WORLDSBK.COM - bis 20.06.2011

[WORLDSBK.COM]

Results of first qualifying at Phillip Island saw Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea Racing) stake his claim as number 1 favourite for the Superbike wins in the opening round on Sunday. The Spaniard stopped the clocks with a time of 1 minute 31.577 seconds, a tenth quicker than his free practice time of the morning. Another man on the move was Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati Effenbert - Liberty Racing), the Frenchman doing exceptionally well to come within three-tenths of Checa.

An impressive sub-1m32s time was set by Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) in had the satisfaction of finishing ahead of 2010 world champion Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) in fourth. Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) had a harmless crash towards the end and finished seventh, while Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) also finished in the gravel, ending up twelfth.

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Broc Parkes finally got to the front in a session this weekend as he powered his Kawasaki Motocard.com machine to the quickest time of 1 minute 34.55 seconds in FP2. His Spanish team-mate David Salom was a couple of tenths behind, with pacesetter Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) in third.

Three Brits took the next three places, Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda), Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO) and Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda), with the latter two both crashing out during the session.

 

 

 

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Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) was the biggest improver in the second and final qualifying session, the Italian moving into second place before the all-important Superpole decider. Another man on the move was Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who closed right up on the front-runners ahead of Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati Effenbert - Liberty Racing).

Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) continued to set a good pace in fifth, with his fellow Irishman Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) and Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad) right behind. Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) wrapped up the top 10, with Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) finishing in twelfth.

With the new top-16 Superpole rule, Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia), Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) and Roberto Rolfo (Kawasaki Pedercini) were three of the riders who failed to make the cut.

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Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) set the quickest lap ever recorded around Phillip Island on a Superbike machine when he powered his Ducati 1098R to a time of 1 minute 30.882 seconds, thus grabbing the first Superpole trophy of the year.

Checa, one of last year's winners in Australia, was just a fraction ahead of Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) who put in a quick lap towards the end but who was edged off the top slot by 0.013 seconds. Sylvain Guintoli gave the Effenbert - Liberty Racing team a great championship baptism with third place on the grid, after another good run at Phillip Island for teh Frenchman.

Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad) made a great effort to take his S1000 RR machine to the fourth slot, just managing to hold off a last-minute attempt by Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team). Jakub Smrz (Effenbert - Liberty Racing) was next up followed by Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad), while Marco Melandri concluded his first Superpole with eighth place.

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David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) emerged as the surprise poleman for tomorrow's Supersport race after practice and qualifying was turning into a battle between Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com).

Salom's time of 1 minute 34.070 seconds came right at the very end of the session but it was good enough to earn the young Spaniard his best qualifying result so far. The front row was completed by Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) and Parkes in fourth.

Two Italians line up in fifth and sixth on row 2, both on Yamahas, with ex-SBK man Luca Scassa (ParkinGO) just ahead of a very competitive Roberto Tamburini (Bike Service). They will be flanked by Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Chaz Davies on the second Yamaha ParkinGO.

After two big crashes this weekend, one in which he tore a tendon in his thumb, Gino Rea could only manage tenth for Step Racing Honda, while James Ellison was one place behind on his Bogdanka PTR version.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Carlos Checa's winning margin over Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) in Phillip Island race 1 was clear evidence of the Althea Racing Ducati man's domination in the opening round of the Superbike World Championship. Checa took the lead from Laverty on lap 3 and steadily pulled out to an unchallenged 4 second lead at the flag. Biaggi soon realized it was not possible to keep the pace of Checa and settled for second.

The podium was completed by Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad) who held off both Yamaha World Superbike Team riders, Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri who exchanged places right at the flag in a sprint finish.

Sixth was Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare), who made a great recovery that saw him finish ahead of Jakub Smrz (Ducati Effenbert - Liberty Racing) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing). Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) was running in the top 6 but slipped down to 12th after an off-track excursion, while front row man Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati Effenbert - Liberty Racing) crashed out and will not take part in race 2 after picking up a series of injuries to his right hand, knee and shoulder-blade.

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On its return to World Supersport Yamaha scored a fantastic slipstreaming win as Luca Scassa took the flag on the ParkinGO machine by just 0.009 seconds from Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com).

Third at the flag as the top 3 flashed across the line, was Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda), who scored a great podium in the first race of his first full championship season. Fourth was poleman David Salom on the second Motocard.com Kawasaki.

 

 

 

 

 

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Spain's Carlos Checa (Ducati Althea Racing) scored a splendid double win at Phillip Island, a repeat of his double win at Imola last September.

