Arai riders race hard in California, Pedrosa makes podium again
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: 3rd Championship Position: 4th
“I WAS VERY TIRED, ALMOST FINISHED…”
Dani Pedrosa started from third on the grid, and settled into second place in the early stages. His team mate Casey Stoner passed him, as Dani soon started suffering from fatigue and fitness problems; Stoner then chased down Jorge Lorenzo for nine laps and wasted no time in passing him around the outside of turn one on lap twenty seven. After being passed by Stoner, Pedrosa retained third position comfortably. He knew his fitness would be tested at a track that demands a huge physical effort, but has now moved above Valentino Rossi in the Championship standings to 4th position with 110 points.
“I’m very happy with another podium, the second after my come back from injury. I could have predicted this result before coming to Laguna because I knew it would be physically very tough for me and it has been great to keep up with the pace of Casey and Jorge in these past two races. Today, by the middle of the race, I was very tired, almost finished, I couldn’t get my left arm strong enough and here at this track you don’t rest for a moment, so I had to drop. It’s been quite difficult to set up the bike this weekend, I had a lack of grip generally, but the team worked very well. Now we have some holidays and it will be good for me to have some days off to rest and relax my muscles and be back training to arrive fully fit in Brno.”
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: DNF Championship Position: 15th
“ALL OF US ARE PUSHING ON THE LIMIT”
Cal Crutchlow’s debut at the spectacular Laguna Seca circuit was unfortunately a short experience, his hopes of a return to the top 10 ended by an early crash. Starting from the front of the fourth row, Crutchlow was shadowing tenth placed Alvaro Bautista when he lost the front-end of his bike at Turn 2. The 25-year-old was unhurt in the fourth lap incident but it was a disappointing conclusion to a weekend that had promised much from the 2009 World Supersport champion, after he’d brilliantly got to grips with the 3.610km track.
“I lost the front at the second corner and it was a similar problem to what we’ve been experiencing in recent races. It was fine this morning in cooler conditions but as soon as the track temperature goes up, I have a few problems. Strangely it was only at that corner. It is a shame because I think we had a good pace. Bautista wasn’t getting away from me and he quickly got up to Valentino and Nicky, so I think I could have gone with him and been in that battle. I’m disappointed I didn't finish the race and it is not good for the Championship but I wasn’t the only one to crash today and it shows all of us are pushing on the limit. We have still learned quite a bit this weekend and the bike certainly felt better than it did in the last few races. Now we go to some tracks that I know and I’m looking forward to it because it has been a tough run and I need to recover the form I was showing in the beginning of the season.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 8th Championship Position: 8th
“HONESTLY I’M REALLY DISAPPOINTED”
Colin Edwards seized eighth from Hector Barbera exiting the famous Corkscrew section on lap 14, but was already six seconds adrift of the battle for sixth place involving Ducati duo Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. He was able to run identical lap times as Rossi and double Laguna Seca MotoGP winner Hayden in the middle phase of the race, but was unable to reduce the gap and he opted not to take any unnecessary risks to ensure he collected eight valuable points. The result, which was the 37-year-old’s seventh top ten finish of the campaign, moves him up one place in the overall rankings to consolidate his position as the leading non-factory rider in 2011.
“Honestly I’m really disappointed because I came here for my home race and I expected bigger and better things. I struggled all weekend with the set-up and we made a wrong turn somewhere in the last couple of races that have knocked us out of stride a little bit. This morning we just put in the same setting I ran in last year’s race and that wasn’t great, but at least I felt more comfortable with it than what I’d been running all weekend. It wasn’t the best setting but at least I felt comfortable to a point where I could push for some decent lap times. I just lacked front and rear grip. I’ve never ridden so hard in my life but I was a second off the pace and when Cal went down in front of me, there was no way I could go with Bautista. I just had to be smooth because if I pushed I just ended up going slower. I still moved up in the Championship and got some good points, so now I’m just looking forward to a couple of weeks relaxing to get ready for the final part of the season.”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 7th Championship Position: 7th
“I’M NOT GOING TO JUMP UP AND DOWN CELEBRATING 7TH PLACE!”
Nicky Hayden finished his home round in 7th behind his team mate Valentino Rossi. He had good pace and rhythm but ultimately wasn’t fast enough to stay with the leading riders.
