WORLDSBK.COM - bis 20.06.2011

[WORLDSBK.COM]

With his win at Monza, young Frenchman Romain Lanusse ((MRS Yamaha Racing France) has now taken over at the top of the European Superstock 600 Championship.

Such was Lanusse's domination that the following group were a full six seconds behind in their sprint to the line. The photofinish saw Dino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha) take the runner-up slot, ahead of American Joshua Day (Racedays Kawasaki), wild-card Franco Morbidelli (Forwards Yamaha), Riccardo Russo (Trasimeno Yamaha) and another wild-card Giuliano Gregorini (RCGM Team Yamaha).

In the standings Lanusse is now followed by Dutchman Michael van der Mark, who could only finish tenth.

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Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) took a close win by only 0.065 seconds at Monza ahead of Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) in a stopped and restarted race cut to only five laps duration.

Michele Magnoni (Baru Racing Team BMW) was third and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Team Ducati) fourth. It was Zanetti's first race win in this class.

A blown engine in the first race start, from Sylvain Barrier BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) machine, saw several riders crash at high speed on the spilled oil, with none seriously injured.

In the championship, Giugliano has 45 points, Petrucci 33 and Zanetti 32.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

A close race at times was turned into a cool race win for Irish rider Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike) as he stretched his rivals to breaking point in the final laps.

Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) and Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) took the other podium places, after some tough passes and fights between that duo and fourth place rider Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike).

Michel Fabrizio had a strong ride on his Suzuki Alstare Machine and set the fastest lap on his way to fifth place. Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) held off Troy Corser to earn himself a top six finish, 12 seconds from the winner.

 

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) won his second career WSS race in succession by leading home his team-mate Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) after 16 laps of the Monza circuit.

Behind the flying duo from the Italian based Yamaha team, Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) had an eventually lonely but impressive third place finish, some 7.9 seconds from Davies.

Behind the podium places, a race-long fight between four riders saw Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com), Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda), Roberto Tamburini (Bike Service RT Yamaha) and Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) complete the top seven places.

In the championship Davies and Scassa are tied on 70 points each, with Parkes third on 60.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike) won a last corner battle with his team-mate Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike) in the second 18-lap race at Monza but the bigger drama was the award of a ride-through penalty for long-time race leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia), for cutting a chicane in an incorrect fashion. He recovered to finish eighth.

Third was Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) but only after a massive fight with Pata Aprilia rider Noriyuki Haga, who went fourth.

In the championship standings Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) has 145 points, Melandri 118 and Biaggi 117. Laverty is now fifth.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Following his second place finish behind Eugene Laverty in race 1, which in any case earned him enough points to close the gap on leader Carlos Checa, Max Biaggi started Race 2 determined not to miss out on an opportunity for victory. In just a few laps Biaggi opened up a gap behind him leaving his competitors to battle it out for the secondary positions.

But a cut across the first chicane by Biaggi on lap 11 forced the Race Officials to levy a ride-through penalty against the Aprilia Alitalia rider. This penalty was the only one foreseen by the regulations, as had been explained in detail to the riders during the Thursday afternoon briefing. Max, who passed through the pit-lane at 60 km/h, returned on track in twelfth place but recovered to finish eighth at the flag.

"At the moment I am feeling only great disappointment, for me and for the entire team," he declared. "We prepared to the best of our ability and I think we showed that on the track. I have to accept this severe decision, blaming myself for not having been shrewd enough not to have touched that line. Now we have to regroup and focus on the next races. There is still a long season ahead".

This was the comment on a weekend which, in any case, saw the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team confirming its strength as the reigning Champion team, entrusted to the leadership of Gigi Dall'Igna, Aprilia technical and sports director: "The judging officials are there to take decisions. It's our job to respect them and so we must accept the penalty which the judges enforced. However, we cannot keep quiet about the fact that, from a strictly sporting point of view, Max drew no time advantage from cutting the turn. Our disappointment is made even more bitter in consideration of the work that the entire team did in order to perform as best as possible for this round. Now we'll continue to work hard - concluded Dall'Igna - as we have always done, in order to keep this championship open until the end".

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Yamaha ParkinGO rider Luca Scassa will not take part in the next round of the Supersport World Championship at Misano World Circuit from June 10-12. In a decision that was made official during the Monza weekend, the Italian has been penalized for having ridden the circuit on a standard R1 machine as an instructor. Motorland Aragon is the selected testing circuit of the Yamaha ParkinGO Team, so Scassa caused an infringement of the regulations.

According to the FIM rule book (paragraphs 1.11.1 and 1.15.1) regarding Supersport, "in the case of an infraction to the above rules, the rider's entry will be refused or the rider will be disqualified from the event of the circuit concerned, depending on the date of the confirmation of the infraction".