Just like in the first race, no one was able to run with the Spanish rider and he finished a couple of seconds ahead of Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia).

The reigning world champion battled it out for the runner-up slot in the final stages with an impressive Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team), just getting the edge at the line.

Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) emerged from a battering and bruising weekend with a fourth place that partially repaid him for his testing misfortune when he crashed heavily.

Rea finished ahead of the two Leons, Haslam (BMW Motorrad) and Camier (Aprilia Alitalia).

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Max Biaggi started off this season with two positive results in his quest to defend his 2010 Riders' title. At Phillip Island the Aprilia Alitalia man took second place in both race 1 and race 2, both times following Carlos Checa to the flag.

"The results today were truly beautiful - commented Max Biaggi - especially if we think about how we were last year and the year before. It has been no secret that this track has always put us in a difficult place, but this time we worked hard to prepare as best as possible and I can truly say that we succeeded, also considering the fast lap that we earned in both races. I must thank my team for this, which was quick to analyse my observations."

The most important news for Biaggi was the competitiveness of his Aprilia RSV4 on a track that had in the past proved to be a tricky one for the machine to master. As a result Biaggi was able to comfortably notch up two seconds, even though he was made to work hard by Marco Melandri for the runner-up slot in the second run.

"The two cylinders on this track still maintain a certain advantage, without taking anything away from the extraordinary performance by Carlos Checa. For the first race of the year, I'd say that we've gotten off on the right foot. Now we need to keep on working as we are accustomed to"

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Marco Melandri kicked off his World Superbike adventure in the best possible way over the weekend when the Yamaha World Superbike man put in a great performance to take the final podium place in race 2 at Phillip Island. Melandri's first points came at the end of a terrific scrap with his former GP sparring partner, the reigning champion Max Biaggi, which went right down to the chequered flag.

"It's nice to be back on the podium! I wanted to challenge Biaggi for second but in the end my body was slower than my mind at the end of the race, it felt a bit dangerous to make some passes so I was happy to settle for third."

It was a good start for Melandri and the Italian can now focus on getting his recently-operated shoulder back to full fitness before the next round at Donington at the end of the month.

"I'm pretty happy with the end results of today, although I wasn't too happy about race one. We've been struggling all week with a rear grip issue, which could be seen in race one. I think we made a good job before race two, changing our set up to deal with it and we were a little bit more aware of our potential afterwards. The bike was a lot better and I felt a lot more comfortable."

Following his Phillip Island results, a fifth and a third, Melandri is now in third place in the table, level on points with Leon Haslam.

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Leon Haslam was one of the stars of the opening round of the 2011 Superbike World Championship season last weekend at Phillip Island. Last year's runner-up had looked to be struggling earlier in the week during the testing sessions, but when the flag dropped, the BMW Motorrad man was able to get and stay amongst the frontrunners, taking his S 1000RR to a brilliant third place in race 1.

"As a team we have made huge steps forward from two weeks ago. We still have some issues that need looking at in more detail to ensure we can become regular podium finishers, but on the whole we should be happy with the two races," he declared. "The first race was great; we encountered some issues in race two but still managed to finish in the top five, so we are definitely happy."

Despite the problems in race 2 the ‘Pocket Rocket' was able to score more points with a fifth place, taking his total to a creditable 27 for the Australian weekend. The Derby man can now look forward with confidence to the next round at Donington, his home track, where he will surely be one of the protagonists.

"A huge credit goes to the team for their efforts this weekend, but we now have to sit down and work out in detail how we plan to make that next step forward," he added.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director, Pirelli Moto, gives his analysis of the opening round of 2011 World Superbike from the point of view of the championship's one-make tyre supplier.

"A very difficult way to start off the eighth season as official tyre supplier to WSBK, Pirelli brought 2000 tyres to carry out two days of testing earlier in the week, with riders testing 4 fronts and 5 rears, some of which were also made available for the race weekend. The total lot of 3000 Diablo Superbike and Diablo Supercorsa tyres brought for racing included mid-soft (SC1), medium (SC2) and hard (SC3) compound choices for the front and SC0 (soft) and SC1 (mid-soft) tyres for the rear, including a newly developed wider and taller profile. Conditions on track changed radically over the week, starting from 50% humidity and 24-30°C on track, to the 55% humidity and 49°C found during Friday practice and Superpole. With Sunday morning rain, the SBK and SSP teams prepared for Race 1, having to make setup adjustments for the new conditions: 23°C track temps and 75% humidity."

