Checa leading overall championship standings
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On the American Memorial Day holiday 48,00 enthusiastic fans were treated to a double win from a rider who was robbed of a double last year by simple bad luck, Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati). The Spaniard, who entered this event as championship leader, had a dose of good luck this time as his two main rivals had difficult raceday experiences.
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Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike) was tenth and then sixth, while Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) crashed out of race one after colliding with Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda). Reigning champion Biaggi recovered good ground in race two, taking third place.
The podium in race one was a Ducati whitewash, with privateer Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli securing second and third respectively. Biaggi’s team-mate Leon Camier beat him to second in race two, the tall Englishman taking his second podium of the season. Fourth place in the championship is now held by Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike) with his fifth and fourth place finishes in today’s races lifting him above both Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) and Rea.
Behind the podium places, Camier, Laverty and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) pushed their way into top six finishing positions in race one. In the second 21-lap contest Laverty, Fabrizio and Melandri took fourth to sixth places. Haslam and his team-mate Troy Corser had difficult weekends all in, with the Brit struggling with some aspects of machine set-up on the dry track surfaces on raceday, while the Australian started each race well, dropped to 13th in race one and then suffered a crash in race two. Flying the BMW colours highest this weekend was Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike) who was seventh and ninth.
In the overall championship standings, Checa has 195, Melandri 134, Biaggi 133, Laverty 109, Haslam 95, Rea 94 and Camier 91.
Next year’s USA Utah Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship will be held on Monday 28 May 2012, on the occasion of Memorial Day.
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Race 1
Checa won the first race of the day, a clean sweep for Ducati in the 21-lap contest on a dry track. Smrz and Guintoli filled the remaining podium places, in second and third respectively, with Camier recovering from a mid-race hiccup to take fourth place away from Laverty. Sykes made a great final push to take sixth on his Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike machine, while satellite rider Badovini held off the challenge from Haslam to finish seventh.
Carlos Checa: “It was a good race, at the beginning I took things easy because of the track conditions. We didn’t know if we made the right choice for the feeling, but we managed to adapt, the feeling came lap after lap and I was able to overtake the riders in front. It was a race I was able to control, and my rivals didn’t have the conditions I had so racing is like that.”
Jakub Smrz: “I’m really happy for me and the team because all weekend we did a great job. We had some small problems which we solved in the warm-up, that’s why I was not confident in the beginning of the race but we actually had a good pace. Then at the end my quickshifter wasn’t working so it was even more difficult, but I made second place and a big thanks to all the team.”
Sylvain Guintoli: “It’s been a tough season so far after the bad crash in Australia and all my health problems, so for me it’s such a great feeling today, because this is my first podium since I arrived in Superbike. I didn’t have a great start, it was mad, everyone was taking risks, but I had a great fight with both Laverty and Smrz and it was a great race.”
Results: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 38’46.915 (159,425 kph); 2. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 2.766; 3. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 4.093; 4. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 8.885; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 15.718; 6. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 20.477; 7. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 22.170; 8. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 22.267; 9. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 24.087; 10. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 27.150; etc.
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Race 2
Checa took his second win of the day and his sixth of the year when he was victorious in race two, leading home Camier and Biaggi with some degree of ease. Fourth place went to Laverty, with Michel Fabrizio making a fine return from a race one fall to record fifth for Suzuki Alstare. Melandri had an eventually lonely run to sixth. Guintoli, Smrz, Badovini and Sykes rounded out the top ten, with star names Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser not making the end of the race.
Carlos Checa: “It’s a fantastic feeling to get this result, especially after last year. We did a great job, we knew we had a chance but you just never know. I don’t know what is special about this place for me, I just feel really good here ever since I first did the double. I actually like left-side tracks and probably it’s my riding style as well, altogether a combination of things make me strong and help me win here.”
Leon Camier: ”I had to find something really special to get near both my team-mate and Carlos. It’s awesome for me, I really love this track, it was good to me last year as well. I had a bit of bad luck yesterday with a crash. It wasn’t so bad in the race because I had an injection before to numb everything, and it definitely worked! We’ve had some really bad luck recently, but now it’s good to be on the podium for myself and Aprilia, they deserve it.”
Max Biaggi: “I can say that the second race was much better than the first today, when I had a crash with Rea and was a little bit unconscious for a while! In race 2 I started worse than race 1, caught the guys in front, couldn’t go faster than third place, but I’m quite happy with that. I really regret race 1 because a podium for me was easy, but that’s racing. Today is today and tomorrow is another day!”
Results: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 38’22.082 (161,145 kph); 2. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.194; 3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 8.734; 4. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 14.214; 5. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 14.750; 6. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 21.634; 7. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 24.079; 8. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 25.688; 9. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 29.621; 10. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 30.681; etc.
Points (after 5 of 13 rounds): 1. Checa 195; 2. Melandri 134; 3. Biaggi 133; 4. Laverty 109; 5. Haslam 95; 6. Rea 94; 7. Camier 91; 8. Fabrizio 85; 9. Smrz 83; 10. Guintoli 54; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 202; 2. Aprilia 172; 3. Yamaha 171; 4. BMW 117; 5. Honda 98; 6. Suzuki 89; 7. Kawasaki 69.