“I’ve won this race before, so I’m not going to jump up and down celebrating seventh place. We knew it was going to be tough, and crashing in qualifying didn’t help. I got a decent start, but I didn’t get to go with that second group like I had hoped. It was kind of like the Sachsenring: a good battle with Valentino, but thirty seconds behind the front. Vale was no faster than me, but he’s a racer: he doesn’t make mistakes and give you anything. A couple of times I thought I might be able to go up the inside, but I’m not just going to close my eyes and knock us both down trying for sixth place. We’ll take two weeks off, regroup and go to Brno.”
Hiroshi Aoyama rode his San Carlo Honda Gresini to 10th place, and moves to 9th in the Championship. Karel Abraham bought his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati home in 11th; he remains 12th overall in the standings.
Round 11 of MotoGP is at Brno, Sunday August 14. (With Hopper!)
For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
MOTOGP ROUND 9, SACHSENRING, SUNDAY JULY 17
Arai rider Dani Pedrosa is number one in Germany!
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: 1st Championship Position: 5th
“IT’S AN INCREDIBLE FEELING TO BE BACK AND WIN!”
101,309 spectators at Sachsenring, in Germany, witnessed an incredible battle for the MotoGP victory between Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, with Pedrosa finally clinching the win. It was a great race for Dani who returned to the top step of the podium at only his second race after having missed three races due to an injury to the right shoulder. The Repsol Honda rider today sealed his second win of the 2011 season and his fifth Grand Prix victory at the Sachsenring circuit (three wins in MotoGP class, and two in 250cc). On lap twenty, Dani also broke his own Circuit Record Lap record at the Sachsenring with a 1'21.846s.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back and win a race so early; I didn’t expect it, but this circuit has been always very good for me and I made it happen. I was already surprised yesterday with second position in qualifying and to finish the weekend in this way is amazing, a huge relief for me after a very hard time with injuries. Here I suffered less than in Mugello because of the layout, but in the race today I had a strange feeling, something I’ve never had before. At the beginning of the race I wasn’t feeling great on the bike, I was fourth but I didn’t get nervous or worried because I’m still not mathematically out of the Championship battle, but I know it’s almost impossible. So, I just let the laps pass and in the middle of the race, with less fuel in the tank and when the tyres started sliding, I decided to step it up a little and it worked perfectly. I’m very happy with this victory; I’ve been suffering a lot even though this racetrack is not physically demanding, because I’m still weak.”
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 14th Championship Position: 15th
“I DIDN’T GIVE UP.”
Cal Crutchlow rode with typical aggression and he produced a fantastic ride under intense pressure to keep Randy de Puniet, Hector Barbera and fellow MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham at bay in 11th position. Battling a lack of front-end feel that Crutchlow had worked tirelessly to improve over the course of the weekend, the British rider was unable to keep his line entering Turn 3 on lap 26 and he dropped back to 14th place. The 25-year-old quickly got back into his rhythm, but despite launching a concerted effort to reclaim the lost places, he finished less than 0.5s away from 11th.
“Obviously I can’t be happy to have finished 14th because I believe I should be fighting inside the top ten. But taking the positives out of a difficult race, I was able to fight for the whole race with riders that are a lot more experienced than me, and who have much more knowledge of this track. But I didn’t give up and pushed as hard as I could right to the end and nearly recovered a couple of places. I just didn’t have enough grip from the front or the rear and it was difficult. I didn’t feel I could push any harder and it strange because we made a lot of big changes to the bike this weekend without ever really finding an improvement. We’ve learned a few things that will help in the future and now I’m looking forward to getting to Laguna Seca where I'll be aiming to get back inside the top ten.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 10th Championship Position: 9th
“USUALLY IT’S A DISASTER HERE SO I’M ACTUALLY HAPPY....”
Edwards delivered a determined ride throughout the 30-lap encounter, the American shrugging off the lingering affects of a nasty sore throat to finish in a hard fought 10th place after a captivating four-rider battle for seventh that included Alvaro Bautista, Valentino Rossi and compatriot Nicky Hayden, who are all riding full factory machinery. But with four laps remaining, he had to abandon his pursuit of the trio in front when he encountered a rear grip problem in the left-hand corners. Edwards though was still satisfied having set a personal best race time at the Sachsenring, which has traditionally been a bogey track for the 37-year-old.