"Checa (Ducati) proved strongest all week, having dipped below the 1'31 mark in testing and repeating this feat in Superpole, setting a new best lap of 1'30.882 and took pole position. The "B" medium compound front and "B" mid-soft compound rear were the 1-2 finishers' tyre selection, although podium finishers Haslam (BMW) and Melandri (Yamaha) opted for the "D" medium compound rear designed just for Phillip Island, helping Haslam record BMW's third podium and Melandri's first in SBK. Four riders opted to make tyre changes for Race 2: Xaus (Honda), Haga (Aprilia) and Corser (BMW) mounted the "A" soft compound rear, and Checa chose the "B" medium front tyre."

"In Supersport, Foret (Honda) set a lap record and Yamaha returned to the podium with Scassa's victory, who was in turn followed by Parkes (Kawasaki) and Lowes (Honda). Tyre difficulties encountered in Supersport and also changes from Race 1 to Race 2 in Superbike indicate that work needs to continue towards solutions for the humid track conditions endured during the weekend."

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The World Supersport season has only just begun but the opening round at Phillip Island meant a lot for Luca Scassa. It was his first race on the Yamaha YZF-R6, his first race for the Yamaha ParkinGO team making its debut under this guise, and it was his first win since his CIV Superbike days in 2008. With the race being decided at the flag after a three-way dice to the line, ‘Ska' got the better of his rivals Australian Broc Parkes and Britain's Sam Lowes, but the 9/1000ths of a second gap was so close that he wasn't sure he'd won the race until he came back into the pits. WorldSBK.com had a word with the Italian about his spectacular win in a truly spectacular race.

Your first race and your first win, how do you feel?

"I think it's very positive. We only began to get to know the bike in the dry on Monday afternoon and since then we worked hard and productively together with my engineers. I think it's the result of determination, passion, hard work and unity."

Describe how you felt after winning the race...

"I didn't realize I'd won until I came into parc fermé. On the slowing down lap Parkes was celebrating a lot and the fans were cheering him. When I took the chequered flag, I was looking at Lowes' bike on my right and I didn't notice Parkes coming on the left! When I slowed down I saw him come past me and my blood froze! As I didn't know the outcome of the race I waved to the crowd anyway but I wasn't convinced I'd won. Seeing my team around the winner's place under the podium was a real satisfaction: I'm proud of us all."

How are you going to approach the long wait before the next round at Donington Park?

"I'm going to Sydney until the 7th, then I'll fly back home. All of my friends and familya re waiting to celebrate with me! Then there's ten days wait during which I'll be training and then a few days before leaving for Donington I'm doing a day's track riding school, then I'll get into my camper and begin the European leg of the championship. We've won a battle but the war is still a long one!"

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Josh Waters' Superbike World Championship debut at Phillip Island in Australia was good enough to earn the 24-year-old Australian the chance for further rides later on in the season.

The 2009 Australian Superbike Champion, riding for the Yoshimura Suzuki team as a wild-card last weekend, struggled with a deflating front tyre in race 1 and could only finish 18th. But a sterling ride to 13th in the second encounter earned Waters the praise of Yoshimura team boss Fujio Yoshimura and the prospect of further rides later this season for the talented Aussie.

"Josh showed he has the potential," declared Yoshimura. "I have told him we'd like him to ride again in America at Miller Motorsports Park. It's a good start for the team and Josh and we will both get better," he added.

Confirmed races so far for the Japanese outfit will now include Miller, the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance race in Japan, and possibly another couple of WSBK rounds in the second half of the season.

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The Superbike World Championship can again be followed by all bike racing fans on the iPhone and, for the first time ever, on the iPad!

Come with us and follow the most exciting racing series on the planet, the Superbike World Championship, with the official SBK2011 App for the iPhone, the iPod Touch and, new for 2011 the iPad.

With SBK2011 installed on your mobile device you can follow top riders like Max Biaggi, Noriyuki Haga and James Toseland directly from circuits all over the world, racing on production-based machinery from Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, Aprilia and the other manufacturers.

The main features of the SBK2011 iPhone application are:

 

* Live Timing: follow the results from free practice, qualifying, Superpole and the Superbike, Supersport, Superstock 1000 and Superstock 600 races at each round of the 2011 season, in real time directly from your mobile device.

* News: read all the latest news and info about the Superbike World Championship.

* Season: the calendar, the results, points tables and all the data about the 2011 season, all at the touch of a keypad.

* Info: learn everything about your favourite teams and riders.

