Arai riders share wins, podiums and news in Germany…

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

“I’M GOING TO BE PRETTY SORE…”
Leon Haslam defied the pain barrier in the second race at the Nürburgring in Germany, taking a podium despite a dislocated right thumb and damaged knee ligaments. The Team Suzuki Alstare rider crashed at the start of race one when he was highsided and it was fortunate that the race was red-flagged and he and the other fallers were able to make the restart. His bike was too badly damaged to take part in the restart, so he was forced to use his spare bike – one that he had only used for a handful of laps in practice and qualifying. The set-up and feel of the bike were different to that of his number one bike, but he rode superbly to take a very creditable sixth place. That was impressive enough, but in race two he surprised everybody with his grit, determination and fighting spirit to take third place.

“My crash in race one was a highside and I am sorry that it caused Troy to crash also. Luckily the race was stopped and everybody was able to have another go. I had hurt my right thumb and left knee and they were very sore, but I was determined to get out there and give my all. Once the race started, the adrenaline kicked in and I think I would’ve been much faster and more competitive if it had not been for the fact that I was on my number two bike. The mechanics weren’t able to repair my number one bike in time for the restart. I had only done a few laps on the spare bike and so the set-up wasn’t as good and it was that which prevented me challenging the front guys, not my injuries. The team repaired my number one bike in time for race two and I felt much happier. They and the Clinica Mobile staff did great jobs and it was thanks to both of them that I was able to get on the bike and take a podium. I’m sure I’m going to be pretty sore tonight and although I would’ve wanted a couple of wins today, I was happy to get on the podium and with 100 points possible in the next two rounds, anything can happen.”

JONATHAN REA, TEN KATE HONDA
Race 1: First                        Race 2: Second  Championship Position: Third

“I’M ENJOYING RIDING THE BIKE!”
Jonathan Rea enjoyed a race win, a second place finish and set a new lap record at the Nürburgring. Starting from the inside of the front row of the grid, Rea was first into the tight first corner in race one and, although pressed hard in the early stages by Haga and Carlos Checa, the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland was never headed. Race two was not quite so straightforward for Rea, who was fourth on the opening lap before passing series leader Max Biaggi and eventually finishing second to the hard-charging Haga after Checa crashed out on lap 10. However, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider took the fastest lap in race two to go with the new Nürburgring lap record he had established in the first outing – itself almost a second inside the record he established in the process of winning race two last year.

“We were really behind the 8-ball on Friday but did a lot of work that night and came back yesterday with a bike we could challenge with. We managed to turn that into a win in the first race today by making a break at the front and controlling the race, so all credit has to go to the crew for turning things around. Nori was really fast in the second race so I’m really happy with a one-two and really think that was probably the maximum points I could get today. It was a lap of two halves really and I while I was weak in the first two splits the last two were really strong. Although I could gain a little bit there, I’d just got dropped a little bit at the start and I lost my rhythm a bit when Checa went down. But I’m really happy – I’m enjoying riding the bike and it’s fun to turn up to a racetrack and just ride the CBR. If you’d offered me a one-two on Friday I would have snapped your hand off.”

CAL CRUTCHLOW, STERILGARDA YAMAHA
Race 1: Third                      Race 2: Fourth                   Championship Position: Fifth

“I DID THE BEST JOB I COULD, AND IT’S GOOD FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP”
Cal Crutchlow kept his head down and got straight to business in Germany. Despite a challenging grid position of tenth Crutchlow fought through in both races, taking a well earned podium with third in race one and finishing just off it in fourth in race two, a mere four tenths of a second behind Leon Haslam. Despite putting in such a solid performance Cal’s mind may have been a little bit elsewhere over the weekend; his rumoured move to MotoGP, to the Tech3 Yamaha team, was confirmed on Sunday.

“Race one was really good, I was happy to be on the podium again, especially starting from tenth and considering we spent a lot of the weekend working through some different set up issues; it was a credible finish. I was also happy with the second race, I was disappointed not to be on the podium but I think if we had a better tyre we could have challenged for it, I did the best job I could. It was still good for the championship, we are pulling up on Checa a little bit so hopefully we can go to Imola and build on this”

Speaking about his impending move to MotoGP he was modest, yet excited;

“Being part of the Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team has been fantastic – when I first signed with Yamaha for the 2009 World Supersport Championship we went on to win, and the natural progression was to move to World Superbike. It was an honour to be asked to be part of the team and to remain as part of the Yamaha family. Now I’m again taking another step and I am being brought through to the Tech3 Team as they have done with other riders such as Ben Spies in the past. I first rode for Yamaha in 2003 in the R6 Cup so have a great history with them. Moving to MotoGP is a great opportunity for me; it was an honour to be asked by Herve Poncheral and for Yamaha to back me. I intend to do the best job I can with the team next year, be humble, learn and enjoy the experience.”

NORIYUKI HAGA, XEROX DUCATI
Race 1: DNF              Race 2: First  Championship Position: Sixth

“I WAS ABLE TO GET THE JOB DONE!”
Noriyuki Haga returned to winning ways at the Nurburgring, with a stunning victory in race two at the Nürburgring. Haga got away well in the restart of race one, moving up to third place through the first corner. Quickly passing Carlos Checa on the privateer Ducati, the Japanese rider held second position until the end of the seventh lap when he unexpectedly lost the front. Unhurt, he hoped to be able to return to the track and returned to the box to fix a damaged handlebar but unfortunately damaged mufflers meant that it was too dangerous to continue and the team decided to retire. For race two Haga again got off the line like a missile, projecting himself to second position at the first corner. He soon got past Carlos Checa to take the lead and, after Checa’s unlucky crash a few laps later, the Japanese rider was able to gradually increase the gap between himself and Jonathan Rea, eventually crossing the line with more than three seconds of advantage to take the 43rd Superbike win of his career. With this win, Noriyuki celebrates the 110th podium of his career, moving ahead of Carl Fogarty (109) in the all time standings. Only Troy Corser has seen more success with 129 podiums scored to date.

“First of all I want to say how happy I am to be back up here. After the crash I went straight back to the garage in the hope that my technicians could adjust the bike so that I could continue but unfortunately there was too much damage to the mufflers and I had to stop there. We made some modifications to the front suspension and the bike behaved a lot better in race two. I maintained a strong pace for the entire race and was able to get the job done! I’m sorry for Carlos because it’s always great to battle against him. Now I’d like to repeat this result at Imola, Ducati’s home track.”

Jakub Smrz and his PATA Ducati DNF’d in the first race and finished 11th in the second. He resides 14th in the championship.

The WSB paddock now heads to Imola, with racing on September 26th.

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