Superbike Quotes
With his main championship rival Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) crashing out of World Superbike race two, Max Biaggi’s second win of the day for Aprilia put him 15 points in the lead of the championship standings,
Carlos Checa’s unlucky weekend continued as the Althea Ducati rider once again stopped out on the track while leading. Leon Camier had a career best of second on his Aprilia Alitalia machine.
In the championship Biaggi now has 257 points, Haslam 242 and Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) 151.
Mac Biaggi says: "We had a bit of luck, it’s true, but I can’t help but be happy about our results. Happy for me, for the guys on the Team and for Aprilia which, with a new bike, is allowing me to do truly well. Even the crowd deserves it. There are a lot of bike fans and a lot of my fans here in America. We have a good pace – we knew that from practice – and we maintained it in the race. At a certain point Checa was riding faster and for this reason we’ll need to work out some modifications for race2 in order to improve even more and be competitive down to the last lap. 5 points recovered in the championship are important. Now we need to stay focused and bring the best possible home, always".Â
Leon Haslam says: "Obviously I am very disappointed how the day ended. Crashing out is bad enough, but losing the Championship lead is another. I always knew that today was going to be very hard and the races proved that. I was fortunate to get second place in race one and unfortunate to crash in race two. Carlos Checa should’ve won both races and I feel a bit sorry for him. He had led both, but then had to pull out. As a result, Max got lucky, but racing is like that sometimes.
"I didn’t make particularly good starts today and maybe that caused some of the problems. In race one; I was right behind Jakub Smrz when his Ducati blew up. I and the front of my Suzuki got covered in oil and I tried to use a different line to him so that I wouldn’t crash on his oil. I think I was stuck behind him for over a lap, but luckily he pulled off the track and I was able to get my head down and chase after the leaders. I moved through the field and got into third and happy with that until Carlos stopped and I was gifted second.
"I was 10th at the end of the first lap in race two and once again I had a lot of work to do to catch the leaders. I managed to get up to sixth after seven laps, but then the bike suddenly let go at one of the hairpins and I was highsided. I had a load of stitches put into my left arm, just above the elbow, but I will be OK for Misano."
Carlos Checa says: "Everything went well: the work, the preparation, the performance, the passion, the race, the team", said Carlos. "Yet unfortunately the results did not come. It’s never happened before! We were strong and I will leave here with my head held high. I will immediately turn the page and concentrate on the upcoming tests in Misano and the next race, where I know we can do well. That’s racing…"
Shane Byrne says: "The bike felt very good and I was happy with the set-up", said Shane. "I found that the level of grip varied between race 1 and race 2, it was better in the first. But I’ve taken some good points and this
makes me more determined as we enter the second half of the Championship."
Sylvain Guintoli says: "Today was a much better day for me and I am happy because I think I managed to find a good rhythm and race pace – all this on my first time at this track. I had some little clutch problems in race one and starting from way down the grid is never easy, so I don’t think eighth was too bad considering.
"My pace in the second race was a lot better and I enjoyed fighting with the other riders as I moved up the field. Today was my best result since Australia and it’s about time I got back to being competitive. Now I want to build on this, keep up the good work; and push hard right from the first practice in the next round and so be in a better place on the grid at the start of Raceday."
Cal Crutchlow says:: "I think the first race should have been the same as the second one, unfortunately I got caught up in Johnny’s crash and lost some valuable places. We’ve not had the pace of Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi this weekend, they did a fantastic job. I tried my hardest and I think we’ve done the best job we can. All credit to the Yamaha guys we’ve worked really hard for this result."
James Toseland says: "A frustrating weekend for me. We started really well here and I got down to some pretty decent times relatively quickly in the first practices so was feeling confident for the races. Superpole didn’t go quite as planned so I had a less than perfect grid start position. I managed a good start in the first race and was making up places but unfortunately I ran out of grip several laps from the end which slowed me down. It took me a while to get into a good pace in race two, but as I was picking up I came out of one corner too fast and so was too hot into the next, resulting in losing the front end. The team have worked really hard all weekend and I’m sorry I couldn’t deliver them a better result today."
Massimo Meregalli (Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager) says: "I think Cal did two really good races. Unfortunately in the first he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Rea crashed in front of him so he did well to stay on and stay in the points. He showed a really good pace. In the second race he did the best that was possible, to get a podium after a tough weekend is good for the team. I am sorry for James, his crash was unfortunate and he put in a good effort in the first race."
Noriyuki Haga says: "I’m really happy to be back on the podium today, but it wasn’t easy! At the start of Race 1 I was having trouble pushing but after a few laps the tyres picked up a bit and I was finally able to get past Camier in the final stages. It’s a great result and the first time I’ve been on the Miller podium. In Race 2 I had a similar feeling with my bike but the race was more difficult. I started badly and had to push so hard to make up the lost ground. In the last two years my weekends at Miller have been conditioned by crashes but this year I had a good feeling right from the first exit I made on Friday and this gave me confidence that a podium was possible. I’m satisfied and now we move on to Misano, a circuit where there is no long straight and where the Ducati could be very fast."
Michel Fabrizio says: "It’s a pity what happened to me in race 1. It was totally unexpected, my bike was sliding around at the rear and then, from one moment to the next, I found myself on the ground. In Race 2 I made a bad start, losing several positions and finding myself in the last group. I made up ground through the race but I wasn’t able to catch Rea and Byrne ahead of me and finished ninth. I hoped to do a lot better here in America but now we must turn our attention to the next round in Misano."