* Videos: watch exclusive interviews from the circuit, exciting overtaking moves and race highlights, all available on your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch immediately after the chequered flag.

* Downloads: download images from the races, girls, all the atmosphere of SBK, top- quality photos and wallpapers.

The SBK2011 application makes use of Apple's superb photo and video features and works on all iPhone / iPad / iPod Touch operating systems.

Purchase now from www.worldsbk.com!

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The outstandingly close finish to the Phillip Island Supersport World Championship race last weekend was, remarkable as it sounds, a return to business as usual in this class. The top three were covered by only 0.033 seconds after 21-laps of action, but close finishes are something of a speciality in Australia.

Last year Eugene Laverty (Honda) broke the usual mould in this category by winning the race by over four seconds. Before that, close finishes were almost guaranteed, at a circuit seemingly built for grandstand finishes.

In 2009 Kenan Sofuoglu, Andrew Pitt and Anthony West (all Honda) were separated by only 0.153 seconds. The previous year the first five riders across the line were spread across 0.976 seconds, as Andrew Pitt, Josh Brookes and Robbin Harms (all Honda), plus Fabien Foret (Yamaha) and Jonathan Rea (Honda) battled all the way to the flag. A mere 0.704 seconds was the difference between the win and second in 2007, in a race won by Kawasaki rider Fabien Foret from Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu.

And with Luca Scassa (Yamaha), Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) and Sam Lowes (Honda) involved in their remarkable final battle for the win last Sunday, and fourth place David Salom (Kawasaki) only 0.272 seconds from victory himself, things have clearly moved up a gear again in the Supersport World Championship.

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Donington Park has received its official homologation from the FIM, giving the Leicestershire venue the green light to host the European round of the Superbike World Championship from 25-27 March.

The FIM conducted its final circuit inspection last week to ensure that the revamped track meets with the organization's strict regulations. Major investment over the past five months brings the venue in line with other top European, Middle Eastern and Asian circuits in terms of safety standards.

Donington Park Racing's Chairman Kevin Wheatcroft declared. "The whole team deserves appreciation for their hard work in getting to this point. With the time lost due to bad weather over the winter, the major effort has had to focus on restoring and preparing the track itself to meet FIM regulations and bring World Superbikes back."

"We're now working round the clock to have facilities ready in time for SBK and fans will see many positive changes, although inevitably because of the earlier delays some planned improvements will not be complete in time. I'd like to thank fans in advance for their ongoing patience and support of Donington Park and hope they are able to enjoy the spectator experience of world-class racing on the revamped track."

Donington circuit will now have improved spectator areas at Redgate and Hollywood bank, and a new section of the infield will be open to the public. Circuit access has been improved and the reconstruction of the paddock area has created extra space. Catering and camping facilities have also undergone a revamp.

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After Michel Fabrizio had spent the past few years on a twin-cylinder machine the SBK world watched the progress of the 26-year-old Roman rider with interest in Australia. Progress proved to be he operative word, as it was clear that Michel has made the transition back to a four-cylinder race bike with a degree of aplomb.

Fabrizio even felt he was in contention for a podium at times, finishing race one sixth and then going eighth in race two, after a change in track conditions. Said Michel, "I am happy and I am not so happy. I am happy because I was able to fight with the top guys in both races and that is a great boost to my confidence. I am not so happy with the result in race two."

He continued, "I didn't know exactly what to expect in my first race with Team Suzuki Alstare and it was good to be able to battle for the podium in the first race. Maybe if I had made a good start in that race, I might have ended up on the podium. It took some time, but I was up to seventh at half race distance and then up to fifth after fifteen laps. That's when I was in a three-way fight with Laverty, Melandri and Haslam and it was a lot of fun racing with them. Just when I thought I might be able to make a charge, my tyres started to go off and I couldn't push as hard as I wanted. I kept attacking as hard as I could, but couldn't get past any of them, so finished sixth."

Race two was a different prospect for Fabrizio, who nonetheless underlined his credentials as a top WSBK rider again, in a team that has been a title challenger in recent years, and that made Troy Corser Riders' Champion in 2005. "I used the same bike for race two and the same type of tyre and only made some small adjustments, but I started getting chattering almost right from the start," said Michel. "It was not an easy race by any means, but I tried to ride as hard as I could without crashing. I am not so happy with eighth, but overall I think we should be pleased with our performance."

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Castrol Honda star Jonathan Rea was examined by his specialist doctor today, to ascertain how badly he had been injured in his multiple get-offs at Phillip Island. The good news is that Jonathan has not suffered any further fractures or other significant injury, and he will be able to ride at Donington close to full fitness.