Scassa will therefore miss the next round, and as a result he runs a major risk of losing his points lead (albeit shared with team-mate Chaz Davies) in the championship. Both riders are level on 70 points after Davies scored his second win in a row on Sunday at Monza.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director Pirelli Moto, sums up the fourth round of the 2011 Superbike World Championship from the point of view of the championship's one-make tyre supplier.

"Pirelli returned to its home circuit just a half hour away from its headquarters with a special treat: a bi-compound qualifying tyre identified by tri-coloured stripes and "150th Italy" label to commemorate the unification of Italy. Superpole was even more memorable when Biaggi (Aprilia) rode around the Monza circuit on his Diablo Superbike tyres with the fastest average speed (204.4 km/h) in WSBK history, setting also a new track record of 1'41.745.

Pirelli provided a total of 4600 tyres comprised of 3 front and 2 rear bi-compound tyres for the SBK class and 3 front and 3 rear tyres for SSP, with the premier class requiring bi-compound rear solutions to manage Monza's high speed turns. Unfortunately, of the two rear tyre solutions based on the previous years' data, the softer (A) tyre was not suitable to perform the entire race with the 40-45°C asphalt temperatures encountered this race weekend and was thus not utilized during either race.

Superbike Race 1 saw 10 riders on the mid-soft (SC2) reference tyre, 6 on the soft (SC1), and 4 on the newer mid-soft. In a race filled with a high number of exciting passes, it was a three-manufacturer podium with Yamaha, Aprilia and BMW, and even the fastest lap went to Fabrizio on his Suzuki (1'43.275).

The second SBK race and the Supersport race were dominated by Yamaha, with incredible performances from Laverty, Melandri, Davies and Scassa. Both of the Yamaha Superbikes topped 332.5 km/h on the main straight, just a fraction off Biaggi's (Aprilia) top speed in Superpole. Although Ducati had difficulty in Superbike, they still had their day in STK1000 with a track record for Giugliano, a feat also accomplished by Yamaha in the Stk600 class."

Pirelli BEST LAP Awards:

SBK Race 1 - Michel Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare), 1'43.275 (Lap 3)

SBK Race 2 - Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), 1'43.023 (Lap 4)

Total BEST LAP (SBK): Biaggi M. (Aprilia Alitalia Racing) 3; Haga N. (PATA Racing Team Aprilia), Checa C. (Althea Racing), Sykes T. (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike), Camier L. (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), Fabrizio M. (Team Suzuki Alstare) 1 each.

WSS - Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO Team), 1'48.526 (Lap 5)

Total BEST LAP (WSS): Foret F. (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda), Lowes S. (Parkalgar Honda), Scassa L. (Yamaha ParkinGO Team), Davies C. (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) 1 each.

STK1000 - Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing), 1'46.219 (Lap 4)

STK600 - Nacho Calero Perez (Orelac Racing), 1'51.557 (Lap 7)

 

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Chaz Davies' first win in World Supersport at Assen was immediately followed up with a second at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, at the end of a weekend in which he demonstrated a clear superiority over his rivals. The 24-year-old Welshman powered away from pole position and then headed off for a lonely win from his team-mate Luca Scassa.

Davies' second win, and the fourth in four races for Yamaha ParkinGO, now means that he has joined Scassa at the top of the table (70 points each), and will have a chance to open up an even bigger gap over his adversaries in a month's time at Misano Adriatico.

As was announced on Sunday Luca Scassa, the winner of the first two rounds, will not race at Misano after violating the rules regarding testing.

"I hadn't won a race in World Supersport and now two in a row - that's a pretty amazing feeling," said Davis. "I just can't say enough good things about my Yamaha and my team, everything has been perfect since Friday. I was pretty confident all weekend that I had the perfect race package and I'm delighted with the win. I am really happy with my bike and the results I have achieved so far."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

ADDENDUM TO THE INVITATION TO TENDER FOR THE SUPPLY OF TYRES FOR THE 2013-2014-2015 SBK SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, SUPERSTOCK FIM CUP 1000 AND SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Reference is made to the invitation to tender for the supply of tyres for the 2013-2014-2015 editions of SBK Superbike World Championship, Supersport World Championship, Superstock FIM Cup 1000 and Superstock 600 European Championship that has been published on 31st March 2011 on the web www.worldsbk.com (the "Invitation to Tender").

2. Terms in captioned letters contained herein shall have the same meaning ascribed to it in the Invitation to Tender.

3. The procedure related to the opening of the Offers contained in the Invitation to Tender is integrated as follows:

"On June 7, 2011 at 11 am, or at such other date and time as determined by the Promoter, the sealed envelopes containing the Offers shall be opened at the office of Legance Studio Legale Associato, located in Rome, in Via XX Settembre no. 5. Each Bidder may attend the opening of the envelopes."