Official Tyre Supplier
“Just a few dry practice sessions on Saturday gave WSBK teams a limited possibility to set up their machines, since Sunday qualifying saw a constant downpour of rain. Hard-compound SCR2 Diablo Rain tyres were supplied in order to guarantee excellent performance on this wet abrasive track and to keep riders’ confidence in such difficult conditions, considering the need for numerous changes in traction control settings. As always, Pirelli was prepared with full-rain, intermediate and Diablo Superbike slicks, a total of 1500 tyres for this USA Round. Superpole’s variable conditions left two Ducatis and two Yamahas on the front row for race day. Cold temperatures overnight made for a cold but drying track for morning warm-up, but the cloud break showed promise. Even with 3 front and 3 rear solutions (SC1, SC2) available for dry racing, including last year’s race-wining tyres, 20°C on the asphalt and uncertain bike settings moved all riders to the SC1 mid-soft Diablo Superbike rear tyres for Race 1, the most performing choice for colder conditions. Still, some riders pushed too hard at the race start and caused increased tyre wear, accelerated also by various wet spots on the track. It was pole sitter and Best Lap winner Carlos Checa (Ducati) who used his Diablo Superbike SC1 tyres to lap consistently in the 1’49 and 1’50s, finally earning a 2,7 second win over Ducati riders Smrz and Guintoli, the latter his first podium of the season. Race 2 brought only one tyre change by Lascorz (Kawasaki) who switched to the A front, although many discussed changes with the sun out and a warming track. Aprilia riders Camier and Biaggi came back to fight in Race 2 for a 2nd and 3rd place finish, but double-winner Checa (Ducati) set the Best Lap of 1’48.827 and repeated his excellent results of three years ago at Miller Motorsports Park. Biaggi was preceded by Laverty (Yamaha) and Fabrizio (Suzuki) to make 4 manufacturers in the top five.” – Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director, Pirelli Moto
Pirelli BEST LAP Awards:
SBK Race 1 – Carlos Checa (Althea Racing), 1’49.779 (Lap 7)
SBK Race 2 – Carlos Checa (Althea Racing), 1’48.827 (Lap 4)
Total BEST LAP (SBK): Biaggi M. (Aprilia Alitalia Racing): 3, Checa C. (Althea Racing): 3, Haga N. (PATA Racing Team Aprilia): 1, Sykes T. (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike): 1, Camier L. (Aprilia Alitalia Racing): 1, Fabrizio M. (Team Suzuki Alstare): 1
source: infrontsports.com, worldsbk.com
Checa Does the World Superbike Double Again
Young Pips Hayes for AMA Superbike Victory
Carlos Checa accomplished what he set out to do at Miller Motorsports Park on Monday, winning both FIM Superbike World Championship races headlining The BigM Weekend presented by Lucas Oil.
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Checa, who won both rounds here in 2008 and was leading both races last year before dropping out with mechanical issues, redeemed himself with a pair of dominant performances under sunny skies framed by unseasonably snow-capped mountains.
In the first race, Checa started from the pole position on his No. 7 Althea Ducati 1098R and fell back at the start, but worked his way to the front of the field on lap 6 and was never headed as he posted a 2.766-second margin of victory over Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing teammates Jakub Smrz (No. 96 Ducati) and Sylvain Guintoli (No. 50 Ducati). Aprilia’s Leon Camier, Yamaha’s Eugene Laverty and Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes completed the top five. Defending Superbike World Champion Max Biaggi, who won both races here last year after Checa’s unfortunate mechanical woes, dropped out of the race on Lap 4 after his No. 1 Alitalia Aprilia collided with the No. 4 Castrol Honda of Jonathan Rea.
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In the second race, Checa got the holeshot at the start and checked out, coming home 7.194 seconds ahead of Camier with Biaggi another 1.6 seconds in arrears. Laverty, Suzuki’s Michel Fabrizio and Laverty’s teammate Marco Melandri completed the top five.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to get this result,” Checa said, “especially after last year. We did a great job; we knew we had a chance, but you just never know. I don’t know what is special about this place for me, I just feel really good here ever since I first did the double. I actually like left-side tracks and probably it’s my riding style as well; altogether, a combination of things make me strong and help me win here.”
It was announced during the day that the FIM Superbike World Championship will return to Miller Motorsports Park over Memorial Day weekend in 2012, May 26-28.
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In the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship race, Blake Young emerged victorious in a race-long battle with defending series champion Josh Hayes to claim his third win of the year. Young, riding the No. 79 Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000, put a decisive last-lap pass on Hayes after a back-and-forth battle to claim victory by 0.757 second over Hayes’ No. 1 Monster Energy Graves Yamaha YZF-R1. Young’s teammate, Tommy Hayden, shadowed the lead pair to the checkered flag, taking the final podium spot just .059 second behind Hayes. Roger Hayden (No. 54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki) and Steve Rapp (No. 15 San Diego BMW S1000RR) completed the top five.
