The Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team today reaped the rewards of their weekend's hard work to take three podium positions and regain their second place in the rider championship standings. Race one was an exciting start to the day with both Corser and Haga getting good starts to take second and fourth respectively in a four-man battle with Toseland and Bayliss. Haga set about moving forward through the pack and set the fastest lap of the race on lap four before a very close pass with Bayliss to take second behind Toseland. The two Troy's were dicing for third when Bayliss crashed, giving Corser the advantage. Everything was settling down at the mid-race point when Haga ran hard into Surtees and had to take to the grass. He kept the bike upright and re-joined in 11th and dug in to climb back up to take seventh finishing place. Haga's incident allowed Corser through to second, where he completed the race. Corser's result in this race gave Yamaha their 150th WSB podium.
Haga made another good start in race two to take the lead before Toseland forced his way through. Haga refused to let him get away though and the two riders broke away from the pack as they battled with each other for the race lead. Corser went into fifth place at the start and then had to work his way through the pack before joining the Haga-Toseland fight on lap 14. As the race wore on Haga and Toseland swapped places several times but Noriyuki was unable to maintain the lead and had to settle for second position as his tyres wore off. Haga took the second podium place with Corser riding shotgun to take third.
Team Yamaha YZF riders Shinichi Nakatomi and Steve Martin were well-matched in their results today. In race one Martin finished in 11th while Nakatomi rode through his injuries sustained earlier this weekend to take 13th. In race two Martin took 15th with Nakatomi behind in 16th.
Today's results put Haga back in second championship place ahead of Biaggi.
Troy Corser (2nd and 3rd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)
"Both races were pretty much the same for me. The bike felt good even if it wasn't quite 100%. There was a bit too much movement, although the tyres were pretty consistent over the race distance and over both races. I made some minor changes to the bike for the second race; suspension, mapping and fork settings mostly. I didn't get a good start though, so just put my head down and worked my way through the field. I felt held back by some riders so it was good to get clear and catch Nori and James up. I was conscious of Nori's championship points and was therefore content to settle for third. It's been a good weekend with no problems; it's all been very smooth."
Noriyuki Haga (7th and 2nd - Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)"In race one I was doing really well until I crashed. It happened because I was pushing the bike and tyres so much in order to catch James up. I was pleasantly surprised that nothing was broken on the bike, which allowed me to re-join the race and pick up nine valuable points.
For the second race I kept the same tyres and made only some minor suspension changes, which gave me better feeling. After ten laps the bike started sliding and then I couldn't push the bike so much and had to settle for second."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team)
"After Friday I was a bit concerned as to how well we would do this weekend but it has turned out well and I'm pleased with our result. Nori's crash in race one was unfortunate but we are very happy with three podium positions overall. Now we must keep focused despite the break before the next race."
Shinichi Nakatomi (13th and 15th - Team Yamaha YZF)
"I'm happy to have two good results although I would've liked to have repeated my success from Brno. The bike is feeling good and stronger with every race. I am pleased to now have a few weeks to rest and recover from my crash."
Steve Martin (11th and 16th - Team Yamaha YZF)"The team has done a fantastic job this weekend and I'm happy that I did my best. Race one was quite good with 11th. Overall it's a good weekend and I'd like to thank the team for their help."
Martial Garcia (Team Manager, Team Yamaha YZF)"I am happy with the achievements of both riders. Steve has helped us a lot this weekend and given us much to think about. I'd like to thank him for his efforts and wish him well for his British Superbike race. Tomi has done well considering his crash earlier this weekend and he has taken some very valuable points this weekend. "
Circuit Length: 4197
Temp: 27
Crowd: 120,000
Weather: Dry
Race 1 - 25 Laps - WSB Brands Hatch:1. James Toseland - Honda - GBR 36'35.120
2. Troy Corser - Yamaha - AUS 0'1.554
3. Max Biaggi - Suzuki - ITA 0'2.917
4. Ruben Xaus - Ducati - ESP 0'10.202
5. Michel Fabrizio - Honda - ITA 0'14.133
6. Roberto Rolfo - Honda - ITA 0'14.323
7. Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha - JPN 0'19.380
8. Regis Laconi - Kawasaki - FRA 0'22.676
9. Lorenzo Lanzi - Ducati - ITA 0'24.259
10. Max Neukirchner - Suzuki - GER 0'24.423
11. Steve Martin - Yamaha - AUS 0'33.365
12. Fonsi Nieto - Kawasaki - ESP 0'33.373
13. Shinichi Nakatomi - Yamaha - JPN 0'33.548
14. Jakub Smrz- Ducati - CZE 0'48.283
15. Marty Nutt - Yamaha - GBR 1'4.655
Race 2 - 25 Laps:
1. James Toseland - Honda - GBR 36'34.177
2. Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha - JPN 0'1.686
3. Troy Corser - Yamaha - AUS 0'1.760
4. Michel Fabrizio - Honda - ITA 0'8.456
5. Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki - JPN 0'8.988
6. Ruben Xaus - Ducati - ESP 0'9.470
7. Troy Bayliss - Ducati - AUS 0'18.313
8. Max Biaggi - Suzuki - ITA 0'19.116
9. Regis Laconi - Kawasaki - FRA 0'20.501
10. Max Neukirchner - Suzuki - GER 0'20.586
11. Roberto Rolfo - Honda - ITA 0'21.808
12. Lorenzo Lanzi - Ducati - ITA 0'24.883
13. Fonsi Nieto - Kawasaki - ESP 0'31.988
14. Karl Muggeridge - Honda - AUS 0'33.253
15. Shinichi Nakatomi - Yamaha - JPN 0'36.868
Best Lap: Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 1'26.590
Rider Standings:1. James Toseland - Honda - GBR 355
2. Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha - JPN 289
3. Max Biaggi - Suzuki - ITA 286
4. Troy Bayliss - Ducati - AUS 258
5. Troy Corser - Yamaha - AUS 227
6. Ruben Xaus - Ducati - ESP 163
7. Lorenzo Lanzi - Ducati - ITA 161
8. Roberto Rolfo - Honda - ITA 146
9. Max Neukirchner - Suzuki - GER 123
10. Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki - JPN 116
11. Michel Fabrizio - Honda - ITA 109
12. Regis Laconi - Kawasaki - FRA 98
13. Fonsi Nieto - Kawasaki - ESP 65
14. Jakub Smrz - Ducati - CZE 58
15. Shinichi Nakatomi - Yamaha - JPN 41
Manufacturer Standings:
1. Honda 369
2. Yamaha 343
3. Ducati 325
4. Suzuki 305
5. Kawasaki 130
6. MV Agusta 1
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