4. Any other provision of the Invitation to Tender shall remain unchanged.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Aprilia Alitalia, BMW Motorrad and Ducati Althea have wrapped up two days of testing at Misano in preparation for the San Marino Round on June 12. The tests took place in excellent track and weather conditions, with temperatures soaring to 29°C (air) and 44°C (track).

At the end of play Carlos Checa had unofficially improved all the track records: setting a time of 1 minute 34.8 seconds on a Superpole tyre, two-tenths under Troy Corser's record for BMW, and 1 minute 35.5 seconds on a race tyre, one second exactly quicker than the time recorded by Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) in 2010.

"After Monza, a really difficult round for me, I'm happy to have been able to come here and be competitive once again," was Checa's comment. "We have worked well, concentrating on both chassis settings and electronics, as well as on the tyres of course. We have found a good set-up for the Misano race and have also identified a few things that could be useful at Miller too."

Max Biaggi was also competitive, setting the quickest time on day 1 with 1'35"6. "Here Max won both races last year, we found a good base set-up right away and were able to use the second day to try a few things but unfortunately they didn't work very well," said Aprilia team manager Francesco Guidotti.

The two BMW riders Troy Corser and Leon Haslam were also present together with Steve Martin testing new cycle parts.

In the next couple of days Yamaha will be testing at Aragon (Spain) with Melandri and Laverty while Castrol Honda Ten Kate will bring forward their US trip to test at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah with Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus.

Unofficial times: 1. Checa (Ducati) 1'34"8; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1'35"6; 3. Corser (BMW) 1'35"8; 4. Haslam (BMW) 1'36"1; 5. Camier (Aprilia) 1'36"3; 6. Haga (Aprilia) 1'37"0; 7. Hofmann (Aprilia) 1'37"6.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The second round of the 2011 European Junior Cup took place under clear blue skies and high temperatures at Italy's legendary Monza circuit last weekend, and joined the other World Superbike championship races in producing a spectacular battle for the passionate crowd.

From the start, pole position setter Matt Davies pushed hard to establish a 2 second lead in the first flying lap. However Assen winner - Germany's Tom Busch, was determined to stick with the young Australian and broke from the pack in a bid to chase him down. Mid-point of the race saw seven riders battling to claim 3rd position, riding wheel to wheel aboard their identical Kawasaki Ninja 250 R's in a classic Monza slipstream race.

South Africa's Themba Khumalo was unlucky to run wide at the Ascari chicane whilst Spain's Miguel Aranda set the fastest lap of the race but could not find a way through the pack. Brandon Kyee, the sole USA rider in the series, proved he has adapted quickly to the larger bike and produced the pass of the day as he rode clean around the outside into Ascari.

With two laps to go Busch had closed the gap to Davies. But the young Australian showed great race craft to defend his position and despite Busch's best efforts the last lap battle finally came down to a run for the line through the fast Parabolica curve. A small slide from Davies saw him go slightly wide and Busch seized his chance, turning tighter in an effort to pass the current British 125 championship leader. Both riders were neck and neck on the final charge to the flag, but in the end Davies was able to take the win by 0.046 seconds from the German rider.

The chase for third place was no less intense heading into the last turn, with the seven rider group still separated by only one second. In the end South Africa's Sylvano De Aguiar carried the best speed to take his first podium ahead of fellow countryman Khumalo and California's Kyee.

Results: 1. Matt Davies (Australia); 2. Tom Busch (Germany); 3. Sylvano De Aguiar (South Africa); 4. Themba Khumalo (South Africa); 5. Brandon Kyee (USA); 6. Daniel Mettam (New Zealand); 7. Ruben Fenoll (Spain); 8. Daniel Teixeira (South Africa); 9. Miguel Aranda (Spain); 10. Ross Patterson (Great Britain); 11. Amelie Demoulin (France); 12. Qays Hasmi (Pakistan); 13. Loris Hunt (Great Britain); DNF: Jean Francois Demoulin (France)

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Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) may have been back in action these last two days for Misano testing but he certainly did not come away from Monza in the best of moods. The Derby man, who was an unwitting victim of a crash at the "Prima Variante" immediately after the start of race 2, was taken to the Italian circuit's medical centre, where he was found to have a broken right toe. It was an unfortunate end to the Pocket Rocket's weekend after it had begun so well with a third place race 1 podium he had deservedly earned in a terrific scrap with rivals Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri.

"To be honest, in race one I didn't get the best of starts," admitted Haslam. "I also made a few mistakes in the early laps, which meant I had some work to do to catch the leading bunch. Still I felt like I had the pace to run with the leading guys. Max and I held each other up slightly, which saw Eugene get away at the front, but on the whole I was happy with the race and the bike."