“That was a difficult race because it was one of those where you can see a few places up for grabs in front of you but you can’t do anything to try move forward. I was with Valentino, Nicky and Alvaro for pretty much the whole race but it didn’t matter what I did or tried, I couldn’t get close enough to try and pass them. One tenth round this track feels like a million because it is so short but it felt like I was on a bungee rope the whole time. Each time we started going through the series of lefts from Turn 4 onwards, they just seem to have more traction than me. They’d pull a few bike lengths on me but then I’d gain it all back in the hard braking for Turn 12 at the bottom of the hill and hard braking for the last corner. With a few laps to go I was in Turn 2, off throttle and the rear came round. From that point on I had less grip and a bit of vibration and I couldn’t stay with them and I was making more mistakes trying to keep their pace. I’ve never gone great at this track and I’ve gone faster than I’ve ever run. Usually it’s a disaster here, so I’m actually happy...”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 8th Championship Position: 7th
“WE HAD BETTER HOPES FOR TODAY!”
Nicky Hayden won the duel with his teammate Valentino Rossi for 8th place at the chequered flag, although he had hoped to be closer to the front after a good showing in practice, where he also qualified in 8th.
“I tried to go with that group in front of me off the start, but about the second or third lap I had a pretty big moment over the bumps in Turn 1 and they took off. From there I had a big battle with Bautista and Vale. It was fun, with a lot of overtaking, but battling for seventh place, 27 seconds back is hard for me to take at a track that I love and where I’ve been on the podium several times. I got to seventh toward the end and did my best lap, but they came with me. Bautista got me on my last lap, at the bottom of the hill. I re-passed him in the last corner, but he squared it up and nipped me to the line. It’s easy to say now, but I wish I raced the soft tyre. Thanks to the team and everybody that worked hard, but we had better hopes for today, going into Laguna.”
Hiroshi Aoyama, on his San Carlo Honda Gresini rode to 15th place, and lies 10th in the Championship while Czech rider Karel Abraham rode his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati well to 12th; he remains 12th overall in the standings.
Round 8 of MotoGP is at Laguna Seca, Sunday July 25.
DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: 1st Championship Position: 5th
“IT’S AN INCREDIBLE FEELING TO BE BACK AND WIN!”
101,309 spectators at Sachsenring, in Germany, witnessed an incredible battle for the MotoGP victory between Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, with Pedrosa finally clinching the win. It was a great race for Dani who returned to the top step of the podium at only his second race after having missed three races due to an injury to the right shoulder. The Repsol Honda rider today sealed his second win of the 2011 season and his fifth Grand Prix victory at the Sachsenring circuit (three wins in MotoGP class, and two in 250cc). On lap twenty, Dani also broke his own Circuit Record Lap record at the Sachsenring with a 1'21.846s.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be back and win a race so early; I didn’t expect it, but this circuit has been always very good for me and I made it happen. I was already surprised yesterday with second position in qualifying and to finish the weekend in this way is amazing, a huge relief for me after a very hard time with injuries. Here I suffered less than in Mugello because of the layout, but in the race today I had a strange feeling, something I’ve never had before. At the beginning of the race I wasn’t feeling great on the bike, I was fourth but I didn’t get nervous or worried because I’m still not mathematically out of the Championship battle, but I know it’s almost impossible. So, I just let the laps pass and in the middle of the race, with less fuel in the tank and when the tyres started sliding, I decided to step it up a little and it worked perfectly. I’m very happy with this victory; I’ve been suffering a lot even though this racetrack is not physically demanding, because I’m still weak.”
CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 14th Championship Position: 15th
“I DIDN’T GIVE UP.”
Cal Crutchlow rode with typical aggression and he produced a fantastic ride under intense pressure to keep Randy de Puniet, Hector Barbera and fellow MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham at bay in 11th position. Battling a lack of front-end feel that Crutchlow had worked tirelessly to improve over the course of the weekend, the British rider was unable to keep his line entering Turn 3 on lap 26 and he dropped back to 14th place. The 25-year-old quickly got back into his rhythm, but despite launching a concerted effort to reclaim the lost places, he finished less than 0.5s away from 11th.
“Obviously I can’t be happy to have finished 14th because I believe I should be fighting inside the top ten. But taking the positives out of a difficult race, I was able to fight for the whole race with riders that are a lot more experienced than me, and who have much more knowledge of this track. But I didn’t give up and pushed as hard as I could right to the end and nearly recovered a couple of places. I just didn’t have enough grip from the front or the rear and it was difficult. I didn’t feel I could push any harder and it strange because we made a lot of big changes to the bike this weekend without ever really finding an improvement. We’ve learned a few things that will help in the future and now I’m looking forward to getting to Laguna Seca where I'll be aiming to get back inside the top ten.”
COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 10th Championship Position: 9th
“USUALLY IT’S A DISASTER HERE SO I’M ACTUALLY HAPPY....”
Edwards delivered a determined ride throughout the 30-lap encounter, the American shrugging off the lingering affects of a nasty sore throat to finish in a hard fought 10th place after a captivating four-rider battle for seventh that included Alvaro Bautista, Valentino Rossi and compatriot Nicky Hayden, who are all riding full factory machinery. But with four laps remaining, he had to abandon his pursuit of the trio in front when he encountered a rear grip problem in the left-hand corners. Edwards though was still satisfied having set a personal best race time at the Sachsenring, which has traditionally been a bogey track for the 37-year-old.
“That was a difficult race because it was one of those where you can see a few places up for grabs in front of you but you can’t do anything to try move forward. I was with Valentino, Nicky and Alvaro for pretty much the whole race but it didn’t matter what I did or tried, I couldn’t get close enough to try and pass them. One tenth round this track feels like a million because it is so short but it felt like I was on a bungee rope the whole time. Each time we started going through the series of lefts from Turn 4 onwards, they just seem to have more traction than me. They’d pull a few bike lengths on me but then I’d gain it all back in the hard braking for Turn 12 at the bottom of the hill and hard braking for the last corner. With a few laps to go I was in Turn 2, off throttle and the rear came round. From that point on I had less grip and a bit of vibration and I couldn’t stay with them and I was making more mistakes trying to keep their pace. I’ve never gone great at this track and I’ve gone faster than I’ve ever run. Usually it’s a disaster here, so I’m actually happy...”
NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 8th Championship Position: 7th
“WE HAD BETTER HOPES FOR TODAY!”
Nicky Hayden won the duel with his teammate Valentino Rossi for 8th place at the chequered flag, although he had hoped to be closer to the front after a good showing in practice, where he also qualified in 8th.
“I tried to go with that group in front of me off the start, but about the second or third lap I had a pretty big moment over the bumps in Turn 1 and they took off. From there I had a big battle with Bautista and Vale. It was fun, with a lot of overtaking, but battling for seventh place, 27 seconds back is hard for me to take at a track that I love and where I’ve been on the podium several times. I got to seventh toward the end and did my best lap, but they came with me. Bautista got me on my last lap, at the bottom of the hill. I re-passed him in the last corner, but he squared it up and nipped me to the line. It’s easy to say now, but I wish I raced the soft tyre. Thanks to the team and everybody that worked hard, but we had better hopes for today, going into Laguna.”
Hiroshi Aoyama, on his San Carlo Honda Gresini rode to 15th place, and lies 10th in the Championship while Czech rider Karel Abraham rode his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati well to 12th; he remains 12th overall in the standings.
Round 8 of MotoGP is at Laguna Seca, Sunday July 25.
For more information on Arai please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Friday, July 15, 2011
LEON HASLAM TO WEAR SPECIAL ARAI AT SILVERSTONE FOR SPARKS
The children’s charity close to BMW World Superbike racer’s heart…
World Superbike racer Leon Haslam is once again supporting children’s charity SPARKS (Sports Aiding medical Research for KidS) and during 2011 is making a contribution to the charity that is directly linked to his racing performance; the BMW factory rider gives SPARKS £10 for every World Championship point he scores in 2011.
On Sunday 31st July, at his home WSBK round at Silverstone, Leon will be wearing a one-off Arai RX-7 GP to promote the charity. The stunning design features a blue base with yellow stars – the colours and theme of SPARKS itself – and wrapping around the lower portion is an infant’s hand reaching out and holding an adult’s finger. A large yellow star on the back has a young eye peering out, watching out for the chasing pack…
Haslam is happy to be involved with the charity, and is very pleased with his one-off Arai: “I first played golf in a SPARKS event in 2003 and it’s a great organisation. The work they do through medical research really has made a difference for thousands of children and families and continues to do so. I scored 376 points in 2010 but I’d rather score what Max Biaggi scored with 451, win the Championship and hand over a bigger cheque to SPARKS! I love the unique paintwork on my Arai RX-7 GP for Silverstone, too. Of course it looks superb, but at the same time underlines the mission of help and support that SPARKS gives to kids beautifully.”