Said Jonathan shortly after his extensive examination, "I have just been to see my specialist in Manchester and he has given me the all clear and confirmed that there is no further damage to my repaired ligament in my left wrist. I only have some soft tissue damage to the right wrist. That's really good news and all I have to do now is work hard in rehab to regain full function."

Rea was physically and mentally exhausted by his Phillip Island experiences, as he himself stated at the time, and it has taken him a few days to get back to normal . "It was really hard in Australia; it drained me of everything. When I got home it hit me two or three days later. Travelling home was a big effort and I also got sick at the end of last week, which knocked me out for a day. I think it was a mix of jet-lag and illness, but now I have got a spring in my step again. I should be close to full fitness in time for Donington, so I should have no pain like before. My dislocated left ring finger still does not have a full range of motion, but that is a minor detail."

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Max Biaggi began defending his number 1 plate with two second places at Phillip Island last week. The results in the opening rounds were a sign of the five-times world champion's determination to repeat his, and his Aprilia Alitalia Team's extraordinary success of last year, when they won both the Riders' and Manufacturers' titles.

The Italian might not have taken home the winner's laurels in Australia, because Carlos Checa proved to be unbeatable throughout the weekend, but the perfect feeling reached between the rider and his competitive RSV4 remained unchanged, and the ‘Pirate' actually managed to set the fastest lap in both the races. Biaggi's form at a track that in the past has proved to be difficult for both him and his machine is a good omen for the rest of the season. WorldSBK.com caught up with Max Biaggi for an exclusive chat after the Australian round.

At Phillip Island you scored 40 points, 21 more than last year: what brought about this massive improvement at a circuit which usually causes a few problems for the RSV4?

"To be honest after the tests in December we had a feeling we would be more competitive than in 2010. My race pace was always good and that was demonstrated by the fastest lap I set in both races. I'm happy to have done better than last year and, if it hadn't been for a Checa on top form, we could have gone for the big one."

In Australia Checa couldn't be caught, and you had a terrific scrap with Melandri in race 2: which rider impressed you the most in view of the season ahead?

"Checa for sure was more constant and he's also quick, while Melandri ran a good second race"

The next round is at Donington Park. In 2009 you had a great race 1, do you think that on paper it could be a good circuit for you and Aprilia?

"It looks like the Yamaha always goes well at this circuit, they won both races in 2009 (Ed. with Spies). I've finished second there but I feel sure we'll have to sweat things out in England, it's not going to be easy! I reckon Checa is going to be pretty quick there as well."

At Phillip Island you raced for the first time in Superbike with the number 1 plate, and this was also thanks to the suggestions from your fans: was it a difficult decision to abandon the number 3 or in hindsight is it a great feeling to race with the World Champion's number on your bike?

"I decided to use the number 1 for my fans, who have been waiting for this moment for a long time. And I also wanted to gratify my Aprilia team, because it's true that the number 1 has a specific meaning and it's not an easy feat to obtain it."

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Bogdanka PTR riders James Ellison and Pawel Szkopek had differing fortunes at the first round in Phillip Island, but the direction of travel appears to be upward for both riders and this new team in World Supersport Racing.

Formed only this year, the Bogdanka/PTR combination saw multiple Polish Champion Pawel Szkopek overcome the effect of a few pre-race crashes to record fast times in some wet sessions, then join the fight for tenth, before a technical problem caused Pawel to retire.

Said Szkopek of his bright initial showing, "The team did a great job finding the right set-up for me for the race and I was feeling really good on the bike. I had to ride past Florian Marino who stalled at the start but quickly made my way up and had just caught up with a group fighting for 10th position when I was forced to retire with an engine problem. It's a pity, but knowing I could fight for 10th position gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the next race."

For Ellison, who underwent surgery on his left knee after a testing crash, only a couple of days before practice started in Australia, a sixth place must have felt like a podium.

"Considering what we've came through in Australia this week I'm quite happy with sixth," said the former double Superstock champion. "Because of the injury I couldn't steer the bike with my legs and had to work harder with my shoulders - and they got quite tired in the end. I'm a bit disappointed about that because my training and fitness are very important to me and are normally my strong points - but we have a month off now before our home race and I'll be ready for Donington."

