WSB ROUND 12, IMOLA, SUNDAY 26th SEPTEMBER -ARAI RACE NEWS

 Highs and lows for Arai riders in Italy

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

“IT IS FRUSTRATING THAT IT’S ENDED THIS WAY”
Leon Haslam’s hopes of taking this year’s Superbike World Championship title ended in the second race at the penultimate round at Imola in Italy. He started the race in second place behind fellow countryman Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) and was battling with the lead group after seven laps, but went in a bit too hot at the final chicane and had to go across the gravel trap. He rejoined the track in sixth place and was fighting his way up again when he suffered with a mechanical issue, possibly connected to his off-track excursion.

In race one, watched by more than 69,000 fans, Haslam was just behind leader Carlos Checa on the last lap and lining up a passing manoeuvre when the smallest of mistakes made him run wide. He recovered, but three other riders took advantage and passed him in the process. With series leader Max Biaggi (Aprilia) finishing 11th, Haslam still had hopes of beating the Italian in race two and making the fight go all the way down to the wire at Magny Cours in France. Ducati mounted Checa won both races.

“It is frustrating that it has ended the way it has because I was hoping to take the fight to Magny-Cours, but that’s racing. We always knew it was going to be a hard task because Max’s lead in the points was so great, but while there was hope, we kept fighting. I should’ve won the first race and I would’ve won it if I hadn’t made a mistake on the last lap. I saw that Max had only finished 11th, so at least the fight would carry on and maybe I could get a podium and Max would have another low finish. I was chasing Tom Sykes in race two. He was fast on the straights, but holding me up in the turns, so I thought I’d have a go at him in the final chicane. I went for it, but got in a bit too hot and had to straighten up and go across the gravel. I was using the same bike as race one and it had been OK at the end of the race, but when something happened I pulled off the track as soon as I could. Obviously, I hadn’t wanted the title fight to end this way, but I knew that this weekend was all about having to go for it – and that’s what I did. So I better make up for it in Magny-Cours by winning both races!”

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

“WE HAD TO MAKE THE DECISION…”
Jonathan Rea was unable to race at Imola after fracturing his collarbone and wrist in a qualifying crash on Saturday. After further pain-killing injections before the morning warm-up, Rea went out to see how his injuries would stand up to the physical demands of 21 race laps. However, a further crash just two laps in effectively ended his participation. The 23-year-old Northern Irishman bravely went out again on his spare Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade but he was unable to effectively control his machine and was subsequently officially withdrawn from the event. Rea is back in the UK and consulting more than one specialist in order to evaluate the possibilities of his taking part in next weekend’s final round race at Magny-Cours in France.

“We had to make the decision after warm up to sit out the two races because my injuries from yesterday were just too painful on the bike. I tried in warm-up but I didn’t have sufficient strength or control in my left wrist for left-handed corners. It’s very frustrating for me and the whole team – it’s been a tough weekend and I know I’ve had a lot of support behind me from the guys here and all my fans. I’m really sorry that we couldn’t make the race but I have to look after my body and I’m going to get some medical opinions. Until we’ve got them in we won’t be able to give a proper prognosis but I’d like to thank the team, our sponsors and all my fans for their support.”

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

“I THINK WE SHOWED WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF”
The second race at Imola saw Cal Crutchlow deliver an inspired ride. Coming from a bad start, dropping to 13th off the line, Crutchlow put the hammer down and chased down the lead pack; an engine failure by Leon Haslam scattered the following riders. Undeterred he kept on pushing, overtaking Biaggi with six laps left to go for fourth place. Lap 18 saw him swiftly pass Tom Sykes at the last chicane before the start finish line for third place, which he then held to the line to claim his podium finishing just 3.9 seconds off the leader. Race one saw Crutchlow dropped to 14th off the start line from his 12th position on the grid but he fought back to seventh by lap seven. Coming into lap 12 he’d climbed further and took Smrz for fifth going into the first corner. Unfortunately he ran wide onto the gravel the following lap, dropping to tenth where he held on, fighting off Biaggi to the finish line.

“I’m happy with today in the end. I’m disappointed with the first race, I think I had podium pace and was catching up to the guys in front but made an error, which dropped me back. The second race was good, I had a bad start then Noriyuki Haga and Carlos Checa and I all had to come from the back which made it interesting. Big thanks to Yamaha who put together a great bike this weekend for me, we were really strong and put in some good laps towards the end of the races and I think we showed what we are capable of.”


NORIYUKI HAGA, XEROX DUCATI
Race 1: Third                Race 2: Second            Championship Position: Sixth

“I’D SAY WE CAN ALL BE HAPPY WITH THAT!”
In race one Noriyuki Haga made up a lot of ground off the line, in ninth after the first lap. A drop in the performance of some of the frontrunners, in the second half of the race, allowed the Japanese rider to catch first Tom Sykes and then Jakub Smrz, putting him fourth. On the final lap Haga moved into third position and secured a podium spot when Leon Haslam ran off track. A warmer track greeted the start of race two, and Haga was again able to make rapid progress, making up eleven places in nine laps. The Japanese rider never gave up, passing Max BIaggi, Tom Sykes before going after Carlos Checa who had already built up a significant advantage. Haga did all he could but the Spanish rider only increased his pace, to take his first double win on board the 1198 Ducati.

“It wasn’t easy and I’m really happy to have reached the podium twice, even if I couldn’t win today. At this track the first corner is particularly narrow and that can make the first lap pretty dangerous but I got through it and made up some positions there, and then found a good rhythm in both races which meant I could start to catch up, finally reaching third, and then second. Of course it would have been even better to win but I would have needed a few more laps in order to do that. My congratulations go to Carlos, Lorenzo and Cal as they all rode extremely well, especially Carlos. A Ducati 1-2-3 and then a 1-2 – I’d say we can all be happy with that!”
Jakub Smrz and his PATA Aprilia, after a great qualifying, finished the first race in fourth and DNF’d the second. He lies 15th in the championship.

The WSB paddock now heads to the final round at Magny Cours, with racing on October 3.

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