Claudio Corti took his first win of the season today for the Yamaha Team Italia squad in a spectacular race that gave his home fans some of the closest racing since the start of the season as well as giving Yamaha the 2007 Superstock 1000 Manufacturer Title. Having qualified in second Corti got a good start to maintain his position behind his team mate Pirro, who got the hole shot from eighth through to first. Corti managed to pass Pirro by lap four and the two Yamaha riders were then joined by Aitchison and Canepa in the battle for the lead. Corti fought fiercely with Aitchison while Pirro struggled with his arm, which he hurt in a national championship race in Misano. He gradually went backwards through the pack to finish his tenth Superstock race in eighth.
Aitchison took the lead from Corti on lap five but the 20-year old Italian refused to give up and was rewarded when Aitchison crashed out on lap eight. With Canepa behind fighting Corti for the top spot he put in a strong performance to hold off his fellow Italian, despite the two riders swapping paint on virtually every corner. The race went right down to the wire with Corti taking the win, Canepa coming in second and Badovini in third.
Unfortunately, today did not fare so well for Baiocco and Van Keymeulen. Didier Van Keymeulen had struggled all weekend at the Roman circuit, only qualifying in tenth. He finished in a disappointing 11th, following taking the win at the previous round in Germany. Team Umbria Bike rider Matteo Baiocco also struggled throughout the weekend and finished in sixth, taking ten points. He now leads the championship by just one point with one race left to go.
Today's win now puts Corti in fourth place in the championship, only one point behind third and nine points behind first. The 2007 FIM Superstock 1000 Championship will now be decided at the very last round next weekend at Magny-Cours with the top five riders all within range of the title. Corti's win today has secured the 2007 Manufacturer Title for Yamaha with a lead of 32 points to Suzuki.
This weekend also saw the Superstock 600 European Championship winner confirmed even with one race to go. Maxime Berger, riding an YZF-R6 for the Team Trasimeno squad, was crowned the 2007 Superstock 600 Champion after coming third in the race. Berger wins the title by 37 points to Michele Magnoni, who also rides a Yamaha R6. Roy Ten Napel actually won the race aboard his R6; his first win of the year.
This weekend's results in both the 600 and 1000 Superstock championships show the strength and performance of the 2007 R6 and R1.
Claudio Corti (1st - Yamaha Team Italia)"This is my first victory this year and it felt fantastic in front of this huge crowd. When Aitchison went passed I pushed him to make a mistake and it worked. I then tried the same with Canepa but it was not so easy, he is very cool. But I passed the finish line with a good time advantage so I'm very happy. My bike was fast today and now I'll be fighting for the title at Magny-Cours. I'd like to thank the team for all their hard work this weekend, it's been worth it!"
Michele Pirro (8th - Yamaha Team Italia)"I started fast and had a good race with Corti to start with but during the third lap my arm started to hurt so I had to slow down. Now I just hope to feel better and do better at Magny-Cours. I want to end my first Superstock season with a good race."
Matteo Baiocco (6th - Team Umbria Bike)"I had some problems in qualifying and my third row position proved fatal. My pace was the same as the leading pack but I lost too much time in the first stage of the race In any case sixth position is good. Now I will challenge for the championship in a single race."
Circuit Length: 4110
Temp: 16
Crowd: 80,000
Weather: Dry
Race 1 - 13 Laps - Superstock Vallelunga:1. Claudio Corti - Yamaha - ITA 22'8.540
2. Nicolo Canepa - Ducati - ITA 0'0.817
3. Ayrton Badovini - MV Agusta - ITA 0'2.884
4. Brendan Roberts - Ducati - AUS 0'4.678
5. Xavier Simeon - Suzuki - BEL 0'7.058
6. Matteo Baiocco - Yamaha - ITA 0'8.232
7. Ilario Dionisi - Suzuki - ITA 0'8.502
8. Michele Pirro - Yamaha - ITA 0'13.352
9. Freddy Foray - Yamaha - FRA 0'14.351
10. Rene Mahr - Yamaha - GER 0'15.598
11. Didier Van Keymeulen - Yamaha - BEL 0'15.884
12. Luca Verdini - Yamaha - ITA 0'22.010
13. Daniel Sutter - Yamaha - CHE 0'23.933
14. Dario Giuseppetti - Yamaha - GER 0'24.169
15. Balazs Nemeth - Suzuki - HUN 0'27.124
Best Lap: Nicolo Canepa - Ducati - ITA 1'40.925
Rider Standings:1. Matteo Baiocco - Yamaha - ITA 146
2. Nicolo Canepa - Ducati - ITA 145
3. Xavier Simeon - Suzuki - BEL 138
4. Claudio Corti - Yamaha - ITA 137
5. Mark Aitchison - Suzuki - AUS 121
6. Ilario Dionisi - Suzuki - ITA 102
7. Michele Pirro - Yamaha - ITA 85
8. Didier Van Keymeulen - Yamaha - BEL 83
9. Brendan Roberts - Ducati - AUS 65
10. Rene Mahr - Yamaha - GER 54
11. Matej Smrz - Honda - CZE 47
12. Ayrton Badovini - MV Agusta - ITA 42
13. Sheridan Morais - Ducati - RSA 37
14. Arne Tode - Honda - GER 34
15. Marko Jerman - Suzuki - SVK 23
Manufacturer Standings:1. Yamaha 212
2. Suzuki 180
3. Ducati 170
4. Honda 70
5. MV Agusta 68
6. Kawasaki 4
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