really good weekend, obviously I was on a bit of a downer after race 1, but that's racing", declared Troy. "It all went well because we've got a smart team and they know what to do. We obviously did a race distance on the tyre before but something strange happened. Anyway we put that behind us and we decided to use the hardest tyre Pirelli brought along. Then I made my move on Toseland at two-thirds race distance and although I was nearly in the same situation with the tyres with three laps to go, I still managed to pull a good enough gap to win. We're leading the championship again, so that's a bonus. Now we move on to Valencia and Monza which are places we like so I hope to keep the momentum going".
• SUZUKI REPORT
• CORSER: "All races at Phillip Island are hard but the first race was one of the toughest I’ve ever done for sure. I had a feeling that Bayliss would not be able to keep up that pace for the whole race and that his tyres would not last, and that’s how it worked out. When I got caught in a group behind Bayliss at the beginning, I knew that I couldn’t hang around with them too long, so when James (Toseland) made a little mistake and ran wide, at Honda, I was able to nip through. Then there was a clear track ahead of me, so I put my head and chased Bayliss. When I caught him, I could see he was having problems, so it was no surprise when I passed him. I then had a pretty good fight with Barros, but held him off at the end. Winning in Phillip Island is always sweet!"
• "I was well-placed in race two, but on the approach to the turn after Lukey Heights, the rear end suddenly went and I was highsided. I felt a thud on my back and realised I had been hit by a bike, but I thought I had got away with it. But, to make sure, I went to a hospital in Melbourne for a check-up. I really don’t know why I crashed, because the telemetry shows that I wasn’t doing anything different to the previous laps. But I guess that’s racing!"
• HONDA REPORT
• James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) followed up his great start to the season in Qatar with a hard fought double podium finish, scoring third in race one and second in race two, to end raceday only one point from the championship lead. For his team-mate Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) it was a less happy day, being forced to pull out of race one due to concerns over tyre wear and machine handling, then being taken out by another riders’ crashing machine in the second outing. Muggeridge now finds himself 15th in the title chase, with an unchanged 11 points.
• In the first race Toseland secured a fine third place finish, after early leader Troy Bayliss had used up his tyres in he desperate escape from a chasing pack, sliding down the order to finish sixth. Toseland held his nerve throughout, finishing seven seconds from the winner Troy Corser (Suzuki) and close second place man Alex Barros (Honda). In the second race Toseland stuck to the lead for the majority of the race but eventual race winner Troy Bayliss passed him on the 16th lap, leaving Toseland a clear second place finisher, five seconds adrift, but nine seconds up on Barros.
• Ronald Ten Kate: “We had some problems in the first race in preserving tyres, so we changed the settings a little but for the second race. It helped quite a lot. We could run a little longer on the pace, which is what James wanted. It was good to see him in front of Bayliss for so long, as Troy had been the fastest rider all weekend long here. Towards the end Bayliss managed to put a couple of quick laps in, and James could not follow. But in any case we are very happy to take two podiums away from here, and be just one point behind the lead. That’s a good way to come home again. For Karl I feel really sorry, because the problem James had in the first leg was even worse with Karl, so we also had to make adjustments to Karl’s bike. It was running a lot, lot better in race two, until he got T-Boned. It was a difficult weekend for him because the first day was such a nightmare we had to play catch-up. We just ran out of time but I am quite sure that he has got the potential in him to get the best out of the bike.”