Recently, combining one of Leon’s passions – golf – with a desire to further aid SPARKS, the Leon Haslam Classic was held at Wellingborough Golf Club, Northants, and raised £8,700 for the charity. More than 120 golfers took part in the celebrity-packed day at the 18th century Harrowden Hall home of Wellingborough Golf Club.
SPARKS
SPARKS has existed since 1960 and has a simple mission; to help all babies be born healthy and stay healthy. The charity contributes to this by funding high quality medical research into childhood diseases and has donated more than £15m since 1991 to tackle a wide range of conditions diagnosed in babies and young children. The charity is supported by many sporting celebrities including England rugby coach Martin Johnson CBE, Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave, golfer and Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie OBE and 1966 England football legend Sir Geoff Hurst MBE. For more information on SPARKS visit www.sparks.org.uk
For further details on the Arai range call 2724UK on 01782 569800, or visit www.whyarai.co.uk
World Superbike racer Leon Haslam is once again supporting children’s charity SPARKS (Sports Aiding medical Research for KidS) and during 2011 is making a contribution to the charity that is directly linked to his racing performance; the BMW factory rider gives SPARKS £10 for every World Championship point he scores in 2011.
Haslam is happy to be involved with the charity, and is very pleased with his one-off Arai: “I first played golf in a SPARKS event in 2003 and it’s a great organisation. The work they do through medical research really has made a difference for thousands of children and families and continues to do so. I scored 376 points in 2010 but I’d rather score what Max Biaggi scored with 451, win the Championship and hand over a bigger cheque to SPARKS! I love the unique paintwork on my Arai RX-7 GP for Silverstone, too. Of course it looks superb, but at the same time underlines the mission of help and support that SPARKS gives to kids beautifully.”
Recently, combining one of Leon’s passions – golf – with a desire to further aid SPARKS, the Leon Haslam Classic was held at Wellingborough Golf Club, Northants, and raised £8,700 for the charity. More than 120 golfers took part in the celebrity-packed day at the 18th century Harrowden Hall home of Wellingborough Golf Club.
SPARKS
SPARKS has existed since 1960 and has a simple mission; to help all babies be born healthy and stay healthy. The charity contributes to this by funding high quality medical research into childhood diseases and has donated more than £15m since 1991 to tackle a wide range of conditions diagnosed in babies and young children. The charity is supported by many sporting celebrities including England rugby coach Martin Johnson CBE, Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave, golfer and Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie OBE and 1966 England football legend Sir Geoff Hurst MBE. For more information on SPARKS visit www.sparks.org.uk
For further details on the Arai range call 2724UK on 01782 569800, or visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Monday, July 11, 2011
WSBK ROUND 8, BRNO, SUNDAY JULY 10
Highs and lows in Czechoslovakia for Arai riders, but Haslam makes progress!
LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: 8th Race Two: 7th Championship Position: 5th
“I’M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS…”
In race one at Brno Leon Haslam made a good start from 13th on the grid and was circulating in the top ten, before slipping back into a five-way battle with Joan Lascorz, Leon Camier, Tom Sykes and Jakub Smrz. Momentarily finding himself back down in 11th place, a late charge from Haslam saw him claw his way back into the top ten on the penultimate laps, and eventually fight his way up to eighth by the finish line.
Temperatures were even higher for race two but Leon made another good start up into the top ten from his fourth row grid position. Fighting all the way, Haslam also passed Sylvain Guintoli and then moved past Tom Sykes on lap 9 to move into seventh. An on-going battle with a rejuvenated Lascorz held Haslam up as he fought for track position with the Spaniard, swapping places and battling all the way throughout the final lap – and just beating him to the chequered flag.
It was an inspiring result for Leon, having started way down on the fourth row of the grid, and these results move him back into the top five in the championship standings. The races were won by Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi, with each rider finishing second in the race he didn’t win, and series leader Carlos Checa taking two thirds.
“In the first race I had a good start but on new, grippy tyres I was struggling a little bit with my pace, so some of the riders got past. But when the grip levels went away, I maintained my pace – and they couldn’t – so I caught up again! That was a good battle and I passed three guys during the final laps, which was exciting.
In race two I was held up a little bit so Ayrton, who was in sixth, could pull a gap on me. Then I was involved in a really good battle with Lascorz in the closing stages. It was two pretty hard races to finish in eighth and seventh – and this is not where we want to finish, but we understand what the issue is and know what direction to take now. So all in all, I am pretty happy with the progress we made and I hope that we can make the difference at my next home race at Silverstone.”
JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS Race Two: DNS Championship Position: 10th
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea sat out the Brno round of the WSBK championship, taking time to heal his right arm which was broken at Misano during morning warm up on race day, June 12.
Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia finished race one in 12th and race two in 10th; he lies 9th in the championship. Jakub Smrz and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati got to the chequered flag in race one 11th, but DNF’d in the second outing, moving him back one place to 12th overall in the title chase.
Despite falling for the second time in succession while in the leading mix for the podium places, Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Broc Parkes remains second in the World Supersport championship. With series leader Chaz Davies unable to add to his race win total in the Czech Republic, Parkes still has five rounds to make up the points deficit of 36 to the British rider. The race at Brno was stopped three laps early by a red flag, after a technical problem with another machine and a few crashes – including a small trackside fire – brought proceedings to a halt. Broc was understandably disappointed;
“I lost the front end again. I have been struggling with feel from the front in the past two races and I do not know exactly why. I had no warnings in the corners and just fell by losing the front. I am very disappointed this time, more than at the last race. We had the pace last time but I just did not have the race pace at this round. It is not good to crash in the first few laps. But we are still second overall and have a lot of races left to run.”
The next World Superbike championship round is at Silverstone, on July 31.
For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
For more information on the World Superbike Rounds please visit www.worldsbk.com
LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: 8th Race Two: 7th Championship Position: 5th
“I’M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS…”
In race one at Brno Leon Haslam made a good start from 13th on the grid and was circulating in the top ten, before slipping back into a five-way battle with Joan Lascorz, Leon Camier, Tom Sykes and Jakub Smrz. Momentarily finding himself back down in 11th place, a late charge from Haslam saw him claw his way back into the top ten on the penultimate laps, and eventually fight his way up to eighth by the finish line.
Temperatures were even higher for race two but Leon made another good start up into the top ten from his fourth row grid position. Fighting all the way, Haslam also passed Sylvain Guintoli and then moved past Tom Sykes on lap 9 to move into seventh. An on-going battle with a rejuvenated Lascorz held Haslam up as he fought for track position with the Spaniard, swapping places and battling all the way throughout the final lap – and just beating him to the chequered flag.
It was an inspiring result for Leon, having started way down on the fourth row of the grid, and these results move him back into the top five in the championship standings. The races were won by Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi, with each rider finishing second in the race he didn’t win, and series leader Carlos Checa taking two thirds.
“In the first race I had a good start but on new, grippy tyres I was struggling a little bit with my pace, so some of the riders got past. But when the grip levels went away, I maintained my pace – and they couldn’t – so I caught up again! That was a good battle and I passed three guys during the final laps, which was exciting.
In race two I was held up a little bit so Ayrton, who was in sixth, could pull a gap on me. Then I was involved in a really good battle with Lascorz in the closing stages. It was two pretty hard races to finish in eighth and seventh – and this is not where we want to finish, but we understand what the issue is and know what direction to take now. So all in all, I am pretty happy with the progress we made and I hope that we can make the difference at my next home race at Silverstone.”
JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS Race Two: DNS Championship Position: 10th
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea sat out the Brno round of the WSBK championship, taking time to heal his right arm which was broken at Misano during morning warm up on race day, June 12.
Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia finished race one in 12th and race two in 10th; he lies 9th in the championship. Jakub Smrz and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati got to the chequered flag in race one 11th, but DNF’d in the second outing, moving him back one place to 12th overall in the title chase.
Despite falling for the second time in succession while in the leading mix for the podium places, Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Broc Parkes remains second in the World Supersport championship. With series leader Chaz Davies unable to add to his race win total in the Czech Republic, Parkes still has five rounds to make up the points deficit of 36 to the British rider. The race at Brno was stopped three laps early by a red flag, after a technical problem with another machine and a few crashes – including a small trackside fire – brought proceedings to a halt. Broc was understandably disappointed;
“I lost the front end again. I have been struggling with feel from the front in the past two races and I do not know exactly why. I had no warnings in the corners and just fell by losing the front. I am very disappointed this time, more than at the last race. We had the pace last time but I just did not have the race pace at this round. It is not good to crash in the first few laps. But we are still second overall and have a lot of races left to run.”
The next World Superbike championship round is at Silverstone, on July 31.
For more information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
For more information on the World Superbike Rounds please visit www.worldsbk.com
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