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