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Alstare Debut at Portimao
27 October 2008
The fourteenth and final round of this year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at the newly built Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal, this coming weekend. For Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama and Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner together with most of their rivals, it will be their first visit to the circuit. However, Ducati Xerox tested there last week and will have collected invaluable data, giving them a considerable advantage going into the event.
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Rizla Parts Company from Crescent Suzuki BSB Team
16 October 2008
Rizla has decided to exit the British Superbike arena after seven successful years which have included many race victories and one British Superbike Championship in 2004.Alison Williams, Rizla Brand Manager said: "After seven years we have made the difficult decision to end our sponsorship of the Suzuki BSB team. I would like to thank all the past and present team members and riders for such a successful sponsorship. We wish the team the very best for the future."
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Fonsi Back on the Podium
06 October 2008
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto had his best weekend of the year since the opening round in Qatar, by taking a superb runner-up spot in race one at Magny-Cours today. Fonsi had started from the front row of the grid and spent most of the race fighting with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and eventual race winner, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). Because of a problem with the gearchange on his number one bike, he used his spare bike in race two, but did not like the feel of it as much and could only manage eighth place.
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Superb Second for Fonsi!
05 October 2008
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto finally laid his Superpole demons to rest by setting the second quickest lap in the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out at Magny-Cours today. Fonsi had been fourth in regular qualifying, but stormed round the 4.411 kilometre circuit in 1:38.574 - a time bettered by just one tenth of a second by Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner had a big ‘moment’ on his Superpole lap, but recovered to finish with the sixth fastest lap. Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama was another to give the spectators and TV fans a sheart-stopping moment, but he too managed to stay on the bike and complete his lap. Unfortunately, he lost the best of half a second in the process and now faces a hard day tomorrow from fifteenth place on the grid.
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Fonsi Fourth in Changing Conditions
04 October 2008
The changing conditions throughout the first day of practice and qualifying disrupted proceedings so badly that no rider completed more than nine laps in the afternoon timed session. Qualifying had started dry, but after about ten minutes or so, the first rain shower fell, causing the field to scurry back to their garages. The rain abated for a while, but it wasn’t long before it started again and this time the showers were much heavier and hail also began to fall. The inclement conditions meant that no rider ventured out again and so the provisional grid was formed from the lap times set at the beginning of the session. Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama finished fourth and ninth quickest, with Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner tenth. Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) topped the standings today, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) second and Carlos Checa.
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Alstare in Positive Mood
01 October 2008
Last year’s race at Magny-Cours saw young German Max Neukirchner drafted into the team as a replacement for the injured Yukio Kagayama and he acquitted himself well by taking fourth place in the first race. The debut might have been ever better if he had not tangled with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) when he was on course for a superb podium. A fall in the second race put a bit of a damper on his weekend, but his performance throughout the weekend proved that he was a star of the future.
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Neukirchner Just Misses Vallelunga Podium
22 September 2008
Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner took a gritty pair of fourths in the 12th round of the Superbike World Championship at Vallelunga in Italy today. Despite not having a perfect bike set-up, the young German battled his way through both 24-lap races and took the best results he could as team mate Yukio Kagayama was disappointed to finish ninth in the first race, but improved to end race two in seventh. Third rider Fonsi Nieto also struggled, finishing 12th in race one, but improved to sixth in race two.
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Pair of Fourths for Max on Difficult Day for Alstare
21 September 2008
Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner took a gritty pair of fourths in the twelfth round of the Superbike World Championship at Vallelunga today. Despite not having a perfect bike set-up, the young German battled his way through both 24 lap races and took the best results he could. Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama was disappointed to finish ninth in the first race, but improved to end race two in seventh. His team mate Fonsi Nieto also struggled today, ending 12th in race one, but made a much better job of it to finish sixth in race two.
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Second Row for Max and Yukio, Third Row for Fonsi
20 September 2008
After yesterday’s appalling conditions, today dawned dry and fine and it was down to business as usual for Team Suzuki Alstare riders Yukio Kagayama and Fonsi Nieto and Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner. With no dry track time yesterday, the riders started to work with dry set-ups and learn how to ride the 4.110 kilometre Vallelunga circuit in the dry. The afternoon free practice was disrupted by a power cut and the twenty-five minutes or so lost because of TV scheduling for Superpole then took place after Superpole had finished.
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Atrocious Conditions Hinder Fonsi, Yukio & Max
19 September 2008
Today’s atrocious conditions hindered Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama and Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner, and none were able to finish in the top ten. Yukio was closest, with eleventh, with Fonsi fourteenth and Max nineteenth. The rain started in the morning and became heavier throughout the day and resulted in many crashes, including two by Max.
