MOTOGP ROUND 7, ASSEN, SATURDAY JUNE 25

Unpredictable conditions in Holland challenge Arai riders, but hard work pays off…

DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: DNS          Championship Position: 6th

Prior to the weekend’s racing at Assen Honda Racing Corporation confirmed that Dani Pedrosa would not race, and for one round only his replacement in the Repsol Honda squad would be Hiroshi Aoyama from the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team. HRC test rider, Kousuke Akiyoshi stepped in to replace Aoyama and ride alongside Marco Simoncelli. Pedrosa is planning a return to action at Mugello.

The race was won by factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies, taking his maiden MotoGP victory, followed by Repsol Honda team-mates Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso.

CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 14th           Championship Position:  14th

“I’VE PROVED AGAIN I’VE GOT THE SPEED”
With air temperatures only just reaching a cold 13 degrees and earlier rain affecting grip levels, Cal Crutchlow fitted the soft compound Bridgestone front tyre to his Yamaha. He subsequently made the best start of his MotoGP career and ended the first lap in fourth place, showing phenomenal early speed to chase Stoner and Dovizioso. Ignoring the pain of the recovering left collarbone he broke at Silverstone just over two weeks ago, he superbly kept Valentino Rossi at bay until he started to encounter a front tyre grip problem after five laps. Determined to overcome the issue to claim his first top six MotoGP finish, he fought hard to remain in the top six until lap 11 when the problem worsened. He opted to pit for a new front tyre on lap 13 and then set a fast and consistent pace on his way to 14th.

“Looking at the positives I got a fantastic start and for the first few laps I was running close to the front in a MotoGP race for the first time. I felt confident I could keep Valentino behind me but then after about five or six laps I started struggling with the front tyre on the right side. I had no choice but to come in and change it because if I had carried on pushing it was going to be easy to crash and that’s the last thing I need to be doing at the moment. Without that I’ve no doubt I’d have finished fourth but I’ve proved again I’ve got the speed and shown that I can race with the best in this class. It wasn’t the final result we wanted but I can’t change it and I still learned a lot, so now I’m concentrating on Mugello and getting a good result there.”

COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 7th          Championship Position: 9th

“TO BE HONEST I’M HAPPY I MADE IT TO THE FINISH!”
Colin Edwards also encountered a front tyre grip issue as the race avoided any repeat of the earlier rain. Once he’d settled into a fast pace, Edwards was comfortably cutting the gap to the Crutchlow and Rossi battle when his front tyre started to lose traction. He held fifth until lap 17 but was unable to hold off Nicky Hayden. Edwards also then encountered a rare arm pump issue caused as he tried to compensate for the muscle damage to his left ribcage suffered in a recent crash at Catalunya. Despite his best efforts the 37-year-old was unable to maintain his pace and he dropped down the order to finish in seventh position.

“That wasn’t an easy race at all and to be honest I’m happy I made it to the finish. I was feeling really good and catching Valentino and Cal when I went through the second corner and lost the front. I thought it was just because I was pushing but the next corner the same thing happened and from that moment it was really difficult. Each time I was in a right-hander I couldn’t turn but that wasn’t my only issue today. After about ten laps I got really bad arm pump. I’ve got no upper body strength with the rib injury from Catalunya, so to compensate I was doing everything with my arms and at one stage, the combination of the two issues meant I thought I was going to have to pull in. It was a case of gritting my teeth and getting some points but we’ll analyse what happened because Ben (Spies) won the race on the soft front tyre. Our bike isn’t set-up completely different, so we'll have to talk to Bridgestone.”

NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 5th         Championship Position: 5th

“I CAN’T CELEBRATE FIFTH PLACE TOO MUCH…”
Nicky Hayden earned fifth place on a day marked by difficult weather conditions, with cold temperatures resulting in a number of early crashes, including Simoncelli taking out Lorenzo just off the start. The warm-up session was wet, but the track began to dry out before the race, and the riders were forced to change their setups on the grid and replaced their rain tyres with slicks. This is Hayden’s best dry result of the season so far.