“For the beginning of the race I just tried to settle into a comfortable pace and just really try to hit my marks,” said Young,” and just for some reason I found myself not being able to do that. When I’d allow myself to get comfortable, Josh would get a gap that was a little bit more than that I was comfortable with him having, so I’d have to run it back down and settle back into my pace again, and it just didn’t seem like that was the way to win the race. So I made the decision that I was just going to put my head down from there, and halfway through, I just tried as hard as I could to the checkers and left it all on the track. I’m pretty comfortable racing with either one of these guys handlebar-to-handlebar like that, because they know what they’re doing there out there. And I’m glad I did that; I think it was great racing, I had a great time racing out there, and it was hopefully a good show for the fans.”
Steve Rapp, riding the No. 5 Parts Unlimited Harley-Davidson XR1200, won the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 championship race in the series’ first visit to Utah, crossing the finish line just 0.975 second ahead of defending series champion Danny Eslick’s No. 1 RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing entry. Chris Fillmore, polesitter Michael Barnes and Michael Beck rounded out the top five.
The next major event at Miller Motorsports Park will take place on June 25-26, when the Lucas Oil Off Road Series makes its second visit to Utah. The series will compete on a brand-new high-speed off-road course constructed on the west side of the facility adjacent to the existing rock-crawling course. Also part of the weekend will be the third annual CruiserFest, a gathering for Toyota Land Cruiser enthusiasts.
For information regarding Miller Motorsports Park, visit the track’s website at www.MillerMotorsportsPark.com.
World Superbike Championship – Round 5 – Miller Motorsports Park, USA – 30th May 2011
Top Six For Sykes At Miller
After a couple of rounds in the doldrums, the Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team bounced back in round five of the World Superbike Championship which took place at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City in the United States.
Yorkshireman Tom Sykes moved from the third row to sixth place in race one on a day when great progress was made by his fellow Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R rider Joan Lascorz.
In race one Sykes continued his strong performance from the first dry qualifying session on Saturday, taking sixth position at the end of the 21 lap race, despite making a less than ideal start. Starting from tenth on the grid, he dropped back initially but was soon battling his way up the order and was rewarded with his best finish of the year so far.
Spaniard Lascorz rode well in race one from a starting position of 17th to claim points in 14th place, despite losing grip from mid-race distance onwards, he hung on to score two points for the Penrith-based Paul Bird Motorsport Team.
In the second race Sykes was unlucky to get boxed in after a much better start and had to battle hard to take tenth place and some more very welcome points. Lascorz was in much better shape in race two and finished 12th meaning Tom is now 13th in the championship with Joan in 15th going into the next round at Misano on June 12th.
Tom Sykes: “Sixth in race one was a positive result and a real improvement on last year’s efforts here. We were strong at the end of the race and set my best lap time three laps from the end. In the second race we did not make any real set-up changes and I had a lot better launch in race two but unfortunately I got boxed in on turn one. The whole race was faster than race one but I ended up in a bit of a dice with Jonathan Rea and that allowed Ayrton Badovini to catch and pass me. I am confident we can go away and make more progress and I really want to thank all the team and Kawasaki. We worked together even tighter as a team and that showed through the weekend.”
Joan Lascorz: “I think I just need to keep understanding the bike a bit better to make the most of its potential. The second race set-up was better. I used the same rear tyre in each race but different front tyres to make different settings and race two was much better. I think if I had had a better grid position and made good starts we could have been inside the middle of the top ten, maybe.”
Over in the Caribbean, team owner Paul Bird got his Rally Barbados campaign underway with a superb runner up placing in the Shell V Power King of the Hill competition whereby he and Scottish co driver Kirsty Riddick brought the Frank Bird Poultry-sponsored Ford Focus WRC home behind local aces Roger Skeete and Louis Venezia in their Subaru Impreza WRC S12. SOL Rally Barbados gets underway next weekend whereby Bird is looking for his first victory on the event.
Results – Race 1
1, C Checa (Althea Racing)
2, J Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing)
3, S Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing)
4, L Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team)
5, E Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team)
6, T Sykes (Kawsaki Racing Team)
7, A Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team)
8, L Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
9, N Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia)
10, M Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team)
14, J Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team)
Results – Race 2
1, C Checa (Althea Racing)
2, L Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team)
3, M Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team)
4, E Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team)
5, M Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare)
6, M Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team)
7, S Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing)
8, J Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing)
9, A Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team)
10, T Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
12, J Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team
Championship Standings (after round 5)
1, C Checa – 195pts
2, M Melandri – 134
3, M Biaggi – 133
4, E Laverty – 109
5, L Haslam – 95
6, J Rea – 94
7, L Camier – 91
8, M Fabrizio – 85
9, J Smrz – 83
10, S Guintoli – 54
13, T Sykes – 50
15, J Lascorz – 39
source: cartersport.com