Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 October 2006 18:30
Chris Walker will race a Rizla Suzuki
GSX-R1000 in the 2007 British Superbike Championship.
Fans’ favourite Walker earned his
seat by winning the Race of the Year at Mallory Park in
Leicestershire on October 15th - and by bringing a fresh,
professional and hungry-for-success approach to the team.
“I am absolutely made-up to have
signed on the dotted line to be a Rizla Suzuki BSB rider in
2007,” said Walker. “I think just about everyone knew
how much I wanted the ride. It was number one on my wish list and I
couldn’t be any happier than I am right now.
Last Updated on Monday, 10 September 2007 10:44
Michelin men Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha
Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team
RC211V-Michelin) go into the season-ending Valencia GP fighting for
the last MotoGP World Championship of the 990cc era. This is the
first time in 14 years that the premier-class title has gone down
to the wire.
The pair are separated by just eight
points, Rossi ahead for the first time all season following the
recent Portuguese GP, during which Hayden was the innocent victim
of a mid-race collision. Last year at Valencia Hayden beat Rossi,
but if the American is to wrest the MotoGP crown from the Italian,
so far undefeated in the MotoGP series, he will need other riders
in the mix on Sunday. Only one thing is certain - that the scene is
set for a classic onfrontation. Tire choice will, of course, be
crucial to the outcome of Sunday's race and therefore the World
Championship. For example, Rossi and Hayden use different Michelin
front tires, which offer contrasting advantages that will add an
extra dimension of interest to their duel.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 October 2006 13:45
Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi
and Colin Edwards will start the Grand Prix of Portugal from the
front two places on the grid tomorrow, after a sensational
qualifying practice that saw the Italian seal his fourth pole of
the season with a record time of 1'36.200. Edwards was just 0.278
seconds off the pace of his team-mate to equal his best qualifying
position of the campaign ahead of what promises to be a
mouth-watering penultimate round.
First Friday Denver!
Both riders worked hard on the race
setting of their YZR-M1 machines throughout the day, building on
positive recent tests at Motegi and an exhaustive first day of
practice yesterday. In the morning they were second and fifth
fastest but the momentum grew in the afternoon when they both
dipped under the 1'38 mark on race rubber before launching their
grid attack in an exciting climax to the session, Rossi setting his
definitive pole time on the last of three impressive efforts.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 October 2006 16:46
Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden and Kenny
Roberts Jr, all Honda-powered, were the three fastest out of the
truck at Portugal MotoGP.
Ducati MotoGP Team riders Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi began
practice for the penultimate GP of the year at the revised Estoril
circuit this morning, ending the day seventh and 12th quickest. In
warm, windy conditions Gibernau was just 0.5 seconds off 'pole'
and believes he can go quicker tomorrow if he can find more edge
grip to improve his corner speed. Capirossi, winner of the Japanese
GP three weeks ago, struggled with set-up this afternoon, lapping
fractionally slower than he had in the first session but the
Italian is confident he can resolve his settings issues and get
back on the pace in time for Sunday's race.
Sete Gibernau (7th fastest, 1m
"Today wasn't too bad but we are
struggling a bit. My shoulder is hurting again which isn't good,
it didn't hurt at the last three races but maybe it got sore
during those races. Anyway the bike is improving but we are lacking
edge grip here. We went through some tyres today, we're chipping
away at the problem and hopefully Bridgestone will help us out
tomorrow with some different tyres. I am focusing on their
new-profile rear slick here. As soon as I pick up the bike out of
the turns I've got good traction but we are lacking grip through
the corners, and that affects the whole bike, turning and
everything. It costs us time everywhere, through the long, final
turn and through all the tight turns, where you need edge grip to
keep your corner speed."
Loris Capirossi (12th fastest, 1m
"After this morning's first session I
thought we would be much faster this afternoon but the changes we
made to the set-up evidently didn't work the way we expected them
to work. In fact I couldn't even match my times from this morning.