"In race two I was hit from behind at the first corner on lap one. I am not a hundred per cent sure what happened, but I crashed out of the race after getting a much better start. Following the crash I was taken to the medical centre where it was confirmed that I have broken a toe on my right foot. I don't see it being a problem for our forthcoming test of the races in Salt Lake," he said before arriving at Misano.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

WorldSBK.com takes a quick look at the facts & figures that emerged from the fourth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Monza.

QUALIFYING

• Max Biaggi scored his third pole: he was on pole last year as well at Monza and since then he has always qualified in the top-10. The opposite happened to Carlos Checa, who was outside the top-10 for the first time in a year. Last year he was eleventh, since then he has always qualified in the first ten spots;

• Max recorded the new record average speed in Superbike history in qualifying, 204.405 kph, beating Colin Edwards' record set at Hockenheim (203.723 kph) in the 2000 edition. Since 2006 (196.636 kph) the average speed at Monza has increased by 8 kph;

• best career result for Eugene Laverty, second. In his first four Superbike races, Eugene started twice from the front row;

• first presence on the front row of the season for Troy Corser, fourth on the grid;

RACES

• Eugene Laverty became the eleventh rider to score his first two wins on the same day. Before him were Raymond Roche, Mauro Lucchiari, John Kocinski, Colin Edwards, Hitoyasu Izutsu, Makoto Tamada, Shane Byrne, Carlos Checa, Ryuichi Kiyonari, and Cal Crutchlow. The first double win is more and more frequent in recent years as it has been recorded seven times in the last decade. Eugene hadn't won a race since 2010 Magny Cours Supersport, so it was only a six-race gap for him to be again on the top step of the podium;

• once again Max Biaggi is still winless in this first part of the season: in the first eight races he has scored no less than five second places;

• Yamaha in race two scored the double, with Melandri in second behind Laverty: the Japanese manufacturer hadn't scored a double since the second Nurburgring race back in 2008 (Haga-Corser);

• Michel Fabrizio in race one obtained his tenth fastest lap;

• for the first time this season Carlos Checa wasn't present on the podium;

• Troy Corser managed to finish in the top-10 in both races for the first time since last year's Misano round when he was third and tenth;

• the fourth place by Haga in race two is his best result since last year's Imola races, when he was third and second, his last podiums to date;

OTHER CHAMPIONSHIPS

• In the Supersport class Chaz Davies, scored the "Grand Slam", with pole, win, fastest lap and the whole race in the lead. It's the eleventh time this has been recorded in championship history. The last one before him to score one was Eugene Laverty at the Nurburgring last year;

• Fabien Foret with his 29th podium reached Stéphane Chambon in the all-time second place in Supersport history. At the top Kenan Sofuoglu with 39 podium placements;

• maiden win for Lorenzo Zanetti in Superstock 1000;

• maiden pole and win in Superstock 600 for Romain Lanusse.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

James Toseland (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike) and Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team) each missed race day at Monza due to injury, despite having outings in qualifying.

Former double champion Toseland was trying to ride despite only having pins removed from his injured right hand a matter of days before practice started at Monza. It proved simply impossible for him to move his wrist far enough, or to have enough strength in his wrist to take on the heavy braking and frequent chicanes at Monza.

His surgeon had said he was unlikely to ride at Monza, but as James said, "When he took the pins out he was so pleased that my recovery had been so good that he did a U-turn and said, "go there and have a go, and do not take any painkillers, and if it hurts then stop. It was obviously uncomfortable and after the first day of practice I felt little electric shocks in the wrist in the evening. I called my surgeon and I asked him if he was telling me to stop racing and he said, ‘yes'. So I called my team manager at 8am on Saturday morning and my team have been very understanding."

Vermeulen was particularly unlucky at Monza as his long term right knee injury was hugely improved and he was building up speed in the first session when he highsided and suffered a deep cut in his left elbow. His machine was laying on top of his trapped arm as he slid to a halt, causing an unusual and eventually significant injury. Vermeulen's arm swelled up, and surgical stitched burst each time he tried to use his arm thereafter, and a decision was made for him to miss the Monza race.

Said Chris, "My elbow is the only problem, even though the rest of me is a bit sore after my Friday fall. They say the gash in my elbow needs about six stitches in it and the elbow has swollen up a lot inside. I have been having it drained of fluid a couple of times a day. They say there is nothing majorly wrong with my elbow and it was only a problem because it got stuck under the bike when I crashed."

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Aragon was the venue for two days of testing for the Yamaha World Superbike team recently, with Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri lapping the new WSBK track, and their own 2011 designated testing circuit, at a strong pace.

Laverty worked on settings to improve tyre life and making race simulations at a circuit that is expected to be particularly tough for tyres. Melandri, already a race winner in 2011, like his team-mate, busied himself with improving his rear set-up after experiencing some issues at Monza.