JAKUB SMRZ says: "We didn’t get any luck. I thought I could do well, everything was going my way until race 1, but once again we couldn’t achieve our goal . Next up is Misano which is another track I feel comfortable at, I hope to redeem myself in front of the Italian crowd". Â
Jonathan Rea says: "It’s quite hard to take many positives out of the weekend really. We’ve had big problems all weekend and nothing we tried did anything to fix them. We made a big – and I mean BIG – change to the front of the bike for race two, but the characteristics were exactly the same. Unfortunately, I’m missing the first day of our test at Assen because I’m riding in the 300km race at Suzuka, but there’s plenty for Max and the team to be working through. I really hope we can get something to take to the next race at Misano, because I have some great memories of that round last year."
Max Neukirchner says: "We tried something different for the second race because in the first one the bike was pitching too much – diving too fast under the brakes and coming up too quickly under acceleration. We thought the change would work but it didn’t, so we have another two disappointing results to take away from this race. I hope we can have two really positive days at the Assen test in two weeks, because there is a lot we need to get through. It’s frustrating because I know I can do better than what my results are showing."
Ronald ten Kate (Team Manager) says: "There is no hiding from the fact that this has been a bad weekend for us. With the chatter that both riders experienced, they could only ride around and make laps. We now have a two-day test at Assen where we will try quite a few new bits and pieces because we have to be in better shape at Misano. Having said that, Miller is the last race this year where we didn’t have sus pension data from Ohlins. We start at Misano with at least some reference points from last year. We hope that data will yield much better results for the rest of the season."
Roger Lee Hayden says:" I am really disappointed with today’s results. Starting from the last rows always makes life difficult, but in the second race, after the first few opening laps, the bike felt great and I was able to make some fast laps. During the middle of the race I had a bit of a battle with Vermeulen and Sykes and I tried to overt-aking them but I crashed and I was not able to restart. I’m sorry for the team and I want to thank them for setting things up so well on the machine. We still have some set up problems but overall I’m sure that during the next weeks my team will continue to work on the bike’s setting in order to be ready for next Misano races".
Matteo Baiocco says: "Starting from the sixth row was always going to be tough for Superbike races. In race one my start was not so good and near to the middle of the race I began to have problems with my rear tyre. I couldn’t ride my bike as I would have liked. I re-entered the box where my mechanics changed the tyre very quickly and I was able to rejoin the race also to test my bike thinking to the second race. For race two we changed the tyres and we tried a different setting. My start was pretty good and I worked hard to make mycway forward, but I was not able to find the right feeling with my bike and I couldn’t push any further. I’m disappointed with my results this weekend and I’m eager to improve my results in the next round."
Troy Corser says: "Overall, we should be happy today. Nevertheless I was disappointed with the Superpole result as I had to start both races from the fourth row. In the first race I had to fight with chattering, and I had some trouble with the edge grip. We changed the rear spring and made a few adjustments. The bike definitely felt better, but the problem came back again when the tyre went away after a couple of laps. We now know what we have to improve."
Ruben Xaus says:"To be honest I am disappointed with today. I got great starts in both races and I was right with the top guys. I just couldn’t do the times over the race distance. The team and I have worked tirelessly all weekend and made some real steps forward, but today we just couldn’t make it happen in the races. Still the team did a great job and I must thank them for that, and also compliments to Troy because he did so well. I just wish I could have been up there with him. I hope we can join him at the front in Misano."
Berthold Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director) says: "It is good to go back to Europe with two more top five results. After Sunday’s Superpole result I was not expecting to do as well as we did today. I am really happy with the performance from both Troy and Ruben. Nevertheless, we had some problems today, especially with tyre wear. We have to learn from that, and we know that we still have some work to do. Last year at this circuit in particular we struggled – so to achieve what we did today is a real step forward. Congratulations to the entire team once again for what they have achieved with a lot of hard work. I feel sorry for Carlos Checa who did a great job today but was very unlucky."
Tom Sykes says: "We started the weekend in good shape but although we were consistent with lap times and we improved on last year’s times, it was still not fast enough. I had a decent launch in both races but in race two I got tangled up with a Ducati rider and lost a few places, which put us in a disastrous 19th place. Middle race distance we struggled with handling into the long left-handed corners but I fought back as hard as I could to finish within the points. I guess that is a positive from the weekend. I’m sorry for the boys but I did the best I could and I look forward to getting things back-on track and running nearer the front at Misano."
Chris Vermeulen says: "A difficult weekend but we scored points in both races. It was my first time here and we improved the bike all weekend. At a circuit like this with really long corners we struggled to make the turns and we do not have the fastest bike right now. We have some work to do still. We made some changes race one to race two because I struggled with front tyre durability again, and we made it a lot better. Consistency and speed was faster, and I think that I was eight seconds nearer the front. That was a good step forward for us."
Miller Superbike – Race 1
1 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38’20.442 (161,26 kph)
2 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 4.931
3 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 6.432
4 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 8.576
5 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 11.150
6 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 11.243
7 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 12.432
8 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 15.145
9 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 16.091
10 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 16.502
11 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 18.719
12 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 24.285
13 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 36.479
14 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 39.700
15 77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 41.253
16 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 41.661
17 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1’00.427
18 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R
RET 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R
RET 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R
RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
Miller Superbike – Race 2
1 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38’17.842 (161,442 kph)
2 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 5.899
3 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 7.363
4 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 8.842
5 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 9.473
6 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 12.293
7 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 12.483
8 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 15.959
9 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 18.897
10 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 20.372
11 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 26.823
12 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 30.344
13 77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 33.337
14 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 38.772
15 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 44.994
RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
RET 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R
RET 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1
RET 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R
RET 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R
RET 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000
