Today saw a positive end to a good weekend for Claudio Corti with him finishing third having taken his second pole of the season yesterday. Matteo Baiocco put in a strong performance to finish in fourth while Pirro took ninth. Corti had shown his capability with his pole position and proceeded to get the holeshot at the start of the race to take the lead into the first corner. With Baiocco second and Van Keymeulen fourth it was shaping up to be a Yamaha battle. Unfortunately, Van Keymeulen ran wide and onto the grass on lap two and re-joined in 28th position but was forced to retire one lap later. Canepa put a strong pass on Corti at Druids on lap four, pushing Corti to second and Baiocco to third. Corti and Baiocco continued to fight for podium positions for the remainder of the race until a successful challenge from Simeon on lap 12 saw Corti move into third with Baiocco finishing just behind in fourth.
Michele Pirro found himself embroiled in a midfield battle from start to finish in today's race. Unfortunately, Pirro was unable to fend off some of the challenges and finished in ninth.
As a show of appreciation to all the support from his British fans this weekend, Corti wore a special edition helmet this weekend. The helmet featured an Italian flag on the front and an English flag at the back. Corti also showed his alliance with his British fans with an 'I love Brands Hatch' T-shirt on the podium and a Union flag.
Yamaha also did well in this weekend's Superstock 600 double header. To make up for the cancelled round at Silverstone earlier in the season two races were held this weekend - one on Saturday and one on Sunday. In race one Yamaha made up five out of the top ten finishing spots with Berger taking the win and Magnoni third. Berger then repeated his win in race two today and now leads the championship with a 26 point lead.
Claudio Corti (3rd - Yamaha Team Italia)"I got a good start and my pace was good until the rear tyre started sliding. I'm disappointed as this round was vital for me to improve my championship standing. But with three races to go I'm still in championship contention."
Matteo Baiocco (4th - Team Umbria Bike)
"The race was very fast and many riders wanted to be on the podium. I was able to attack Simeon but when I was behind Corti I felt it would've been dangerous to try and challenge him. I'm still first in the championship though and we are one race nearer to the end of the season."
Michele Pirro (9th - Yamaha Team Italia)
"This was my first visit to Brands and I was riding well in the first part of the race. Unfortunately I developed a pain in my right arm partway through, which I also suffered from at Misano and Brno. I need to work out why this is happening and resolve it before the next race."
Circuit Length: 4197
Temp: 25
Crowd: 120,000
Weather: Dry
Race 1 - 14 Laps - Superstock - Brands Hatch 1. Nicolo Canepa - Ducati - ITA 21'7.922
2. Xavier Simeon - Suzuki - BEL 0'0.654
3. Claudio Corti - Yamaha - ITA 0'2.212
4. Matteo Baiocco - Yamaha - ITA 0'2.394
5. Brendan Roberts - Ducati - AUS 0'3.130
6. Ayrton Badovini - MV Agusta - ITA 0'3.566
7. Ilario Dionisi - Suzuki - ITA 0'4.640
8. Mark Aitchison - Suzuki - AUS 0'5.763
9. Michele Pirro - Yamaha - ITA 0'10.051
10. Arne Tode - Honda - GER 0'10.284
11. Matej Smrz - Honda - CZE 0'13.642
12. Sheridan Morais - Ducati - RSA 0'14.439
13. Denis Sacchetti - MV Agusta - ITA 0'20.329
14. Danilo Dell'omo - MV Agusta - ITA 0'25.853
15. Barry Burrell - Honda - GBR 0'25.994
Best Lap: Mark Aitchison - Suzuki - AUS 1'29.317
Rider Standings:1. Matteo Baiocco - Yamaha - ITA 128
2. Xavier Simeon - Suzuki - BEL 116
3. Mark Aitchison -Suzuki - AUS 108
4. Nicolo Canepa - Ducati - ITA 105
5. Claudio Corti - Yamaha - ITA 96
6. Ilario Dionisi -Suzuki - ITA 86
7. Michele Pirro - Yamaha - ITA 77
8. Didier Van Keymeulen - Yamaha BEL 53
9. Brendan Roberts - Ducati - AUS 52
10. Matej Smrz - Honda - CZE 44
11. Rene Mahr - Yamaha - GER 43
12. Sheridan Morais - Ducati - RSA 33
13. Arne Tode - Honda - GER 24
14. Cederic Tangre - Yamaha - FRA 23
15. Marko Jerman - Suzuki - SVK 23
Manufacturer Standings:1. Yamaha 162
2. Suzuki 156
3. Ducati 130
4. Honda 60
5. MV Agusta 43
6. Kawasaki 4
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