Team Manager Andrea Dosoli said, "We have had a positive two days in Aragon. The main objective was to get to know the track and gather some useful data before the next month's race. The two teams have worked on adjusting the gearbox, chassis set-up and the electronics to better suit the tight corners the track has to offer. Eugene has also had to adjust his style of riding and adapt a floating style which is required by the track. Marco has made progress in the development of his R1. He encountered some difficulty in Monza and the tests have helped us to distinguish what happened and gather data to enable us to improve the overall set up."

For Laverty the choice of Aragon as the team's test track was a wise choice, as it is a tough challenge, which stresses all areas of machine set-up. "I like Aragon, it's an interesting one, yet not simple at all," said Eugene. "I just wanted to learn the track and I'm glad we had this opportunity. It was tricky to get good speed in due to the fast change of direction. I worked a lot on improving my lines and adjusting my riding style to suit the flow of the track. The bike was working very well though and I'm pretty sure that we can head to the race here next month with confidence."

For Marco Melandri, these tests came at a particularly good time. "We worked very hard over the last two days," said the Italian star. "I had some problems with the bike in Monza and that's become clearer now in Aragon. I suffered a lack of stability on exiting curves but we started working on solving the problem and the input from this track has been extremely useful. We have a lot of work to do still, but I'm definitely more confident and I'm glad we had the opportunity to test here."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The Italian Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Monza was marked by a controversial ride-through penalty handed out by Race Direction to Aprilia Alitalia rider Max Biaggi for cutting the first chicane without following the regulations, which the riders had been informed about during the Thursday briefing.

The Italian, who was leading the race at the time, came into the pit-lane in compliance with the penalty and then returned to the track in twelfth place, eventually finishing eighth after a strong recovery.

In order to clear up any lingering doubts about what exactly happened at the Prima Variante, WorldSBK.com is making available to the public some exclusive Monza CCTV video footage of the first chicane, which clearly indicates the funnel-shaped path riders were required to follow in case they were unable to negotiate the right-left-right in the normal fashion.

To see Leon Haslam's and Ayrton Badovini's passage through the run-off area in race 1, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubsUk2Jl4Bc

To see what happened to Max Biaggi in race 2, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5JVoqaVoaY

CCTV video footage kindly provided by the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

I kindly ask you to devote a couple of minutes of your time to this letter of mine, in which I would like to explain the facts that occurred at Monza during the weekend of May 8th.

First of all Monza is not like any other track, and Superbike has to share it with an extremely important event like Formula 1. It is simply not possible therefore to have gravel run-off areas at the chicanes because this solution does not go down particularly well in Formula 1.

The only exception to this is the Variante Ascari.

As can easily be imagined, if a rider makes a mistake on the entry to the Ascari and ends up in the gravel, either he crashes or he loses a lot of time in returning to the track, so in this particular case it is not necessary to adopt any special measure for the chicane.

The question of the first chicane (the Prima Variante) and the Roggia chicane is different, as they have tarmac run-off areas. For the last three years at Monza white lines have been painted in these areas. The lines take the form of a ‘funnel' that ends with a ‘pathway' about one metre wide that, if followed by the rider, forces him to slow down and return to the track outside the natural line of all those riders who have gone through the chicane in a normal way.

FIM homologation of the track specifically rules out the presence of barriers/straw bale chicane in the run-off areas.

The Race Direction, of which I form part together with Igor EÅ¡kinja and Giulio Bardi, for this reason decided to convene all riders on Thursday afternoon for an extraordinary briefing to explain to everyone (those who had already raced at Monza and those who were encountering the circuit for the first time) the correct way to return to the track in case of a mistake in these two chicanes.

The briefing lasted almost one hour. It was explained to riders, with the help of two giant blow-up images of the chicanes hung on the walls of the briefing room, that if they made an error, the only way, with absolutely no exception whatsoever, to return to the track was to use this ‘funnel' path, otherwise they would be penalized with a ride-through. We also explained that they must gain no advantage from cutting through the chicane, either in their lap time or in their race position, and that in this latter case by raising their arm they would have surrendered that position to riders whom they had unintentionally overtaken.

Many riders posed specific questions and we repeated over and over again that any rider who returned to the track without respecting the pathway painted on the tarmac would be punished with a ride-through penalty, the only sanction foreseen by the FIM for these infringements of the rulebook.

Biaggi was not present at the briefing, due to his private commitments, but he was represented by Francesco Guidotti, the Aprilia Team Manager.

Throughout the entire weekend we always used the same criteria with respect to every rider who cut through the chicanes, in every category.

These are the facts.

Probably I will not have been able to convince many of you, but at least I have clearly and honestly explained the way things went.