During the afternoon session we focused on improving the set-up,
running with the same tyres without really looking for lap times. I
would have been faster with new tyres but I just wanted to fix the
bike. Anyway, our package wasn't competitive today but Sete was
pretty fast so I'm sure we'll be able to fix everything for
tomorrow. The modifications they made to the track are okay, with
much improved run-off following the chicane and the new tarmac is
Last Updated on Friday, 13 October 2006 13:54
Fans favourite Chris Walker will ride a
Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 at this weekend’s Race of the Year at
Mallory Park in Leicestershire with the clear target of impressing
the team and securing a full-time ride in British Superbikes in
Walker finished ninth in the World
Superbike Championship in 2006 taking a memorable maiden victory at
Assen on the way. Now the 34-year-old wants to return to British
Superbike racing and go for the title with a team he knows can
Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 December 2007 16:07
Former GP star Max Biaggi had his first
Superbike experience at Magny-Cours when he tested the Alstare
Suzuki GSX-R1000 this week.
The Italian put in a considerable amount
of laps aboard this year’s Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra K6
bikes at a private two-day test at the French circuit, run under
variable weather conditions.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 December 2006 15:04
Brands Hatch good enough for MotoGP?
RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP’S John Hopkins
completed more than 10-laps of Brands Hatch GP circuit last weekend
while demonstrating his ear-splitting GSV-R990 at the final round
of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship – and reckons
the circuit would make a great addition to the MotoGP calendar.
The 23-year-old Anglo American was allowed
10-minutes on the 2.60-mile long picturesque track on Saturday and
Sunday but had to contend with a wet surface and rain on both
occasions. It didn’t dampen his enthusiasm though. He said:
“I really enjoyed my time riding, this circuit rocks.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 December 2006 15:05
The 12th and final round of this
year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at
Mangy-Cours in France this weekend and Team Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama are aiming to end the
season with a flourish.
This year has been a roller-coaster ride
for the duo but both are in a positive frame of mind as they head
to the last races of the year. Last weekend in Imola was good -
until race day. Kagayama was hit from behind in the first race -
unfortunately by Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max
Neukirchner - but bounced back to take a superb third place in race
two. And Corser suffered another poor weekend, retiring in the
first race with a technical problem and ending ninth in race two
after severe tyre problems.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 October 2006 00:24
It was Ducati, then Honda, Yamaha and
Suzuki in the battle for the pole at Imola's World Superbike
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser set the fourth
fastest time in Superpole today and will start tomorrow’s
11th round of the 2006 Superbike World Championship from the front
row of the grid.
His team mate Yukio Kagayama is just
behind, in fifth place, and both are determined to get podiums in
tomorrow’s pair of 21 lap races.
It was a also a good day for Alstare
Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner: The young German
rode a superb Superpole and posted the sixth quickest lap of the
16-rider shoot-out, ahead of many of the top factory riders.
Series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) took
Superpole with a lap of 1:48.804 with James Toseland (Honda) second
and Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) third.
Troy Corser - 4th, 1:49.442:
“I’m pretty happy I am on the
front row and that’s important here at Imola because there
are not that many passing places. Taking Superpole was a
possibility, but when the rear of the bike started moving around
like it did, it was hard to go faster then Bayliss. But I’m
satisfied with my bike set-up on race tyres and we’ll have to
see how it goes tomorrow. I hope that I will not be involved in a
big fight at the start of the race because I want to conserve my
tyres a little for the end of the race. When it’s hotter, our
tyres don’t seem to work as well, so I’d prefer cooler
conditions than today.”
Yukio Kagayama - 5th, 1:49.497:
“I am sort of happy with the set-up
of my bike for the race but a lot will depend on how hot it is
tomorrow. For me, the tyres do not work the same way in hot
conditions as cool conditions, so the end of the race is going to
be very interesting if it is as hot as it was this afternoon. I am
bit disappointed with my Superpole lap. I tried very hard and I
really wanted a front-row place. So now I need two good starts and
for me usually that is not a big problem. I want two podiums
tomorrow and I will try my best to get them.”