• James Toseland : “In race two I kept getting a plus zero on my pit board, because Troy was right behind. I didn’t make a mistake but Troy just out braked me into the hairpin and then he pulled away at the end there. It was a great race though, and I made sure I rode well in the places where it would be difficult for him to get past me. In the first race Troy was unlucky not to win. In race two I waited to see if he would have similar problems as race one but when it was obvious he was fast and I had to settle for second. But I’m happy; we had a good, consistent weekend again. We’re pushing them hard and we’re only one point from the lead right now.”
• YAMAHA REPORT
• Yamaha Motor Italia rider Noriyuki Haga battled traction problems to grab a brace of fourth places at round two of the Superbike World Championship at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. The popular Japanese rider rode hard in the day's two 22-lap races to score 26 valuable points over the two races. Haga had run at the front of the day's opening race but faded when his rear traction reduced at around half-distance. Despite running a somewhat lonely fifth for most of the race, the 31-year-old continued to ride hard to pass a fading Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and fend off a late charge from Roberto Rolfo (Ducati). Race two saw Haga make some further suspension changes to lead a thrilling battle at the front with Bayliss, James Toseland (Honda), Alex Barros (Honda), Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt. A nasty crash for Corser saw the Yamaha riders take avoiding action and let Bayliss and Toseland build a gap. The Yamaha pair was able to stay in touch with Barros in the battle for third but the lack of traction saw them settle for fourth and fifth place at the flag.
• Pitt was made to pay for an incorrect tyre choice in race one. The Australian chose a harder compound Pirelli tyre, which stopped him running at the same pace as the leaders in the opening laps. Stuck in a thrilling mid-pack battle for most of the race, he ended the race a subdued ninth. For race two he chose the same softer compound tyre as his rivals and was able to run with the leaders, eventually finishing fifth, just behind Haga.
• The Yamaha Motor France squad had a difficult weekend in Australia. Still running their 2005-specification engines, the team's only points came from former MotoGP rider Norick Abe, who took 12th in race two. Fellow Japanese rider Shinichi Nakatomi crashed out of race one, before continuing his world superbike education with 19th in race two. The team's third rider, Frenchman Sebastien Gimbert, retired from the opener with set-up problems before following home Nakatomi in 20th place in race two.
• Race one was won by Corser after a race long fight with Barros. Toseland finished third. Bayliss had led the opener by six seconds after obliterating the lap record on lap two. However, the Australian dropped back to eventually finish six, behind Haga and Rolfo. He gained revenge in race two, winning comfortably from Toseland, with Barros taking another podium in third. Bayliss now leads the championship on 75 points, one ahead of Toseland. Pitt leads the Yamaha riders, in fifth place with 45 points, with Haga sixth on 42 points.
• Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "I tried to push hard in both races but unfortunately at the end the tyre is gone and this means I cannot open the throttle and turn the bike properly in both races. The performance of the bike is very good at the beginning of the race but unfortunately after seven or eight laps the performance drops off quite a lot."
• Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) "In the first race I used a different type of rear tyre to most of the other riders and it did not work all that well in the early stages of the race. We used a different compound rear tyre for the second race and this meant that I was at least able to get away at the start, although the consistency is still not there over the race distance."

