The first race of the second round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island today recorded one of the most dramatic starts. Straight after the lights went out, Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio stalled on the front row and got badly hit in the back by two other riders, causing a red flag situation and confusion in the field. HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Carlos Checa got taken out by another rider while teammate Sofuoglu managed to make a narrow escape through the grass. Checa was then left on the track for minutes before medics brought him back to the paddock, giving him just 40 seconds to get ready and back onto the starting grid for the re-start the session. Checa, whose boots and leathers were still half done as he left the grid for the second time, managed to finish the messy race in 6th place, followed by Kiyonari at 9th, who put in a great performance and secured his first top 10 WSB finish.
After a dramatic start of the first Superbike today, Checa got off to a good start in the second race. Starting from 6th position, Checa worked his way up to the front, leading the pack of fellow Spanish riders Xaus and Nieto behind Troy Bayliss. Checa stayed put for the rest of the race and finished second behind double race winner Bayliss, securing the second podium of the day for the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team after Andrew Pitt took home the first win in the Supersport race. After a good performance earlier, Kiyonari and Sofuoglu continued their pace in the second race with Kiyonari finishing just outside the top 5, securing a 6th position while Sofuoglu claimed 11th.
Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager"I didn’t know so many things could go wrong in just one lap. First there was the collision of riders at the starting grid, after the red flag came out another rider, who hadn’t noticed the flag, took out Carlos. Then it took a while for Carlos to make it back to the garage and start again. I’m satisfied with the performance of Kiyonari and Sofuoglu who both put in a good performance and improved on their lap times."
"I think the real winners today were the people watching, it was a very nice battle out there today. It’s good to come out on the top again, battling with all the other strong contenders. The second race for Kiyonari was outstanding. The podium of Carlos shows, even in the stage of development we are in now that the CBR1000RR Fireblade is competitive which brings a lot of confidence to the team and motivation to even make it better. I am looking forward to be racing back in Europe again."
Carlos Checa, 6th"I saw a red flag just after the start and slowed down, when I was hit in the back by another rider. Then I was left on the track for minutes. The stewards must have thought I was a spectator rather then a rider as no one came out to pick me up. I only had 40 seconds to make it back to the starting grid once I left the medical centre. I’m satisfied with the race, after all these incidents finishing 6th on my second bike which I hadn’t tested is not a bad result. Hopefully I can improve my results this afternoon and forget this first round."
"After all the incidents and the strange situation this morning, race two was more normal and nothing strange happened. We had some limitations on the bike and experienced some problems with the front brake. The stability at the back had improved and I was able to keep my pace and fight more closely with the other riders. I tried to push as hard as possible until I saw there was enough distance to the guys behind me. Bayliss was ahead of me but with the problems I encountered with my front brakes I was unable to get closer to him. We still have some work to do but overall I am very positive that we can get to higher levels."
Ryuichi Kiyonari, 9th"I am really happy as I finally made it into the top ten. My last 5 laps were among the fastest in the field, which shows there’s more to come. I feel a lot better then yesterday, a lot more relaxed and more at ease with the machine. The engine is starting to run smoother which enables me to go faster. Today’s race has certainly built my confidence, I know I can be out there with the fast guys, but still will have to work harder. Hopefully next race I will be able to further improve my lap times."
"I am very happy with my result, but not happy with the beginning of the race. I am still too slow at the start. I can keep my lap times during the second part of the session. I will have to improve my qualifying in order to get a better position at the start. But I will continue to work hard. The feeling with the bike is getting better, the machine feels good and the set up was fine, I just need to go faster. Everyone has worked very hard over the weekend and I want to thank my mechanics for everything they’ve done to set up the bike for me."
Kenan Sofuoglu, 14th"It was a hard race for me. I still can’t be relaxed on the bike, which makes me really tired. In the beginning of the race I can tag onto a fast group, but towards the end I have to let go. That’s is really is something I have to improve on."
"The beginning of the second race was all right. If I am relaxed on the bike I can join the guys up front in their fights. But in the second part of the race I’m just losing physical power and control. I don’t know how to dose the power of the bike yet but am improving day by day and believe I will be able to make more progress in the next race."
Conditions: sunny, warm
Results Race 2:1. T. Bayliss
2. C. Checa, 1.127
3. F. Nieto, 4.395
4. R. Xaus, 6.621
5. M. Neukirchner, 11.550
6. R. Kiyonari, 11.620
7. N. Haga, 12.049
8. G. Lavilla, 12.134
9. R. Holland, 13.462
10. K. Muggeridge, 15.519
11. K. Sofuoglu, 16.225
