Matteo Baiocco and Claudio Corti took second and third respectively today in the seventh round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at Brno. The result is especially pleasing for Corti, who is still recovering from breaking his right foot earlier this month in an Italian national championship race. Yamaha Team Italia rider Michele Pirro got the holeshot off the line and went from fourth to take the lead at the first corner. He was later caught and passed on lap four by Badovini and Simeon. Corti also made a good start, going from 12th on the grid to fifth with Baiocco behind in sixth. The top six riders then broke away from the rest of the field as everyone fought for position in the early stages of the race.
As the race reached the mid-way point Baiocco, Simeon and Badovini pulled away in a close battle for first position while Pirro and Corti fought together in fourth and fifth positions. Corti passed his team mate to move into fourth. Badovini then crashed out on the last lap whilst contending for first place, handing second place to Baiocco and the final podium position to Corti. Pirro held on to take fifth and 11 valuable points.
Didier Van Keymeulen returned to the Superstock grid today for his 50th race after a six-week recovery period from injuries he sustained at Silverstone in May, where he broke a lower vertebrae and his wrist. Having run in the top five all weekend, the 24 year-old was hopeful of a good finishing position but struggled to keep up as the race progressed. He started in third, the highest Yamaha on the grid, but fell back to seventh. He managed a credible eighth finishing slot, though, considering his recent injuries.
Today's result means that Baiocco is still leading the championship with a 15 point gap. In this weekend's Superstock 600 race Yamaha dominated the top ten, with six out of the top ten riders on the YZF-R6.
Matteo Baiocco (2nd - Team Umbria Bike)"I'm very happy with second. On the last lap I had the chance to attack Simeon but I chose not to take the risk and save my championship lead. I think I'll be very competitive in the last rounds of the season and I'm confident about the championship."
Claudio Corti (3rd - Yamaha Team Italia)"The doctors suggested I shouldn't race because my foot isn't repaired enough but I insisted. After three laps I totally lost concentration because of the pain. Today was the hardest race of my life but it was also my strongest race ever."
Michele Pirro (5th - Yamaha Team Italia)
"We had some set-up problems during practice and we still had them during the race. It's very frustrating because I started so well this weekend. I feel I've lost a big chance to improve my championship position."
Didier Van Keymeulen (8th - Team TTSL-MGM Racing)"I was confident today of getting some good lap times in but I made a poor start when the front wheel came up twice on the power. I lost some places when that happened and then I just wasn't aggressive enough for the rest of the race. Physically I feel good but mentally I'm still cautious and nervous of crashing again. But Brands is two weeks away, which is another two weeks for my body and mind to recover further and I'm getting stronger every day. I still want to win some races this season; that's my goal."
Circuit Length: 5403
Temp: 24
Crowd: 55,000
Weather: Dry
Race 1 - 12 Laps - Superstock Brno:1. Xavier Simeon - Suzuki - BEL 25'31.786
2. Matteo Baiocco - Yamaha - ITA 0'0.882
3. Claudio Corti - Yamaha - ITA 0'3.644
4. Mark Aitchison - Suzuki - AUS 0'3.793
5. Michele Pirro - Yamaha - ITA 0'5.219
6. Rene Mahr - Yamaha - GER 0'7.111
7. Nicolo Canepa - Ducati - ITA 0'7.585
8. Didier Van Keymeulen - Yamaha - BEL 0'8.411
9. Ilario Dionisi - Suzuki - ITA 0'8.855
10. Matej Smrz - Honda - CZE 0'14.651
11. Dario Giuseppetti - Yamaha - GER 0'17.738
12. Denis Sacchetti - MV Agusta - ITA 0'18.379
13. Balazs Nemeth - Suzuki - HUN 0'19.273
14. Danilo Dell'omo - MV Agusta - ITA 0'21.973
15. Timo Gieseler - Yamaha - GER 0'22.166
Best Lap: Claudio Corti - Yamaha - ITA 2'6.093
Rider Standings:
1. Matteo Baiocco - Yamaha - ITA 115
2. Mark Aitchison - Suzuki - AUS 100
3. Xavier Simeon - Suzuki - BEL 96
4. Claudio Corti - Yamaha - ITA 80
5. Nicolo Canepa - Ducati - ITA 80
6. Ilario Dionisi - Suzuki - ITA 77
7. Michele Pirro - Yamaha - ITA 70
8. Didier Van Keymeulen - Yamaha - BEL 53
9. Rene Mahr - Yamaha - GER 43
10. Brendan Roberts - Ducati - AUS 41
11. Matej Smrz - Honda - CZE 39
12. Sheridan Morais - Ducati - RSA 29
13. Cederic Tangre - Yamaha - FRA 23
14. Marko Jerman - Suzuki SVK 23
15. Arne Tode - Honda - GER 18
Manufacturer Standings:
1. Yamaha 146
2. Suzuki 136
3. Ducati 105
4. Honda 54
5. MV Agusta 33
6. Kawasaki 4
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