Arai riders make the best of a tough weekend

LEON HASLAM, ALSTARE SUZUKI
Race 1: Eighth           Race 2: Second                     Championship Position: Second

“WE CAN BEAT HIM”
Leon Haslam fought back from a disappointing eighth place in the opening race of round eight of the World Superbike Championship at Misano, San Marino to earn a superb second place finish in race two. Haslam struggled with electronics gremlins throughout most of the weekend, leading to engine braking and clutch problems. The team made a number of changes for race two and Haslam repaid the work with a gritty and determined second-place finish. The 27-year-old from Smalley in Derbyshire also continued his run of being the only rider to finish on the podium at every round; Haslam now has a 37-point deficit behind Championship leader Max Biaggi, and 10 races with which to make it up.

“After the issues we’ve had this weekend to do with the clutch and electronics, I thought that eighth in race one was probably the best we’d get this weekend. But all credit to the team, because they went back to a setting that we used in USA and South Africa, the bike was much better in the second race. Race two felt like normal and the bike felt a million times better than race one, but I’ve got so many blisters on my hands because I was trying so hard. I took a lap or two too long to pass Troy Corser and Michel Fabrizio in the second race and by then Max was too far ahead to catch. 

Max is riding well and the Aprilia is currently the package to beat, but I’m confident that as long as we all work hard, we can beat him. We do all our own development work and it’s because of all the hard work that we are competitive. I’m going to keeping fighting for more podiums; that was my aim before the season began, and it’s still the same now.”

JONATHAN REA, TEN KATE HONDA
Race 1: Thirteenth                Race 2: Twelfth         Championship Position: Fourth

“IT’S UNBELIEVABLY FRUSTRATING”
The Misano weekend proved to be one to forget for the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda squad. With difficult qualifying sessions leading to a lower grid position, the two 24-lap races were a true test for Jonathan Rea. He started both races well however, catapulting his CBR1000RR from 16th on the grid into positions that would allow him to challenge for the top ten. However, the chatter that has plagued the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland was impossible to ignore, forcing him back down the field in both races.

“I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how I’m feeling after this weekend, and most of what I’m feeling you wouldn’t be able to publish anyway. It’s unbelievably frustrating to be held back by this problem when it wasn’t that long ago that we were winning together. We just haven’t been able to sort things out this weekend and the results show that more clearly than anything else. We’ve got to get it together and I’m hoping that a two-day test will allow us an opportunity to do that".

CAL CRUTCHLOW, STERILGARDA YAMAHA
Race 1: DNF                          Race 2: Fourth          Championship Position: Tenth

“I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO LOSE OUT”
Race one had seen Crutchlow lose the front early on as he pushed on to catch the leaders, forcing retirement from the race. Despite being mobbed by riders in the first corner of race two, Crutchlow fought back with an inspired push, coming from ninth all the way up to take third from Michel Fabrizio by lap 19. He held out for a further three laps but was passed back with two laps to go, taking fourth at the line. Race two also saw Crutchlow set a new lap record as he worked his way through the pack, an impressive 1:36.546s.

“I had an OK start in race two, but got beaten up a bit in the first corner on the first lap and basically had to recover from then on. I was disappointed to lose out to Fabrizio at the end, I just lost a bit of drive out of the corner and he managed to get back under me. To come here and do the race pace we did at these grip levels was incredible, hopefully we can make some improvements at this week’s Imola test and be even better. Race one was a stupid mistake, I had a full tank of fuel and just pushed a bit too hard trying to catch the front runners and lost the front, but I think I redeemed myself in race two.”

NORIYUKI HAGA, XEROX DUCATI
Race 1: Seventh                 Race 2: Ninth                       Championship Position: Fifth

“I HAD HOPED TO DO BETTER…”
Noriyuki Haga, starting race one from ninth on the grid, found that the feeling with his 1198 improved after the first few laps but problems, particularly on entry into the corners, meant he was unable to catch the leading group of five. He stuck with Leon Haslam through the second half of the race, managing to get past him on the last lap. In race two Haga lost a couple of positions at the start and then made a small mistake during the fifth lap, which left him in thirteenth place. He gained somewhat during the race and his pace remained constant but he was unable to reach the frontrunners, seeing out the race in ninth position.