I would like to conclude on a personal note. In life sometimes coherence and correctness force one to take difficult and painful decisions. For me Max is not only a great champion, as well as an intelligent and sensitive person. He is above all a friend, one with whom I have shared many moments, pleasant but also difficult, both on and off the track. I will leave it to you to imagine how difficult it must have been for me, together with the other members of the Race Direction, to take this decision.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Paolo Ciabatti

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

With a base in the Netherlands and riders from Northern Ireland and Spain you would expect that the Castrol Honda WSBK team would choose a European circuit as their designated test track.

Not a bit of it, as they will shortly be heading off to America for a two day test at the next circuit on the championship trail, Miller Motorsports Park in Utah...

Each team has to pick one of the current WSBK venues as a designated test track, and they are only allowed to test at that track (or other venues that do not host WSBK rounds) through the season.

With so many other available non-championship circuits in Europe to choose from, and finding significant issues with set-up at the crucial mid-season venue of Miller last year, the team made the radical choice of making Miller their test track this year.

They will all be heading to the USA soon, as the two-day test is scheduled with regular riders Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus from Sunday 22 to Monday 23 May.

Miller is a unique circuit in many ways, including being the one with the highest altitude and therefore the thinnest air of any current WSBK track - always a specific challenge to overcome when so much available horsepower is lost in the thin mountain air.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Simon Crafar, 42 years of age from Waiouru in New Zealand, is a former international calibre rider who took part full-time in World Superbike from 1994 to 1997 as well as a few sporadic appearances from 1989 to 1993 and in 2000. In his Superbike career he scored six podium finishes, five of which in 1997 on a factory Kawasaki, finishing fifth overall. This year Crafar has a dual role within the SBK paddock: on the one hand he is the coach for the newly-created European Junior Cup, the one-make series that gives a chance to youngsters to square up on the track on Kawasaki Ninja 250R machines, and on the other he is team manager of the Racedays Kawasaki team in the European Superstock 600 Championship, which fields the young American Josh Day, third on the podium at Monza. In this interview with WorldSBK.com, Crafar takes a look at the two championships in which he is involved and gives his view of the 2011 World Superbike season.

Your team, Racedays Kawasaki, had a fantastic week-end at Monza, with Josh Day scoring his first podium finish in Superstock 600. Did you expect that so soon?

"Yes, we all expected Josh to do that well. The reason we believe in Josh so much is that we have seen that if his equipment is up to it, and he learns the track, he is as fast as anyone. We believe he can win races, so yes I expected him to go this well, just not from 14th on the grid as he did in Monza!"

Josh Day seems to be a very good combination of speed, talent and focus...

"Again these are the things we liked about Josh when we first saw him. He is a worker and a real gentleman also."

"What about the European Junior Cup? How is the championship coming along?

"Great. It's having small teething problems like any series. A few people were scared to pay their money and enter the first year in case it did not happen and so the grid is a bit smaller than we had hoped for - but this is normal when something is new and as it is a long term project, the organizer took the commitment and it's looking great for the future. It's the perfect start point for a young racer. 19,000 Euro gets you entries to the races, a new bike prepared to the identical spec as all the others in the race, transport for the machine to all the races, tyres and fitting, fuel, leather suit, helmet, gloves, boots etc, a work station and tools at the circuits, bike servicing during the season, and help with the riding technical and safety side from me.. All you have to do is turn up with your 1 x helper and go racing at beautiful European tracks in front of the WSB fans. Then, at the end of the season, you keep your bike and gear. Incredible value for money, no? Now I finally realize what I put my friends and family through with my racing. I am working closely with Josh Day and all the young EJC competitors so when they line up for a race I worry about them getting hurt. Riders don't realize how stressful/emotional it is for the people who care about them. Racers just think 'what are you worrying about, I am the one riding it?'

You're a former World SBK rider and a race winner. What's your opinion about the season so far?

"That Aprilia was fast at Monza. The Duke sure was slow, so Carlos will be happy to go back to some tighter tracks. Makes a change. Dukes were always fast in the past with the capacity advantage. I was very happy for Eugene Laverty (another real gentleman) and sorry for all the boys taken out in the first corner incident of heat two at Monza. The Yamahas looked good there and I am happy for Andrea Dosoli (the Yamaha WSB team manager) to have this success in his first year. I was an Ohlins technician for Andrea in 2001. He is a very good man and I imagine there is a good atmosphere in that team. I have many friends in the WSB and Supersport Championship. Of course I want them all to do well, but mostly I am happy to have them as friends and I prefer them to not get hurt."

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Two current World Superbike stars of the calibre of Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) and James Toseland (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) yesterday took part in the official inauguration of the "Silverstone Wing", the new pitlane structure that will help to change the face of the historic British circuit.

Measuring 390 metres in length, the Silverstone Wing includes a totally new pit-lane area (41 new garages and a surface area covering 6,200 square metres), spectator and hospitality zones, a 2,780 square metre Media Centre and a new race control tower.

The striking pit and paddock design is another important stepping stone in the redevelopment of Silverstone into Britain's premier racing circuit.