WORLD SUPERSPORT RTACE, MAR 5, 2006

• 1 Charpentier
  2 Curtain
  3 Parkes
  4 Tiberio
  5 Harms
  6 Brookes
  7 Stigefelt
  8 Thomas
  9 Zaiser
  10 Roccoli

• 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1m, 32.159 *** new lap record ***
  2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1:32.373
  3 J. Toseland Honda GBR 1:33.003
  4 Steve Martin, Australia, Petronas, 1:33.206
  5 Alex Barros, Brazil, Honda, 1:33.373
  6 Karl Muggeridge, Australia, Honda, 1:33.571
  7 Andrew Pitt, Australia, Yamaha, 1:33.598
  8 Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Yamaha, 1:33.631
  9 Lorenzo Lanzi, Italy, Ducati, 1:33.791
  10 Chris Walker, Britain, Kawasaki, 1:33.928
  11 Chili 12 Kagayama 13 Nieto F. 14 Laconi 15 Rolfo 16 Clementi 17 Abe
  18 Foret 19 Neukirchner 20 Fabrizio
• BAYLISS, 1ST: "It's very nice to be on pole back here at Phillip Island, at the moment I'm having a bit of a dream run. Everything's gone well today, my lap was good enough to take pole, but honestly I thought I was going to do a little bit better. It was messy and I had my feet in the wrong place in a few spots, but I'm happy. I'm not kidding myself however because I realise how hard tomorrow is going to be, with two long races and plenty of heat out there. I really need to get a good start if I want to try and do something special, but Phillip Island makes for great racing and it tends to bring the top few guys together and you end up having a race and then it gets sorted out at about two-thirds distance".
• CORSER, 2ND: “We struggled a bit yesterday with grip and the clutch, so we made some adjustments to the set-up and changed the clutch today. It was definitely an improvement - though not perfect yet. I think we’re all going to have some sort of grip problems tomorrow if the weather stays as hot as it has been these two days. Most of us are all on the same tyres so it’s going to be a very long, hard day tomorrow. I would’ve liked to win Superpole - in front of all the Aussie fans - but being on the front row is what counts. There are quite a few guys in with a chance so it’s going to be a fantastic day’s racing for all the fans.”
• TOSELAND, 3RD: “I’m happy to be on the front row again, it’s hard out there because the two Troys are going particularly well this weekend and I didn’t expect anything else. I’ve got a good race setting for tomorrow, so I’m happy enough. I’m also confident I can be consistent and everybody is going to have a few tyre issues tomorrow, so we’ll be spinning towards the end of the race. But we’ll have the same as everybody and we’ll be in with a shout. I’m learning every time out there, I’m doing a lot of laps, and the bike is a great package. I’ve qualified on the front row here and in Qatar, then won and took a fourth, and now I’m tied for second in the championship. If we can build on that, I’ll be happy.”
• SUZUKI REPORT: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser will start tomorrow’s second-round World Superbike Championship round at Phillip Island, Australia from the front row after taking second place in today’s Superpole.
• It was a mixed day for Alstare Suzuki riders Yukio Kagayama and Fabien Foret: Kagayama crashed in regular qualifying and bruised his right hand and the base of his spine. Then, on his Superpole lap, he ran wide exiting Siberia, went over the white line and hit the dirt. He stayed on the bike, but he lost time in the process and ended up with only the 12th fastest time overall.
• Foret continued his Superbike learning process, but failed to make Superpole by the narrowest of margins.
• Troy Bayliss (Ducati) topped the time sheets with James Toseland (Honda) third and Steve Martin (Petronas) fourth.

• 1 T. Bayliss Ducati AUS 1' 33.387
  2 A. Barros Honda BRA 1' 33.790
  3 J. Toseland Honda GBR 1' 33.851
  4 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1' 33.868
  5 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1' 34.461
  6 S. Martin Petronas AUS 1' 34.501
  7 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1' 34.577
  8 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1' 34.589
  9 P. Chili Honda ITA 1' 34.601
  10 F. Nieto Kawasaki ESP 1' 34.618
  11 R. Rolfo Ducati ITA 1' 34.644
  12 I. Clementi Ducati ITA 1' 34.708
  13 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 1' 34.756
  14 M. Neukirchner Ducati GER 1' 34.822
  15 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1' 34.832
  16 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1' 34.863
  17 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1' 35.010
• YAMAHA REPORT
  Noriyuki Haga was the fastest of the Yamaha men in today's opening qualifying session for round two of the Superbike World Championship, held at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia
• Haga, who yesterday celebrated his 31st birthday, ended the day seventh fastest, just over a second behind provisional pole sitter Troy Bayliss (Ducati).
• Having chosen to test in Qatar rather than Australia in the winter break, both Haga and his Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt struggled to find ideal settings for their YZF-R1s. Haga complained of a lack of rear traction, while Pitt started off using the same settings that took him to a podium finish in Qatar six days ago. The local rider, who this weekend is wearing a new helmet design based on that of 1987 500cc Grand Prix world champion Wayne Gardner, also had the added disadvantage of carrying a 'flu virus. Despite this he still managed to make the top 16 in a time less than one and a half seconds from pole.
• Sandwiching Pitt on the provisional grid are Yamaha Motor France duo Sebastien Gimbert and Norick Abe. Having tested at the circuit in January, the squad came to Phillip Island with a good base setting for their machines - although they were unable to match their testing times in the scorching weather. Yamaha Motor France's third rider, Japanese newcomer Shinichi Nakatomi was able to set a personal best time around the circuit to end the day 24th, despite an off-track excursion. All three suffered chatter problems but are confident of finding an improvement for tomorrow morning's final qualifying session.
• Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "We need to try and find more rear traction tomorrow. We tried many things today but couldn't quite find the correct setting. I think that it will be better tomorrow. We have a good idea of what we must do and the team will change many settings overnight. It is not so bad though. We did not test here, so we are starting from zero with the settings. Considering this we are quite close to the fastest times."