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Alstare Men Aim for the Top in Rome
18 September 2008
Team Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto, Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukirchner are gunning for good results at this weekend's 12th round of the World Superbike Championship in Vallelunga near Rome following disappointment in the wet at Donington Park.
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'Wild Card' Sykes Gets Donington Podium
08 September 2008
Rizla Suzuki's Tom Sykes kept his cool during a red-flagged aggregated race one at the 11th round of the World Superbike Championship at Donington Park today to take a close second place to Troy Bayliss after leading for a large part of the race.
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Disappointment at Donington
07 September 2008
Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama and Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner were happy to leave Donington Park after a difficult weekend, but unhappy with the results. The heavy rain on Friday and Saturday gave way to a mostly dry track in the first race, but then came back with a vengeance in the second. Yukio and Fonsi finished 5th and 7th in race one, which was a two-parter because of a red-flag, but Max crashed out of contention when he highsided after hitting a puddle of water.
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No Joy for Max, Fonsi or Yukio
07 September 2008
The bad weather continued at Donington today and Max, Fonsi and Yukio continued to suffer with grip problems throughout the day. This morning’s qualifying session was very wet and Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama struggled to get into the top sixteen for Superpole right from the start. In the end, neither made the cut and were left languishing in 23rd and 24th places respectively
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Heavy rain at Donington causes caution today.
07 September 2008
Donington was awash with rain today and a soaking wet, slippery track greeted the riders in both sessions. Team Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama and Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner took things cautiously, finishing 16th, 19th and 23rd, mainly due to problems with lack of rear grip. Series leader Troy Bayliss splashed his way round the 4.023 kilometre track and recorded the day’s best time - 1:44.377. Second quickest is Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda), with Cal Crutchlow (Honda) third and Tom Sykes (Suzuki) fourth.
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Max Maintains 2nd In Championship on Difficult Day at Brands
03 August 2008
The unseasonal weather interrupted proceedings at Brands Hatch today, but somehow both 24-lap races took place with all riders on slick tyres. Race one was delayed because of a rain shower as the teams lined up on the grid, but the track dried out and the race got under away after fifteen minutes or so. Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama took fourth place, with team mate Fonsi Nieto fifth. Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner struggled with a tyre problem, but still came home in seventh place. Japanese rider Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) won the race, his first ever WSBK win, with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) second and Max Biaggi (Ducati) third.
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Wet Superpole Causes Confusion
03 August 2008
Just before the start of Superpole, rain began to fall on the Brands Hatch circuit and so the organisers decided that the 16-rider shoot-out would be a “Wet Superpole”, giving the riders 50 minutes and a maximum of twelve laps to set their fastest lap times. Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama was one of the few riders to venture out on the wet track, whilst most of the others stayed in their pitboxes waiting to see if the rain would stop and the track dry out for the end of the session. The rain did stop, the sun came out and the track dried sufficiently for everybody to use slicks at the end of the session.
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Yukio Third!
02 August 2008
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama mastered a bumpy track and blustery conditions in this afternoon's qualifying at Brands Hatch to end the day with the third fastest lap time. His team mate Fonsi Nieto finished tenth and Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner fourteenth. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) used his years of British Superbike Championship experience at the Kent circuit and took provisional pole position, just over a tenth of a second faster then Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha).
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Japanese Trio Hit the Front in SBK Qualifying at Brands
02 August 2008
A trio of Japanese riders hit the front in the first qualifying session for round 10 of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch, with two-times British Superbike champion Ryuichi Kiyonari clocking a time of 1 minute 26.017 seconds to take provisional pole. The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda man, who also won the Suzuka 8 Hours a few days ago, was just a fraction ahead of his fellow countryman Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), second quickest today despite a late trip into the gravel. Suzuki Alstare’s Yukio Kagayama set a similar time to Haga to grab the third slot, while Italian Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) was a further fraction of a second behind to complete the provisional front row.
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Motorcycle Magic at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
25 July 2008
The array of striking and famous motorcycles and world-class riders at this year’s Festival of Speed, held at Goodwood Park from 11-13 July, proved to be one of the event’s top attractions. A wide selection of exotic world-beating two-wheeled machinery was on hand including the famous motorcycles of legendary TT winners John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Joey Dunlop, David Jeffries and John McGuinness, as well as a historic look back at the revolutionary machinery that began racing at Brooklands almost one hundred years ago.
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