The Silverstone Wing was given the seal of approval by Jonathan Rea and James Toseland amongst other famous figures from the worlds of two and four wheels, and will be fully operational in time for the FIM Superbike World Championship round on 29-31 July.

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Eugene Laverty enjoyed one of the most amazing days of his racing career two weekends ago, when he scored his first podium, his first win and his first double win just four races into his WSBK career at Monza for the locally-based Yamaha World Superbike team. We caught up with the 24 year-old Irishman for a chat as he gets ready to head overseas for the upcoming round at Miller Motorsports Park in the USA.

Sunday at Monza was a very special day for you. How did it feel when you finally went to bed that night?

"It really hadn't sank in. I know that's a much overused expression but it was genuinely the case for me. I sat in my motorhome with my girlfriend Pippa and a few friends and watched the races back over a cup of tea. After watching the final lap of race two I was absolutely buzzing so I put an episode of Irish sitcom 'Father Ted' on TV to try and wind down before bed! The following evening I realised why the whole experience had seemed so bizarre. I remembered that I'd had a dream on Thursday night that I'd won both races at Monza so in a way I'd already went through all the emotions."

You and your teammate, Marco Melandri, came to the team from very different career paths. How much information do you share?

"Both sides of the garage share information, that's the key to our success this season. We made big steps forward in the first few rounds because Marco and I offered similar feedback and so the direction was clear. We may have had different career paths but at the end of the day a great rider will figure out the fastest way around the track on any given bike. I was immediately fast on the R1 the first time I rode it at Magny-Cours as was Marco on his first outing at Valencia so this proves that the gap between street bikes and race bikes is much smaller than it's ever been."

Do you feel any pressure trying to live up the very high standards set by the team's previous rookies, Ben Spies (in the photo, with Laverty) and Cal Crutchlow?

"My situation is rather different to Ben's and Cal's. Both riders had ridden superbikes for a few seasons in domestic championships and so they were expected to be immediately quick. The team have put absolutely no pressure on me to perform as this season has been cited as a learning year. Naturally that view will shift somewhat after our fantastic double victory at Monza but there will be times when we're reminded that this is my first season on a superbike. Just look at Donington for example; I struggled there due to my lack of superbike experience. I've only just completed my fourth round in the World Superbike Championship though so I'd rather not get ahead of myself!"

The crowd in Monza was hostile towards the podium finishers because of Max Biaggi's penalty. What was your feeling about their reaction and do you think the punishment was justified?

"This has been talked about a lot following Monza but it's as simple as this: Over the past few seasons the rules have been the same for cutting the chicanes at Monza. The punishment may not fit the crime for such a small mistake but we've all been aware of the severity of this and so we've made very sure to obey the rules. Max did not obey the rules and he paid the price. I overshot one of the chicanes in race two but I made sure to reenter the track correctly so as not to suffer this fate. I didn't feel that the crowd was hostile to be honest. I've no doubt that there was tension in the air between the rivalling Italian riders' fans but they gave me a warm welcome on the podium as well as in the paddock afterwards."

What do you like about Miller Motorsports Park, and is it similar to any European tracks?

"Miller Motorsports Park really suits my style, particularly the fast flowing turns which start the lap. For this reason the track reminds me of Assen but really Miller Motorsports Park is quite a unique track. There's no other track on our calendar that boasts a section like The Attitudes! This left-right-left complex is hard work and it's important to be pinpoint accurate through here so as not to touch the side of the bike on the high kerbs. I couldn't have hoped for a better track to follow up my double win at Monza. I'm confident of another podium finish in the U.S. and hopefully I can get myself into the title fight over the next few rounds."

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As debut seasons go there can be no harder way for a rookie rider like Mark Aitchison to start his WSBK career than the challenge facing him in 2011. With every single regular entry located in the very top drawer of production-based racing and with a new Ninja ZX- 10R racebike to help develop in a privateer Pedercini Team set-up, Aitchison has not just one challenge to overcome, but many. So far so good, as he has already scored a top ten and with it a top Kawasaki finishing slot (in race one at Assen). Finding consistency and some other keys to making a Superbike tick each and every weekend are still in the ‘to-do' folder, however.

Said 27-year-old Aitchison of his first impressions in his rookie year, "I am just getting ready to head to Miller but for the season so far it is obviously a very competitive class in the Superbike World Championship. I am not in a position in WSBK where I think I can be right now. I think Pedercini and I can be a very good team in 2011; it is just putting it together with the package to make it work week-in and week-out."