“Conditions have been all over the place all weekend, and the race wasn’t any different. We went out with a rain setup, but we saw that it was drying quickly and changed to a complete dry setup on the grid. There were a couple of little wet patches early on, but it was okay. We made a small change for the race, but nothing big. The first lap or two, the tyres heated up and I felt really good. Then I made a couple of early mistakes. I touched a white line and also pushed the front once and had to go straight at the chicane. Colin passed me, and then I managed to drag him back. I can’t celebrate fifth place too much, but it’s my best dry result of the year and puts us fifth in the points.”

Hiroshi Aoyama, riding Pedrosa’s full factory Honda in Repsol colours finished in 8th place and is 8th overall in the championship. He was grateful for the taste of factory machinery;
“First of all I’d like to thank the whole Repsol Honda Team and HRC. It was quite a tough weekend due to the conditions and situation, not ideal to go racing in but we couldn’t do anything about this. We tried our best during this short space of time and I’m happy I enjoyed the race even if in a lot of pain after yesterday’s crash. In the race it was quite tough, but from mid-race I was able to improve lap by lap and achieve good consistency. This experience has taught me things and made me a better rider, I hope one day I can return to this team. Dani will return next race and I am sure he will be happy to be back on his bike!”

Czech rider Karel Abraham was caught out by the conditions, crashing early on and unable to restart, moving him back to 13th in the championship.

Round 8 of MotoGP is at Mugello, Sunday 3rd July.

World Superbikes- Aragon, Spain, June 19th

Hard work and slim pickings for Arai riders in Spain.

LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: 9th                                  Race Two: 9th                 Championship Position: 6th

“WE’VE STILL GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO…”
Leon Haslam finished ninth in both races at round seven of the World Superbike Championship at Aragon in Spain. Haslam battled through from row four of the grid in both races, holding 14th place for the early part of race one before easing into ninth place and a battle with team-mate Troy Corser in the closing stages. A much better start to race two left Haslam in eighth place at the end of the first lap but he drifted back to 10th before muscling out Italian Ayrton Badovini in the closing stages to ensure ninth place a repeat finish of race one. Yamaha-mounted Marco Melandri won the opening encounter, while fellow Italian Max Biaggi and his Aprilia took victory in the second race.

“It has been another tough weekend for us. In race one I didn’t get a good start and left myself with a lot of work to do. I felt like I had the pace to run with the second group of riders who were fighting for fourth place, but I made a mistake on lap one and was not able to bridge the gap. However, I worked hard, made up some places and finished the race in ninth. In race two I got a better start, the one I was hoping for in the first race. Sadly I did not have a good feeling with the machine, as we went for a softer tyre and I did not have the same level of grip, but I had a good battle with Ayrton Badovini. We just have to go through the data now and get ready for the next round. We’ve still got a lot of work to do…”

JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS                               Race Two: DNS              Championship Position: 8th

“I’M SO DISAPPOINTED.”
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to miss the two races at Aragon and has undergone an operation to secure the radius bone in his right arm, which was fractured in a warm-up crash at Misano. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland also sustained minor fractures to his right foot and left collarbone and is working on regaining 100% fitness as quickly as possible.

“I’m so disappointed to be missing the Aragon round because when we rode a couple of really cold laps there last year I did enjoy the layout. I like riding at new circuits and it would have been useful to get some data from there. It was a pretty fast crash last weekend – everything’s quite sore and I also got some gravel rash on my neck which is pretty painful, too. I’m going to concentrate on getting fit again as quickly as I can. When I get back on the bike I want to be at 100% so that I can really get the very best of out it and try to get us back on the podium and back to winning ways.”

Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia finished race one in 6th and race two in 7th; the consistency helps move him up one spot to 9th in the championship. Jakub Smrz and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati had another disastrous weekend and DNF’d both races, dropping him back to 11th overall in the title chase.

Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Broc Parkes not only blasted off from pole he led from the front and looked comfortable, but was unlucky in the final part of the race. Losing front tyre grip from mid-race on, but trying to keep his closest title rival Chas Davies behind him, he slid off on lap 16 of 18. Despite trying to get going again, he had to retire and no scored. Despite the disappointment of losing the championship lead to Davies, Parkes is still a strong overall second after six rounds, with another six to go; “It was all going fine at the front, all under control. Then the front tyre felt that it was moving a little bit under me, from about half race distance. I was struggling to control the pace and a couple of times I lost the front. I tried to back down a little bit and then it started to feel OK. I had three laps to go and I knew there were two riders behind me and the gap back to them was pretty much the same. Then I made a mistake and lost the front. Maybe on days like that you should finish and settle for the points in third, or something like that. Anyway, it didn’t work out and I am really upset because it was good points we lost.”

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

WSBK ROUND 6, MISANO, SUNDAY JUNE 12

Tough breaks in Italy, but also a win and a podium for Arai riders

LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: DNF                   Race Two: 5th          Championship Position: 5th

“I WAS JUST PLEASED TO SEE THE FINISH!”
Leon Haslam finished fifth in the second race of round six of the World Superbike Championship at Misano in Italy after crashing out of the day’s opening race.
Having led in the early stages, Haslam crashed out of fourth place on lap 10 of 24, breaking a foot and damaging wrist ligaments in the 120mph fall. He again led in race two and was holding fourth place on lap 11 when the race was stopped to remove a stricken, crashed machine from the middle of the circuit. In the 14-lap restart Haslam again hit the front before eventually crossing the finish line in fifth place, retaining fifth place in the World Championship. Both 24-lap races around the 4.226km Misano circuit were won by Spain’s Carlos Checa, riding his Althea Ducati.

“I was just about on the limit with the machine and tyre when I was sent into a big highside and down I went, race over. Overall it’s been a pretty disappointing weekend; to have the pace to lead the races but not the pace to win is really frustrating. It was a shame that the second race got red-flagged as we’d gone for a harder compound rear tyre that should’ve been good for the second part of the race. The machine did feel more stable and more comfortable than it did in race one. For the restart we used a softer compound rear tyre and it really changed the characteristics of the machine – the front became a problem and I almost crashed a few times so, in the end, I was just pleased to see the finish.”

JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS                   Race Two: DNS      Championship Position: 8th

“I’LL TRY TO COME BACK FOR BRNO…”
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to sit out both races at Misano after a high-speed crash during warm-up left him with fractures to his right arm and left collarbone. Rea had been searching for an improvement in his machine’s setting after issues in qualifying left him in 11th place after the final Superpole session. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland was pushing hard in warm-up before he crashed at approximately 230kph at Misano’s fast turn 11. He was transferred to Ospedale Bufalini in Cesena where the fracture to his right radius and left clavicle were confirmed; with a number of other bumps and bruises, it is doubtful whether he will be able to line up for next weekend’s races at Aragon in Spain.

“Well, the weekend just went from bad to worse really – I had a crash yesterday which needed some stitches in my arm and then a 230kph crash this morning at one of the fastest corners on the calendar. Of course, I’m frustrated and I have some injuries that I want to take time to heal properly. We’ll have to miss Aragon next week, unfortunately, but Brno is a month off and the doctors tell me that the break in my arm would normally keep someone off work for three weeks. I’ll try to come back for Brno at 100% as it’s a circuit that suits me and the bike.”

Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia DNF’d in race one but bounced back to a brilliant third place in the interrupted second race – Haga looked very much like the rider of old, carving tight lines and riding with fractions of an inch to spare. He holds 12th place in the championship. Jakub Smrz  and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati as ever had a superb qualifying, landing third place on the grid but both races ended in disaster with a brace of crashes; he remains 9th overall.

Broc Parkes rode a perfect race at Misano to take his first World Supersport victory for Kawasaki and take the team’s first race win of the season. Broc also seized the lead in the Riders' Championship standings. Having qualified fourth fastest, Parkes was in line for a good result and his longed-for first win came at one of his favourite circuits. Broc now leads the championship by five points from Chaz Davies, who led the race for a time, before Parkes swept past on lap five. He was a happy man, understandably; “Unreal to win. It felt really good and I got a good start from fourth place on the grid. I was really concerned how the set-up would be for the race, because we made quite a big change for the start, so we did not know exactly where we were. It was a little bit of a gamble but it paid off in the end. I got out in front, got to the lead, but just had to stay relaxed and control the race.”