WORLD SUPERSPORT

FINAL QUALIFYING, MAR 4, 2006, Temp: 33ºC, Sunny

• 1 Charpentier S. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 600RR 1'35.616 29
• 2 Curtain K. Yamaha Motor Germany. Yamaha YZF R6 6 1'36.436 25
• 3 Parkes B. Yamaha Motor Germany. Yamaha YZF R6 1'36.548 33
• 4 Harms R. Stiggy Motorsports. Honda CBR 600RR 1'36.672 38
• 5 Zaiser C. LBR Ducati Racing. Ducati 749 R 1'36.741 26
• 6 Sofuoglu K. Winston Ten Kate Honda. Honda CBR 600RR 1'36.865 39
• 7 Gobert A. Yamaha - GMT 94. Yamaha YZF R6
• 8 Tiberio Y. Megabike Honda Team. Honda CBR 600RR
• 9 Berger M. Gil Motor Sport. Kawasaki ZX6RR
• 10 Stigefelt J. Dark Dog Stiggy Motorsports. Honda CBR 600RR
• 11 Veneman B. Hoegee Suzuki. Suzuki GSX 600R
• 12 Lauslehto T. Dark Dog Stiggy Motorsports. Honda CBR 600RR
• 13 Brookes J. Ducati SC - Caracchi. Ducati 749 R
• 14 Thomas D. Gil Motor Sport. Kawasaki ZX6RR
• 15 Andersen K. Hoegee Suzuki. Suzuki GSX 600R
• 16 Sanchini M. RG Team. Yamaha YZF R6
• 17 Fores J. SLM Racing. Yamaha YZF R6
• 18 Le Grelle S. Legrelle - Honda Belgium. Honda CBR 600RR
• 19 Van Keymeulen D. Bikersdays Yamaha Moto 1. Yamaha YZF R6
• 20 Nannelli G. Kopron Edo Racing. Yamaha YZF R6
• 1ST QUALIFYING, MAR 3, 2006, Temp: 36ºC, Sunny
• 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1' 35.869
  2 B. Parkes Yamaha AUS 1' 36.758
  3 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS 1' 36.772
  4 K. Sofuoglu Honda TUR 1' 37.586
  5 Y. Tibero Honda FRA 1' 37.691
  6 M. Sanchini Yamaha ITA 1' 37.865
  7 R. Harms Honda DNK 1' 37.997
  8 D. Thomas Kawasaki AUS 1' 38.241
  9 X. Fores Yamaha ESP 1' 38.380
  10 C. Zaiser Ducati AUT 1' 38.428
  11 B. Veneman Suzuki NED 1' 38.452
  12 A. Gobert Yamaha AUS 1' 38.499
  13 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 1' 38.559
  14 M. Berger Kawasaki FRA 1' 38.730
  15 T. Lauslehto Honda FIN 1' 38.779
  16 W. De Angelis Honda ITA 1' 38.836