“In race one the level of grip seemed to improve after the first few laps and I had better feeling but it was difficult to catch Haslam, as I was having trouble braking, going into the corners. In the end I got past him to finish seventh but I had hoped to do better. In race two I used my other bike, with a similar set up but just a different front fork. Feeling improved but I still wasn’t happy with the traction; then I made a couple of small mistakes and, once I lost ground, it was almost impossible to make it back up. I’m hopeful we can do better at Brno, a track I enjoy.”

Jakub Smrz and his PATA Ducati failed to finish either race; he remains, unluckily for him it seems, rooted at 13th in the championship.

The WSB paddock now heads to Brno, with racing on 11th July. 

For more news and information on Arai helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk

MOTOGP ROUND 6, ASSEN, SATURDAY 26th JUNE

Solid work from Arai’s MotoGP riders

DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: Second                    Championship Position: Second

“I’M SURPRISED BY THIS RESULT”
Dani Pedrosa rode to second place in the 80th edition of the Dutch TT and duly climbed back into second place in the MotoGP World Championship. It was a good result for the Spaniard after a difficult weekend during which he and his crew spent much of the time chasing the right set-up for the Assen circuit.

In the morning warm-up session, his team found some answers to the handling issues they had been tackling which allowed Pedrosa’s RC212V to set the fastest lap of the race and to take the battle to today’s winner Jorge Lorenzo in the 26-lap encounter. From a lowly seventh on the grid, Pedrosa threaded his way up to third into the first corner behind Ben Spies and Lorenzo in front. On lap three he passed Spies and set off in pursuit of Lorenzo, quickly catching his fellow countryman and threatening to take the lead from him. 

However, Lorenzo was able to pull away in the second half of the race and in turn Pedrosa stretched the gap to Casey Stoner behind him to secure a comfortable second place, just 2.935s back from the winner.

“Well first of all I have to say I’m surprised by this result because, I tell you, in practice we had a lot of problems and we tried so many things that didn’t work, so I wasn’t expecting to get second today or to have this pace. For the warm-up we found something which gave us a better lap time and my rhythm improved a lot, which gave us the chance to fight in the race. I knew with the soft rear Bridgestone tyre that I would have more of an advantage in the first part of the race and so I pushed really hard from the start to catch up. But then I began losing a little bit of time in the first section of the circuit and lap-by-lap we lost touch. Anyway, this is a good result for us and I’d like to say thanks to my team because they never gave up. I’m back into second in the World Championship but actually I’m more pleased with second in this race. Now we go straight to Catalunya for my home GP and I hope we can have a good race there too.”

NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: Seventh                   Championship Position: Fourth

“AS ALWAYS I’M TRYING TO LOOK AT THE POSITIVES”
Nicky Hayden got away well from the second row of the grid but was blocked by traffic into turn one and lost several positions. He managed to pass Colin Edwards and Marco Simoncelli within a handful of laps but by then had lost contact with the front group and was unable to reproduce his pace from practice.

“Seventh place isn’t exactly the best but as always I’m trying to look at the positives: after making a good start on Thursday we had a difficult session on Friday morning with a breakdown and a crash, when we also wrecked a set of tyres, and that obviously made things hard for us. While the rest made progress with their set-up we lost ground. I got a decent start but got held up by De Puniet and was passed by a lot of riders. I managed to pass Colin and Simoncelli but lost time and even though I tried to close the gap the front end tucked a couple of times and I had to settle for seventh. It’s a shame because it’s our worst result of the year apart from the crash at Mugello but we go racing again next week and we’ll be trying to get back to the front.”

COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: Eighth                      Championship Position: Tenth

“I RODE MY HEART OUT”
Colin Edwards extended his impressive record of scoring points in all six races so far this season with a solid ride to eighth place, while adapting to a new front-end geometry set-up over the course of the weekend. Edwards and his team gained crucial information that they all hope will help close the gap to the leading group in future races.

“I can’t be disappointed or upset with eighth place and wonder why I didn’t get a better result when I rode my heart out. There was nothing else I could have done today but I know what we can improve. We’ve been experimenting with some different front-end settings and we’ve made it better, but I just lose a bit of time when I release the brakes and can’t turn the bike how I want. And losing that little bit everywhere adds up by the end of the lap and makes it difficult. I know I rode harder than last year when I finished fourth, but I’m eighth. I guess that proves that those guys at the front are running an unbelievable pace. I was behind Nicky for a long time but I could never get close enough to put a pass on him. Looking at Ben it can be better and once again, I can’t praise him enough.”

HIROSHI AOYAMA, INTERWETTEN HONDA
Race Position: DNS              Championship Position: Fifteenth

The Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team announced that as a quick solution for Assen and Barcelona Kousuke Akiyoshi, Honda’s test rider, would replace Hiroshi Aoyama. Aoyama had a nasty crash in Silverstone in which he fractured his T12 vertebra and the 28 year-old Japanese will be out for some months due to this injury. The team is currently looking for a suitable replacement after Catalunya, until Aoyama is fully recovered. Akiyoshi finished fifteenth (and last) at Assen.

Daniel M. Epp, Interwetten Team Manager:
“It really is a pity that Hiro had this nasty crash at Silverstone and that he injured himself so badly. Especially now because his learning process was really good and he was consistently getting better; we hope he will have a quick recovery, and that he will be back with us as strong as he was before as soon as possible. In the meantime we are looking for a replacement.”

The next MotoGP round is at Catalunya, on Sunday the 4th July.

For more information and news on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk

MOTOGP ROUND 5, SILVERSTONE, SUNDAY 20th JUNE

A challenging weekend for Arai riders in Northamptonshire…

DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: Eighth Championship Position: Third

“WE CAN QUICKLY PUT THIS WEEKEND BEHIND US”
The Silverstone MotoGP weekend finished up a difficult one for Dani Pedrosa, who was unable to find the same consistent pace in the race that he had established in practice. He struggled for grip during the 20-lap encounter with the rear wheel spinning and the front end pushing as he tried to maintain position in the early laps. Pedrosa had shown promising pace through the weekend (the 24-year-old Spaniard looked in with a chance of taking his second pole position in succession, but he fell as his RC212V hit bumps on his final quick lap and he suffered bruising to both knees) but another unfortunate crash in cold conditions in the morning warm-up meant he wasn’t able to find the same feeling in the race. An eighth place finish sees Pedrosa lying in 3rd in the standings, and bagging points that may prove valuable later in the season.
“Well, eighth is obviously a disappointing result because we were looking quite strong here yesterday and I was confident. However, we were lacking some grip from the beginning of the race and we couldn’t replicate the pace we were able to achieve in practice. The rear was spinning and sliding quite a lot and the front was pushing which meant that, even though I was pushing really hard, I wasn’t able to maintain my pace. It was frustrating because I could see the riders in front and I could stay with them but it was impossible to fight for position. The one positive thing from the weekend is that even though I had two crashes I wasn’t injured and I didn’t feel pain during the race today. This means we can quickly put this weekend behind us and move on to the next races; the first one being Assen next weekend. I’d like to thank the team because they worked really hard this weekend and had to rebuild the bike twice.”

NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: Fourth Championship Position: Fifth

“THE GOOD THING IS WE’RE IN THE HUNT AGAIN”
Fortunately for the 70,000 fans at Silverstone while Lorenzo rode off into the distance, the fight for second only got closer as the race went on, with Dovizioso and de Puniet caught by Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies and then Casey Stoner with three laps to go. But the final podium place came down to an all-American last lap battle between Hayden, chasing his first podium of the season, and Spies, fighting for his first ever grand prix rostrum. Hayden thwarted Spies’ first attack on the brakes into Stowe, but a defensive line through into the fastest turn on the circuit, the new Abbey curve, allowed Spies to cut inside the 2006 world champion on the exit and Spies clung to his first grand prix podium by just 0.214sec.