The next Word Superbike championship round is at Aragon, on June 19.

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

MOTOGP ROUND 6, SILVERSTONE, SUNDAY JUNE 12

Bleak weather but some high points for Arai riders at the British GP

DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA

Race Position: DNS                         Championship Position: 5^th

Dani Pedrosa chose to sit out the British MotoGP round at Silverstone to aid the repair of his right collarbone, which was fractured during the race at Le Mans. He had an operation on the 18^th of May, but the bone has been healing slowly and his return to the MotoGP grid will be dictated purely by the speed of his recovery.

CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3

Race Position: DNS                         Championship Position:  13^th

It was confirmed on Saturday afternoon that Cal Crutchlow would miss his all-important home MotoGP round at Silverstone with a broken left collarbone. The home crowd favourite was just starting the third lap of qualifying when he lost control of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team YZR-M1 machine on the entry to the second corner. He landed heavily on his left shoulder and was immediately assessed by trackside medical staff before being transferred to the Silverstone Medical Centre where he was diagnosed with a broken left collarbone. He is also being assessed for a neck injury and further information on his condition and recovery will be made available at the earliest opportunity.

COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3

Race Position: 3^rd               Championship Position: 8^th

“THAT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE RACE!”

Colin Edwards produced what can only be called a heroic performance at the rain-lashed Silverstone circuit, the experienced American mastering atrocious conditions during the British Grand Prix to finish in a deserved third position. Just nine days after breaking his right collarbone in seven places at the Catalunya round, Edwards showed outstanding skill and bravery to claim his first MotoGP rostrum since he was second in the 2009 British Grand Prix at Donington Park. With large patches of standing water littering the circuit and heavy rain falling throughout, Edwards quickly got to grips with the treacherous conditions and needed only five laps to pass compatriot Ben Spies to move into fifth. Edwards maintained a fast and consistent pace, and while other riders were being caught out by the tricky conditions, the 37-year-old called on his vast experience to keep his composure and concentration to secure his 12th MotoGP podium.

“That was an unbelievable race and to finish on the podium feels amazing. I was happy to qualify eighth but never in a million years did I think I’d be on the podium just over a week after breaking my collarbone. I need to thank Dr Xavier Mir for the repair job he did on my shoulder and also my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because they gave me a phenomenal bike today. My shoulder felt great and it was the muscle damage around my ribs that caused me the most pain. But the rain definitely helped because it was a lot less physical than in the dry. I just gritted my teeth and got on with it, just trying to stay smooth and not make any mistakes. But I saw a few people succumbing to the conditions and I saw P3 on by board and I couldn’t believe it. It was difficult but it was a good way to the end the weekend for the team after what happened to Cal. Nobody wants to get hurt, but being injured for your home race is really tough to take, so I wish him a quick recovery and hope to see him back in Assen.”

NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI

Race Position: 4^th               Championship Position: 6^th

“THAT’S THE FIRST TIME I’VE EVER HAD THE FASTEST LAP ON A DUCATI…”

Along with his team, Nicky Hayden found a very good setup for the wet, and the only thing that caused him to lose contact with the battle for the podium was the particularly treacherous conditions of the early laps, when he came close to crashing his GP11 Ducati on a couple of occasions. Clearly at home in the wet, he posted the fastest lap of the race and finished just off the podium.

“To be honest, I really liked my chances for a podium in the rain; if you’d have told me before the race that I could have fourth, I’d have said, ‘No thanks, I can do better,’ but I’m not disappointed with my ride. I didn’t get a great start because the clutch was jumpy, and for the first few laps it was hard to see and to get heat in the tyres. I had a big moment on the exit of Turn 1 and actually jarred my shoulder pretty good, but I tried to hang in there. I saw Colin in front of me for the podium, and I really pushed. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever had the fastest lap on a Ducati, which is kind of cool even if you don’t get points for it. Full respect to Colin a week after breaking his collarbone, but I still don’t like him beating me for the podium! But we’ll take it and move on.”