Having spent his career on Supersport and Superstock machinery, Aitchison has been thrown into the deep end in his first ever races on a full WSBK machine. Mark knows that he has to gain experience to make the most of his most recent opportunity. "As far as the championship is concerned, it has the best riders involved, and they are very formidable," said Mark. "Competitiveness is very high and for me that is a good thing, because I can try and strive towards the top guys in the class. I try to better my riding, better the whole team situation and the experience we have with the new Kawasaki. The idea for me is to work each weekend forwards, to reduce the gap in practice and qualifying and then try to make the differences in the races."

So far, his top ten at Assen is the big confidence booster, and shows what is possible for even private teams in 2011. "At this point that race is the highlight of the year and it is now all about consolidating some of the work we did there, and putting the boys in the right frame of mind so we can work positively all together. A lot of it is about improving me, and I have to learn a lot about the bike and riding a Superbike. As a team we have to work towards helping me and to improving the bike. I think we have a lot of potential to go."

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For Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli the 2011 season was going very well, right up to a crash in the first race of the year which put paid to his dreams of being a contender in only his second full WSBK season. With a top level Ducati twin, a well-funded and organized team and proven pace and motivation to succeed in testing and qualifying, the British-based Frenchman was all set to make an attack on each podium in Australia.

It was not to be, as his high-speed fall was to have long reaching, if not immediately apparent, consequences. As Sylvain himself stated, "The start of the season was a bit of a disaster, because I love that bike. In Australia, before the crash I was never out of the top three and then I had an accident and since then I have just been fighting to come back to fitness. The situation is that in Phillip Island I was initially told that I was fine and that all I had was big bruising. But I struggled at the next round at Donington and it was difficult to race. We rechecked the areas where I was still having pain afterwards and I had a double fracture of my hand and a fracture as well of my left ankle. I also had a bit of ligament damage on the left leg, all the way up to the knee. The Donington race was the most awful one I have ever done, even though I really like that track, because I could not ride properly."

Even after realizing his issues, and battling on bravely at the next round at Assen, the fates had another brick to hurl Sylvain's way. "In Assen when Kuba (his team-mate Jakub Smrz) fell I was behind I could not avoid him and crashed. I damaged the cruciate ligament in my right knee, so now I have a loose knee is well - which is nice! That is not such a big problem to race a motorbike, but it is one of those things."

Maybe the most difficult thing for Sylvain to deal with has been watching some other top Ducati riders put in strong results - wins for championship leader Checa and a near win at Donington for Smrz - while he has had to grit his teeth in pain just to race.

"We have a great bike," says Guintoli. "I did my best result in race two at Monza, seventh, and it is a really bad circuit for us because it is a power circuit. So for us it was going to be really bad in theory but we made a good result and I am back to some kind of form now. The next few tracks, Miller, Misano, Aragon, are good for our bike so I am expecting a lot now from this. I am feeling better physically even though I am not 100%, I really like the bike and get on well with it and it is working very well. The team management put a lot of effort into the quality of the material on the bike and if you go that way you minimize the risk of problems. I have plenty of motivation and I know what the bike can do. The results the other riders like Carlos and Kuba have been doing just made more frustration. By making a tiny little mistake in Australia I basically ruined the start of my season. It is not the end of the world but I am really far behind in the standings, so now it is about showing some pace and results and not thinking about the championship. It has been good to see the Ducatis doing so well, but for me it was more frustration. It was a very high price to bear for such a tiny little mistake, but that is racing."

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In a packed press conference yesterday at the Russian National TV centre in Moscow, Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports and Alexander Yakhnich, CEO of Yakhnich Motorsport announced that a partnership agreement had been reached between the two companies.

As a result Yakhnich Motorsport becomes the organizer of the Russian Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, and also acquires the TV and Marketing rights for the Russian market. The declared intention is to bring World Superbike to Russia already in 2012, and with this aim in mind negotiations are being held with a number of circuits currently in the process of applying for FIM homologation.

Paolo Flammini declared: "We are very satisfied with this agreement and we wish to thank Mr. Yakhnich for his warm welcome and for the truly professional work carried out by his team. Russia is one of the most important nations in the world, with a rapidly-growing economy. We think that the Superbike World Championship is the most suitable way to help develop the Russian motorcycle market, together with a plan that foresees the growth of young Russian riders on an international level in our four categories".

Alexander Yakhnich added: "We are honoured to have reached this prestigious target. Thanks to the vital support of the Russian Government, specifically the Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, Russian motorcycling is getting ready to play host to the Superbike World Championship and in this way help the growth of the sport in our country in the best possible way".

The ceremony, which in addition was attended by Paolo Ciabatti, SBK General Manager, and Alexander Lunkin, President of the Russian Motorcycling Federation, also saw the presentation of the ‘Two Countries Cup', the UEM-organized trophy for Italian and Russian riders with ‘Open Stock 600' bikes, the two rounds of which will be held at Misano on 12 June as part of the San Marino Round of the Superbike World Championship, and at the new Canyon circuit in Kazan (Russia) on 21 August.

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