“It’s a pretty frustrating result because the team did a great job with the bike after the warm-up and it was a lot of fun to ride. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good start as we’ve been having some little clutch problems and didn’t get away well. The race was really fun, everybody was going back and forth, I was able to make some moves in the corners but just didn’t really have the top speed in the straights. It’s hard for me to dress this result up because I’m not happy to finish fourth again but the good thing is we were in the hunt again. We did something good with the bike today so hopefully it will work at Assen, a circuit I love.”

COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: Ninth Championship Position: Eleventh

“IT WAS A LOT BETTER THAN I EXPECTED”
Colin Edwards, fresh from a mid-week starring role at the North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club (a fun and successful night was had by all…) rode a determined race after a difficult weekend where he never found the optimum setting with his YZR-M1. He also encountered a repeat of the arm pump issue that hindered him at the last round in Mugello, but he was satisfied having rode to a creditable ninth position to maintain his record of scoring points in every race so far in 2010.

“I don’t want to be finishing in ninth at all but honestly I’m reasonably happy with the way I rode and it was a lot better than I expected after what has been a tough weekend. I’m still a fair way behind the top group but I had so many problems this weekend that even a top ten was looking like a difficult result to achieve. I didn’t leave anything out there and I went better than I did in qualifying but it was still not easy. The bike isn’t agile enough and having to muscle it around gave me a small arm pump problem, but not as bad as Mugello. If I could get the bike to go where I want it to go I could save lots of time, but we’ve got some ideas for the future. It was a bit of a lonely race but I rode as hard as I could for as long as I could. I want to congratulate Ben though because he did an awesome job and I’ve got nothing but admiration for him. He showed today what a great rider he is.”

HIROSHI AOYAMA, INTERWETTEN HONDA
Race Position: DNS Championship Position: Fourteenth

Hiroshi Aoyama did not make the grid for the start; the 250 world champion highsided in the warm up and hit the ground hard, causing heavy contusions to his back. After a check in the medical centre at the circuit, the doctors decided that Aoyama needed to go to a hospital for a CT scan to make sure all was well.

The next MotoGP round is at Assen, on Saturday the 26th June, 2010.

For more information and news on Arai helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk

ARAI MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP AT THE 2010 TT

Seven victories from seven races for the Japanese brand

Ian Hutchinson, riding for Padgetts Honda, had a historic race week at this year’s TT, standing on the top step of the podium in all five of the solo races and becoming the first man ever to do so. In the process he beat the record of 11-time champion (and fellow Arai wearer) Phillip McCallen, who was previously the only rider in the TT’s 103 year history to win four races in a week, back in 1996.

‘Hutchy’ took the chequered flag of the blue riband Dainese Senior TT, the last race of TT week, and stood on his footpegs in a ‘superman’ pose to the applause and plaudits he richly deserved. At the press conference after the race he declared “today has been unbelievable for me and it’s been one of those weeks that was just meant to be, I’ll never complain if I breakdown around here again”.

Klaus Klaffenbock and Dan Sayle won both of the Sidecar races, thus giving Arai a clean sweep across the board.

Arai has a history and association with the Isle of Man TT that goes back to the 1980s, and the Japanese brand is worn by the majority of TT competitors thanks to the fit, comfort and dependability of Arai at the extreme speeds generated on the 37.7 mile road circuit. The Arai Race Support Service has also become an integral part of the TT – operating out of the paddock its team of six factory-trained technicians maintain and service the Arais of all the TT competitors throughout practice and race weeks, as well performing high-pressure visor changing duties during pit stops.