• TOSELAND: “At one stage I was looking at having no job in World Superbike this year, so to be able to repay the faith Honda and the team showed in me with the first race win of the year was special. To win for them was all credit to them. Phillip Island is a fast track but I also have a fast bike, so I think we can go there in pretty good shape.”
• BARROS: “The Phillip Island track is always a real challenge ... It’s a fascinating combination of fast straights and sweeping corners. And the weather may also play a part, especially the high winds you get there frequently. I can’t wait for the race to line up with the Australian riders, all of whom will be very fast at their home track. But I always race to win!”
• CHILI: “I am sure I can run well at Phillip Island ...I like the track, it is a real challenge, and despite the fall in Qatar, I am hoping for a good result in each race. My broken finger should not hold me back too much.”
• MUGGERIDGE: “I feel confident about Phillip Island because I was competitive at Qatar until the crash, when my bike got damaged. It seems that the chassis was bent, although we couldn’t see how at the time, so with a new bike we should be right back in there. The lap speeds and race pace should be good this year, thanks to the power of the new bike and the advances made with the control tyres.”

YAMAHA

• Track length: 4448 m, Opened: 1956
  Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 32.193 (Troy Corser, 2001)
  WSB lap record: 1' 33.019 (Troy Corser, 2001)
  Last year WSB winner: Troy Corser, Troy Corser
• After a sensational weekend of racing in Qatar, round two of the Superbike World Championship takes place coming weekend at the Phillip Island circuit, located a little more than an hour's drive south of Melbourne.
• The track is a favourite with most of the riders and one that holds good memories for both Yamaha Motor Italia's riders, Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt. They go to the Island on a high after playing a starring role in the Middle Eastern thriller. Each rider ran at the front of the pack and scored a podium finish at the Losail circuit, leaving them in a positive mood ahead of this weekend.Fresh from his first ever podium in the class, Pitt in particular is looking forward to racing at his home circuit.
• "As with many riders, Phillip Island is my favourite circuit," says Pitt. "It's a fast and flowing circuit and it's always good to go back home and race. I enjoy the home support and generally I go quite well there. Winning the world supersport race there in 2002 is probably still my best moment in racing and as a rule I go better on fast circuits rather than your slower Valencia type circuits. It can be a bit tricky with the high winds so I hope the weather will be good. Most riders will say it is the best circuit in the world and certainly you can expect great racing there. I was stoked to get on the podium in Qatar at the weekend and that will certainly let me go to Australia feeling much more relaxed."
• Pitt's podium at Losail came thanks to the hard work of the Yamaha Motor Italia squad, who have transformed the YZF-R1 over the winter break. "The bike is so much easier to ride," confirms Pitt. "We understand the bike a lot better now and there's still a lot of potential that can be unlocked. In Qatar Nori (Haga) and I were able to run at the front, only to fall back when the tyres went off. That's something we need to work on, transferring the power to the track while being more sympathetic to the tyres is our next big goal".
• Haga also has good memories of the circuit having won there in 1998 - his first race win outside of Japan. "I am looking forward to going back to Phillip Island. It is a very challenging circuit and a beautiful country with many excellent golf courses! I am spending a few days back in Japan this week, but I still hope to arrive soon enough to play a round or two!"
• The Japanese lies seventh in the championship after scoring a podium in race two, but failing to score in the opening race in Qatar. Challenging for the win, Nori-chan crashed while attempting to pass his friend Yukio Kagayama - taking them both out in the process. Despite this, Haga was still happy with his day in the Middle East. "We were very competitive," he says. "Our bike has improved a lot over the winter and it was good to see that we are much closer to our rivals compared to last year."
• Also looking forward to the trip Down Under is the Yamaha Motor Germany world supersport squad. Their Aussie riders had contrasting fortunes in Qatar. Kevin Curtain took a fine second place, while Broc Parkes did not finish. The two riders spent three days testing at the circuit last month and having achieved a good base set-up they are looking forward to returning for what is their home race.