Hiroshi Aoyama splashed home in 8th place and resides 7^th overall, while rookie Czech rider Karel Abraham finished in a fantastic 7^th place, bumping himself up to 10th in the championship standings.

Round 7 of MotoGP is at Mugello, Sunday July 3.

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

MOTOGP ROUND 5, CATALUNYA, SUNDAY JUNE 5

Crutchlow earns best ever MotoGP finish in tricky conditions!

DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: DNS          Championship Position: 4th

“I MUST REST FOR A WHILE AND RECOVER PROPERLY”
Dani Pedrosa was forced to sit out the MotoGP race at Catalunya, which his team mate Casey Stoner duly won from Yamaha Team mates Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies. The Spaniard had surgery on the 18th May to repair a fractured right collarbone caused during his crash in the Le Mans race; it was hoped that through rehabilitation he would be able to race in Spain, however, due to the bone healing slower than anticipated he has been forced to follow a more conservative treatment. How the injury heals from this point on will determine the timetable for his return to competition.

“After France, I had surgery to stabilise the fracture of my right collarbone and hoped to be ready for Barcelona. I pushed myself as best as I could but I feel that my collarbone is not yet ready. I think I must rest for a while and recover properly. Since early this year I’ve had many problems and operations and I really believe I must stop now and let this heal properly. I would love to be in Montmeló with all the fans that follow me but for me if I’m on track, I’m there to fight for victory and offer them a good race. I feel that is not possible at the moment and therefore the most sensible thing is not to compete. Despite all the problems I had earlier in the season, this year I felt very strong and I was aware that I could beat my opponents.”

CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 7th          Championship Position:  10th

“NOBODY CAN RIDE THIS PACKAGE HARDER…”
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow heads to his crucial home race at Silverstone this weekend brimming with confidence after he stormed to a career best MotoGP result at Catalunya. Starting from the second row of the grid, Crutchlow quickly gained momentum on Bridgetone’s hard rear tyre and a series of consistently fast laps saw him easily reel in the factory Ducati of Nicky Hayden; he eventually passed the American on lap ten and was able to pull away, despite some nervous moments from the halfway stage as spots of rain started to fall on the circuit. Crutchlow was preparing for his first experience of the flag-to-flag format, but the light rain abated and he rode to a brilliant seventh place.

“That’s my best result in MotoGP and of course I’m happy, but I’d rather have got a result like that in a more entertaining race. It was just a test of concentration for most of the race once I’d passed Nicky and it was quite lonely. I caught him really quickly but once I got by I’d used up my rear tyre trying to chase him down because I struggled for grip after that. When the spots of rain came it was quite difficult. The white flags were being waved like there was a monsoon but there was only rain in the last three corners. Part of me was looking forward to having a flag-to-flag race because it might have given me a chance of fighting with the group at the front, but the rain never got worse than a few spots on the visor. Sixth to eighth position is where I’m at the moment but it is a good confidence boost as well to finish as the top non-factory rider. Nobody can ride this package harder than I am and I'm looking forward to Silverstone.”


COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: DNS         Championship Position: 13th

“I DEFINITELY DON’T LIKE WATCHING ON TV!”
Edwards quickly returned to the Catalunya circuit, having undergone successful surgery to insert a titanium plate and 13 screws in the right collarbone he broke in a heavy crash during Friday’s second free practice session. He had already gained close to full movement in his right shoulder and in a brave attempt to continue his proud record of never missing a race in his MotoGP career, planned to start the 25-lap clash and retire after two laps. But after medical checks prior to the race, medical staff declared him unfit to start, though the 37-year-old is confident he will have no problems riding at Silverstone.

“I’m a little bit disappointed with the decision not to let me ride because while it’s not a lifelong ambition never to miss a MotoGP race, it was a run I was pretty proud of. I understand the decision but my shoulder feels great. Dr Xavier Mir has done an amazing job on my collarbone because it was smashed, but it was never my intention to do the full race. I just wanted to start, do a couple of laps and pull in. I only considered it because I was here in Barcelona and it seemed pointless breaking the streak. But I’m too big and too old to get upset and I’m going to rest up now and concentrate on getting ready for Silverstone. I know I can race next weekend and I'm already looking forward to it. I can't remember the last time I missed a race and I definitely don't like watching on TV!”

NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 8th         Championship Position: 6th

“I THOUGHT I COULD DO BETTER THAN THAT…”
Nicky Hayden qualified in 8th place, and that’s how he finished the race after getting a good start; he rapidly encountered rear grip problems and could not hold the pace of the riders ahead of him.

“I thought I could do better than that. I actually got a good start and the tyres came right in, so the first couple laps I thought we might be on for a good result. We used up the tyre really quickly though, and almost immediately I was spinning a lot, especially in the long corners. We had some ideas to maybe help that, but we couldn’t try them in the morning because it was wet, and it was too much of a gamble to try in the race. The rest of the bike felt really good. When the raindrops came, you definitely had to stay on your toes. I ended up in eighth, where we qualified, which I’m not thrilled with since normally we’ve been able to move up in the races.”

Hiroshi Aoyama crashed out and did not make the finish on his Team San Carlo Honda; he now lies 8th overall in the title chase. Czech rider and Karel Abraham finished 10th and moves up to 12th in the championship standings.

Round 6 of MotoGP is at Silverstone, Sunday June 12.

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

WSBK ROUND 5, MILLER, MONDAY MAY 30

A tough weekend’s work for Arai riders in Salt Lake City…

LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: 8th                                  Race Two: 13th              Championship Position: 5th

“THIS WAS A RACE WEEKEND TO FORGET”
Starting from 12th on the grid for race one at the 4.907km Miller circuit, near Salt Lake City, Leon Haslam had work to do and duly fought his way up to sixth place by the closing stages. But with just three laps remaining he lost track position to Ayrton Badovini and Tom Sykes he eventually finishing in eighth place. Race two was one to forget for Leon, as his difficult weekend continued and although he battled hard was just unable to get his bike working consistently around the circuit, eventually finishing in 13th place. There was no such drama at the front for Carlos Checa, who took his second victory of the day and increased his championship lead to 61 points.

“This was a race weekend to forget. We have identified some issues, and we have to solve these. I am confident that the entire team will work hard to bring us further up the ranks soon. We need to go away from here and regroup if we want to be strong for the next races, and we must now look to move the bike forward.”

JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNF                               Race Two: 11th              Championship Position: 6th

“AT LEAST I’M NOT GOING HOME WRAPPED UP LIKE A MUMMY!”
Difficult qualifying sessions left Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea starting the two 21-lap races at Miller from the fourth row of the grid; despite a promising start to the first outing Rea was not able to finish the first lap, while in race two another good start saw Rea battling for a top six placing before he dropped back down the field, visibly suffering from corner entry problems.

“We just haven’t had a package that we could compete with this weekend and it was all I could do to finish where I did in race two. Obviously, the day wasn’t helped by not coming home with 21 laps of data from race one; on the first lap of that one, I was the victim of a very intimidating attempt at a pass that went wrong and we both fell down. As much as I’m disappointed with the way things have gone this weekend, I really feel for the guys in the team who have worked so hard to get things working. We just haven’t been able to find the sweet spot for the bike at this track and scoring four points from the weekend is just not good enough. We can’t walk away from here with our heads held high and the only consolation is that at least I’m not going home wrapped up like a mummy like I did last year...”

Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia finished race one in 9th but scored a DNF in race two, and therefore slips back to 11th in the championship.

Jakub Smrz (Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) so nearly landed the number one spot in superpole just behind Carlos Checa, and followed that great result up with a brilliant 2nd place in first race, just 2.7s back from Checa. Smrz couldn’t repeat in race two, but finished 8th, and remains 9th in the championship. He was understandably elated after so nearly bagging the victory; “I’m so happy for the entire team, as they did a great job. Even after the warm-up we did not know whether the settings were correct, so I was at the beginning of the race a little unsure. But at the very end I felt really great on the bike!”

Australian Josh Waters, leading the second WSBK outing for Team Yoshimura Suzuki wound up 12th in race one, and 15th in race two.

The next Word Superbike championship round is at Misano, with racing taking place on June 12.



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