John Wakefield, Managing Director of Phoenix Distribution, the UK Arai Importer, was naturally delighted with the results from the 2010 Isle of Man TT; “We’ve long supported and believed in the TT, not only because so many riders wear Arai there but also because the history and tradition of the event matters to us, and has done since Arai first came to Europe. Congratulations to Ian Hutchinson, he’s ridden absolutely brilliantly and we’re proud to have contributed to his success.”

COLIN EDWARDS’ BIG NIGHT OUT IN YORKSHIRE!

MotoGP racer heads to Northallerton prior to Silverstone

Arai, in conjunction with the North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club (NYRRSC) are delighted to announce an evening with double WSB champion and MotoGP superstar (and career-long Arai wearer) Colin Edwards, WSB racer Jonathan Rea and TT stars Ian Hutchinson, Keith Amor and Gary Johnson, on Wednesday 16th June at the Club Amadeus, Northallerton, DL6 1AA.

Hosting the event is long-time WSB and BSB TV pundit Jack Burnicle. Also present will be John Wakefield, MD of Phoenix Distribution, the UK Arai importer; he will be taking questions from the audience on helmets and helmet safety. The Arai Race Service will be in attendance, and Arai wearers can have their helmets serviced and get advice on the night.

Up for auction will be a signed Arai RX-7GP Colin Edwards replica, along with other Arai prizes in the raffle. The event raises money to further the careers of local racers in the area, and Colin’s been before – back in 2006, when a riotous, fun and enlightening evening was had by all.

The opportunity to get up close to a MotoGP racer is not to be missed, even more so when the rider in question is Edwards; he’s frank, honest, funny and very much a human being. And his day job is just a little bit special…

For more information visit www.nyrrsc.net or call Mike Reed on 07979 702338.

Doors open 7.00pm/Showtime 8.00pm.
Admission (on the door) is £8.00 (£5.00 for NYRRSC members.)

For more information on Arai call Phoenix on 01782 569800, or visit www.whyarai.co.uk

MOTOGP ROUND 4, MUGELLO, SUNDAY 6th JUNE

Top step of the podium for Arai!

DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA

Race Position: First Championship Position: Second

“IT’S AN UNBELIEVABLE FEELING!”

Dani Pedrosa took an emphatic runaway win at Mugello, and the result elevates Pedrosa to second in the MotoGP World Championship behind Jorge Lorenzo. On his way to the chequered flag Pedrosa set the 11 fastest laps of the race and his best lap, a new race lap record of 1m 49.531, was 0.762 seconds clear of his nearest rival. Pedrosa nearly made it look easy on his RC212V, converting pole position into a lead at the first corner, and the 24-year-old Spaniard was never headed for the entire 23-lap race. The gap stretched to as much as eight seconds before Pedrosa began to ease back slightly and control the pace. He crossed the line four seconds clear of Lorenzo to record the ninth MotoGP win of his career and his 32nd in all classes of Grand Prix racing.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to win again and I’m so happy for myself and the Repsol Honda Team. We’ve been working really hard and we had some problems through the winter and in the first races, so I’m really delighted with this victory, especially after leading at Jerez for so long but not quite making it. It looks like we are back near where we need to be and the team deserves the victory. I had a great feeling on the bike today, especially at the beginning section of the race and I could open up a gap. To be honest I didn’t see who was behind me, I just looked for the gap on my pit board and tried to ride consistently. It’s important that we are competitive now because we have one weekend off and then three races in a row. The next race is at Silverstone, which is a legendary track so I hope that we can match this kind of performance there – and also that this part of England has better weather! I also want to thank the fans here for pushing for Valentino because he’s having a hard time and everyone in the paddock wishes him well.”

NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI

Race Position: DNF Championship Position: Fifth

“THAT ONE WAS ON ME”

Nicky Hayden didn’t make the best of starts from fourth on the grid and his race ended on the sixth lap when he was pushing to make up ground, running wide and sliding from his Ducati GP10 into the gravel. A real shame, because he’d been looking competitive and strong all weekend, building on his recent good form. As ever, the Kentucky kid was honest and pragmatic about his performance…

“I screwed the start up and got beat up into turn one but I was able to make a couple of passes and thought I could fight for it. My rhythm wasn’t that good and I was just trying to make up too much time into that downhill corner. It was a rider error and it’s a bummer because it’s the team’s home race and they’ve all worked really hard. All I can say is I’m sorry – that one was on me. I’m completely okay so that’s the good thing but it still hurts. Thankfully there are still a lot of races to go.”

COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3

Race Position: Thirteenth Championship Position: Eleventh

“I’M REALLY DISAPPOINTED AND A BIT MYSTIFIED”

Colin Edwards finished in 13th place despite having to race in extremely difficult circumstances. Edwards suffered a mystery fatigue issue in the morning warm-up session and it was obvious from the start of the race that his physical condition would prevent him from showing his true potential, as he dropped from fifth to 11th. Despite feeling well below his best, Edwards rode to the flag to collect three valuable points.

“I’m really disappointed and a bit mystified because I’ve felt good all weekend and we got the bike working really well again after we switched back to the setting we had at Mugello last year. But it was a struggle from the off and I didn’t feel great at all. The bike was working well. It goes round the corner good, it brakes good and has good traction but I can’t ride in that condition. I felt fatigued really early in the race and was really struggling to change direction with the bike. And at this track you have got a lot of fast changes of direction that are crucial to help you flow and set good times. I’ve had a bit of an arm pump issue all weekend for the first time in my career and needed quite a few injections to ease that. But I was way below my best physical condition and not just because of that. All I can do is apologise to Monster Yamaha Tech 3 and I wish I knew what was going on. I’ll try and figure it out and be ready to come out fighting strong in Silverstone.”

HIROSHI AOYAMA, INTERWETTEN HONDA

Race Position: Eleventh Championship Position: Thirteenth

“I COULD NOT KEEP MY LAP TIMES…”

Mugello did not run as expected for Hiroshi Aoyama. He finished the race again, as like in Le Mans two weeks ago, on 11th place. The 28 year-old Japanese doesn’t know yet what exactly the problem was this time. He has yet to analyse the data of the race, but he suffered a lack of grip and had problems with the hot conditions. That there is much to come from Aoyama could be seen in the qualifying; the team just hopes that it will all go better at Silverstone.

“The race was not easy for me today. I had a quite good start and was able to go with the group for some laps, but then I didn’t have grip anymore and I could not keep my lap times. It was so hot today and that is exhausting. Many riders crashed. But this time I didn’t make any mistakes; I just hope that next time I can have a better race.”

The next MotoGP round is at the newly revised Silverstone, on the 20^th June.

For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk

WSB ROUND 7, MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK, MONDAY 31ST MAY

An up – and down – day for Arai riders in Utah

LEON HASLAM, ALSTARE SUZUKI
Race 1: Second Race 2: DNF Championship Position: Second

“THAT’S HOW IT GOES IN RACING”
Leon Haslam followed a second place finish in the opening race with a crash in race two of round seven of the World Superbike Championship at the Miller Motorsports Park, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Haslam, celebrating his 27th birthday, was heading for a solid third place in the opening 21-lap race before race leader Carlos Checa retired with two laps remaining, gifting Haslam second; all after Haslam had been soaked in oil on the opening lap from the stricken Ducati of Jakub Smrz while holding 10th. In the second race Haslam battled from 10th place to fifth by lap eight, when he crashed out after pushing just a little too hard.

“I’m really disappointed with how the day ended; I knew that today was going to be tough and that was proven. I was fortunate to get second place in the first race and feel sorry for Checa, he was leading both races, should’ve won both and, in the end, didn’t pick up a single point. As a result Biaggi got lucky but that’s how it goes in racing, one week you benefit and the next week it’s your turn to lose out. My problems started with two bad starts. In the first race I was covered in oil from the Ducati of Smrz and I was moving around the track to make sure I didn’t crash on the oil. I was making good progress in the second race and was up to fifth place when the rear tyre just lost traction at one of the hairpin corners and I was thrown off the machine. I’ve had a load of stitches in my elbow but I’ll be fine for the next round.”

