Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Yukio Kagayama and Max Biaggi both took podium places in todays eighth round of the Superbike World Championship t Misano. In scorchingly hot conditions, Yukio took third in race one and followed that with a fourth in race two. Max was also on course for a podium place in race one, but crashed out when he tangled with Noriyuki Haga just three laps from the end. Despite a sore right leg and left hand, he made amends by taking third place in race two.
Both races were won by Aussie Troy Bayliss (much to the delight of the local fans) and he is now second in the championship just twenty-one points behind series leader James Toseland(Honda). Troy Corser (Yamaha) took second in the first race, with Yukio third and Noriyuki Haga took runner-up spot in race two, with Max third.
Yukio - Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 4th
I am very happy to get back to podium ways today - even though I was a bit lucky because two riders in front of me crashed. But racing is like this sometimes and its good to get some good luck at last. We have been working very hard on the rear settings recently and I feel we have made some big changes and also some good progress. I did not have many problems in the first race, except those caused by my starting position. The second row of the grid is not the best place to be when the first corner is not so far away. Also, this track does not have so many passing places, so by the time I got past Toseland it was too late to do anything about the leaders. Once I was ahead of him, I had a free track and I was able to run more consistently fast laps.
In the second race, I was happy in third position but then I began to have some problems with the rear tyre moving around. I really wanted another podium, but the shaking and movement was enough to slow me down, so I just tried to get the best result I could. Now that I have tasted a podium again, I want more.
Max - Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 3rdThis was a hard day, but it ended with a podium so I am happy to take something positive from it. I was challenging for a podium in the first race but then Nori and I hit each other and we both crashed. I am sorry for myself and Im sorry for him. I tumbled over and over on the crash and hurt my right leg and left hand and that caused some problems in race two. Because of the pain, I found it difficult to concentrate in the early stages and lost some ground when I ran a bit wide. But gradually I started to get back into the race and began to catch the leaders. I managed to get past Toseland, Corser and Yukio and into third three or four laps from the end of the race, but Haga and Bayliss had too much of a lead and there was nothing I could do about that. I am disappointed by what happened in the first race, but pleased that I took a podium in the second.
Circuit: 4.180 kms Crowd: 68.000 (3-day)
Conditions: Dry, sunny/cloudy 27-31 C.
Race 1:1 Bayliss (AUS - Ducati)
2 Corser (AUS - Yamaha)
3 Kagayama (JPN - Suzuki)
4 Toseland (GBR - Honda)
5 Rolfo (ITA - Honda)
6 Lanzi (ITA - Ducati)
7 Laconi (FRA - Kawasaki)
8 Xaus (ESP - Ducati)
9 Neukirchner (GER - Suzuki)
10 Smrz (CZE - Ducati)
Race 2:1 Bayliss (AUS - Ducati)
2 Haga (JPN - Yamaha)
3 Biaggi (ITA - Suzuki)
4 Kagayama (JPN - Suzuki)
5 Corser (AUS - Yamaha)
6 Toseland (GBR - Honda)
7 Xaus (ESP - Ducati)
8 Rolfo (ITA - Honda)
9 Lanzi (ITA - Ducati)
10 Neukirchner (GER - Suzuki)
Points:1 Toseland, 260
2 Bayliss, 239
3 Haga, 234
4 Biaggi, 217
5 Corser, 182
6 Lanzi, 133
7 Xaus, 130
8 Rolfo, 109
9 Neukirchner, 100
10 Kagayama, 89
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