European Superstock 600 champion Claudio Corti gave a good display on his first race in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, finishing eighth on his Yamaha Team Italia YZF-R1 SP. Starting 12th on a circuit dampened by overnight rain, the 18-year-old Italian steadily worked his way through a field of more experienced riders, pipping local rider Alex Martinez (Kawasaki) across the line and almost catching South African superbike champion Sheridan Morais (Suzuki) and the battle for sixth place.
After a thrilling race-long battle for the lead, it was Italian Alessandro Polita (Suzuki) who stood on the top step of the podium after a sometimes frantic battle with Spanish wild-card Ivan Silva (Kawasaki). Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta) was third with Spaniard Enrique Rocamora the leading Yamaha rider, finishing fourth on his YZF-R1 SP.
Claudio Corti: (Yamaha Team Italia)
"This has been a difficult race for me as we have found it difficult to get traction all weekend and I could not ride as well as I would like. When I consider this is my first time racing the R1 then this is not so bad, but I am still disappointed with the result. The next race is at Monza, which is my local track, and I am sure that if the team can make some progress then I can go for the win there."
Round: 1 - Spain
Circuit: Valencia
Date: 22 April 2006
Crowd: 42000
Temp: 20ºC
Weather: Sunny
Circuit Length: 4005
Lap Record: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 39.034 (Massimo Roccoli, 2005)
Race Classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup: 13 Laps
1 A. Polita Suzuki ITA 22' 4.712
2 I. Silva Kawasaki ESP +0.303
3 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +3.751
4 E. Rocamora Yamaha ESP +5.418
5 L. Scassa MV Agusta ITA +5.729
6 D. Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA +9.290
7 S. Morais Suzuki RSA +9.409
8 C. Corti Yamaha ITA +10.143
9 A. Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP +10.149
10 S. Saltarelli Kawasaki ITA +13.128
11 M. Baiocco Yamaha ITA +18.002
12 R. Cooper Honda GBR +25.076
13 D. Dell'omo Suzuki ITA +27.910
14 R. Chiarello Kawasaki ITA +29.890
15 I. Dionisi Yamaha ITA +29.983
Fastest Race Lap: 1, A. Polita Suzuki ITA 1' 39.789
FIM Superstock 1000 Cup championship standings:1 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 25
2 Ivan Silva Kawasaki ESP 20
3 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 16
4 Enrique Rocamora Yamaha ESP 13
5 Luca Scassa MV Agusta ITA 11
6 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 10
7 Sheridan Morais Suzuki RSA 9
8 Claudio Corti Yamaha ITA 8
9 Alex Martinez Mas Kawasaki ESP 7
10 Simone Saltarelli Kawasaki ITA 6
11 Matteo Baiocco Yamaha ITA 5
12 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 4
13 Danilo Dell'omo Suzuki ITA 3
14 Riccardo Chiarello Kawasaki ITA 2
15 Ilario Dionisi Yamaha ITA 1
Related Linkswww.yamaha-racing.com