JONATHAN REA, TEN KATE HONDA
Race 1: Fourteenth Race 2: Eighth Championship Position: Third

“WE’VE HAD BIG PROBLEMS ALL WEEKEND”
Despite a nasty highside during Superpole, that left him suffering burns to his neck and chest, Jonathan Rea took hard-earned 14th and eighth place finishes at Miller. He crashed at the beginning of lap three in the first race, but remounted in last place to begin a dogged fight back to 14th place at the flag and two championship points. However, changes to his front fork settings for race two did not improve his bike’s handling and the 23-year-old was forced to settle for eighth.

“It’s quite hard to take many positives out of the weekend really. We’ve had big problems all weekend and nothing we tried did anything to fix them. We made a big – and I mean BIG – change to the front of the bike for race two, but the characteristics were exactly the same. Unfortunately, I’m missing the first day of our test at Assen because I’m riding in the 300km race at Suzuka, but there’s plenty for the team to be working through. I really hope we can get something to take to the next race at Misano, because I have some great memories of that round last year.”


CAL CRUTCHLOW, STERILGARDA YAMAHA
Race 1: Eleventh Race 2: Third Championship Position: Ninth

“I TRIED MY HARDEST”
Cal Crutchlow put in a mature performance to take a hard fought podium with third in the second race. Having started from third and then initially dropping back to sixth he fought back up, chasing down a number of riders before closing in on BMW’sTroy Corser and passing him for the third spot which he held to the line. Race one proved unlucky for Crutchlow; after an initial drop off the line to seventh, he put his head down and started to reel in sixth place rider Johnny Rea. As he put the pressure on, Rea crashed out on lap three, forcing Crutchlow wide and off the track to avoid him. He recovered but had dropped to 13th, with a big gap to the riders in front. Despite the setback he put his head down, taking two positions to cross the line in 11th.

“I think the first race should have been the same as the second one, unfortunately I got caught up in Johnny’s crash and lost some valuable places. We’ve not had the pace of Checa and Biaggi this weekend, they did a fantastic job. I tried my hardest and I think we’ve done the best job we can. All credit to the Yamaha guys; we’ve worked really hard for this result.”

NORIYUKI HAGA, XEROX DUCATI
Race 1: Third Race 2: Fourth Championship Position: Fifth

“IT WASN’T EASY!”
Haga turned a string of below average (by his standards) race performances around at Miller, bagging a podium and a fourth at a track he’s never particularly gelled with. In race one Haga didn’t make a great start; after the first lap he was lying in sixth position but pushed on to arrive at the battle for fifth, just behind Camier and Haslam. He remained in this position until the eighteenth lap when he was finally able to pass Camier. When Checa’s bike stopped Haga moved up to third. Race two’s start wasn’t good either; Xaus touched Haga’s bike right off the line which caused him to lose positions and precious time. During lap six Haga got past Rea and, following the retirement of both Checa and Haslam from the race, he moved up to fifth. Haga pushed hard, catching and passing Corser on the BMW in the closing stages.

“I’m really happy to be back on the podium today, but it wasn’t easy! At the start of race one I was having trouble pushing but after a few laps the tyres picked up a bit and I was finally able to get past Camier in the final stages. It’s a great result and the first time I’ve been on the Miller podium. In race two I had a similar feeling with my bike but the race was more difficult. I started badly and had to push so hard to make up the lost ground. In the last two years my weekends at Miller have been conditioned by crashes but this year I had a good feeling right from the first exit I made on Friday and this gave me confidence that a podium was possible. I’m satisfied and now we move on to Misano, a circuit where there is no long straight and where the Ducati could be very fast.”

The unlucky Jakub Smrz and his PATA Ducati failed to finish either race. He remains 13th in the championship.

The WSB paddock now heads to Misano, Italy with racing on June 27th.

For more information on Arai Helmets and related products please visit www.whyarai.co.uk