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Noriyuki Haga, who celebrated his 36th birthday a few days ago on March 2nd, confirmed that he wants to be one of the protagonists of the season, following two gutsy top 10 performances at Phillip Island. Making his debut on the Aprilia RSV4 of the revamped Pata Racing Team, which has come about following a merger of Borciani and DFX, "Nitronori" was able to put together a couple of convincing races after a disappointing Superpole performance.

Back on a four-cylinder machine after a couple of years on the big Ducati L-twin, the three-times WSBK runner-up finished the two races in Australia in ninth and seventh, laying the basis for a positive 2011 season. Currently lying seventh in the standings with 16 points, Haga is looking to the future with confidence.

"I'm happy with the result of these two races," he said. "We constantly improved and we can keep on doing so, thanks to an excellent technical package. Unfortunately we were damaged during the second part of both the races by some tyre problems that didn't allow us to get a better result. After some adjustments that the team did on the bike between race 1 and 2, the tyre duration got better and I could fight for the leading places almost until the chequered flag. I'm sure that the experience gained will turn out to be useful and we will be even stronger at the second round of the season."

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Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Bryan Staring arrives in Italy today to begin his international road-racing career. The 23-year-old, three-time Australian Champion, is relocating to Italy to be near his team, Team Pedercini Kawasaki, and train for his Superstock 1000 season.

Bryan Staring declared: "I'm moving into an apartment at the base of the Alps, a fantastic place for cycling and training and only 15-minutes from the team headquarters. I'll be undertaking Italian lessons daily and I have access to a motocross track just five kilometers from my home, so I will be there most days training. I'm very excited about this opportunity and will begin training tomorrow. The area is fantastic, nice and quiet, and there is plenty of good cycling in the Alps".

Bryan impressed the Team Pedercini members with his outstanding display of pace, set-up skills and professionalism at round one of the World Superbike Championships, where he was entered as a wildcard. Staring was consistently fast and finished with a championship point in his debut race.

"The Phillip Island weekend was a steep learning curve - he said - but I did not feel out of place out there at all. What was a surprise was the pace of the front-runners. Those few seconds are hard to find and in many ways it was like learning all over again. In terms of gaining experience, it was a brilliant opportunity to spend some competitive time on the 2011 ZX-10R and I've learned a lot about the bike, which will be invaluable in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup championship this year."

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Ernesto Marinelli, Ducati Corse Superbike technical director, has been giving his thoughts on Carlos Checa's double win at the opening WSBK round in Australia. The 38-year-old Catalan rider's results for the Althea Racing Team at Phillip Island propelled Ducati to the top of the championship table, a position they have not held since Magny-Cours in October 2009.

Ernesto Marinelli, Ducati couldn't have had a better start to the season. Did you expect that?

"Phillip Island is a circuit that adapts well to the characteristics of our 1198. The developments made in the last couple of years have led to very good grip in the early and mid acceleration phase and in the long fast curves of Phillip Island this helps a lot. But the job done by Carlos and the entire Althea team was also fundamental. Checa's strategy was good, the bike was perfect and they made the right choice of tyres. We struggled a bit on the straight because our twin-cylinder doesn't have the same acceleration as the fours but Carlos was very quick at the start and managed to pull out a slight advantage that proved to be decisive."

Checa had two outstanding races. What are his most important qualities from a technical point of view?

"Carlos interpreted to perfection the characteristics of Phillip Island, it's a very technical track where it's not enough just to be quick. You have to race with your head in order not to put undue stress on the left side of the tyre. If you always push to the limit the tyre deteriorates rapidly and you end up going slower due to little grip, but if you put on a harder tyre the performance level goes down".

Ducati are back at the top of the standings once again. What are the prospects for the next few races?

"Checa and the other Ducati riders suffer on the faster tracks. If we want to win the title we have to attack on the twisty circuits. Unfortunately this year we don't have Valencia, which was another ideal track for us, it's been replaced by Aragon which has a long straight... "

Commenting on Checa's win, your MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi said that in a few years time he wouldn't mind coming to Superbike. Can you tell him that we are waiting for him impatiently...

"As soon as I meet him, I'll tell him!"

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The Permanent Bureau, composed of Vito Ippolito (FIM President) and Maurizio Flammini (IMS Chairman), nominated the following permanent officials for the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship:

• Race Director: Gian Franco Carloia

• FIM Safety Officer: Igor Eskinja

• Starter: Giulio Bardi

• Medical Director: Ruggero Mattioli

• Technical Director: Fabio Fazi

• Race Direction Committee: Igor Eskinja (FIM Representative), Paolo Ciabatti (IMS Representative), Giulio Bardi (SBK Teams Representative).

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