Max Neukirchner - 6th, 1:49.840:
“I am very happy with my Superpole
lap, even though I made a little mistake during it. But sixth is
pretty good considering everything and it’s a sign that I am
getting to understand the Alstare Engineering bike more and more.
Unfortunately I had a bit of a crash in the afternoon practice and
although I was ok, the bike was pretty badly damaged. I’m
afraid I gave my mechanics a lot of work to do. Sixth was good
today, but what’s important is tomorrow. I need a couple of
good starts and be strong throughout the two races. If I can do
that, I can look forward to a couple of good finishes.
Final WSB Qualifying: 1 Bayliss
(Aus-Ducati) 1:48.804, 2 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:49.394, 3 Pitt
(Aus-Yamaha) 1:49.433, 4 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra) 1:49.442, 5 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra)
1:49.497, 6 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra)
1:49.840, 7 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:49.856, 8 Barros (Bra-Honda)
1:49.888, 9 Xaus (E-Ducati) 1:49.958, 10 Lanzi (I-Ducati)
Last Updated on Saturday, 30 September 2006 17:02
Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies
and Mat Mladin go into this weekend’s final-round AMA
Superbike Championship round at Lexington, Ohio both capable of
lifting the title on their GSX-R1000s.
Spies leads the series by 20 points from
the six-time Champion. The 22-year-old Texan has won 10 races this
year and he’s captured seven out of 10 pole positions. At
this year’s first Mid-Ohio Superbike double-header weekend in
August, Spies picked up a pair of wins and he hopes to lift his
first AMA Superbike crown this time around.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 December 2006 15:10
As the exhausting three-in-a-row sequence
of consecutive MotoGP races has just drawn to a close in Japan, the
grand Pan-Pacific tour underlined the true meaning of
‘long-haul’ races for all those involved. None more so
than the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP squad. If you’ve ever wondered
what it takes to get the people, machines and backup equipment
around the world and back again, the following numbers can’t
fail to impress…
21 days - the amount of time the team was
away from its UK base, having left on 4th September and returned
Last Updated on Tuesday, 26 September 2006 11:04
Shinya Nakano translated a Kawasaki holeshot into a monster initial
lead in the Australian round of the MotoGP, leaving polesitter and
championship leader Nicky Hayden in the dust.But that was just the
opening drama in a race where Mother Nature would seek to rewrite the
By lap two, Hayden was in stunning sixteenth place, and Valentino Rossi
languishing in ninth. In places two and three were Ducati's Gibernau and
Honda mounted Marco Melandri, both riders who hadn't seen the pace in
Rossi scythed through the field, weaving his Yamaha with purpose and
speed two reach third on lap five, as the skies, threatening since the
beginning, opened up enough to see the paddock rapidly get rain bikes
Last Updated on Sunday, 17 September 2006 13:20
Red Bull Honda rider Jonathan Rea qualified his Honda CBR1000RR
Fireblade in fourth position for round 12 of the Bennetts British
Superbike Championship at Silverstone, Northamptonshire today (16
The 19-year-old was fastest in all three practice sessions but the
50-minute qualifying session saw high drama unfold as the session was
red-flagged twice at the 2.213-mile circuit.
Rea uncharacteristically crashed out after just two laps into the
session, and as a result he missed out on 20 minutes of qualifying time.
He restarted with 24 minutes remaining and was on a potential pole
position when the session was yet again red-flagged with just five
Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 September 2006 17:13
Max Biaggi has today signed an agreement in Alleur, Belgium with Alstare
Corona Extra team manager Francis Batta to ride a GSX-R1000 Suzuki in
next year’s World Superbike Championship.
Biaggi is said to be more motivated and fitter than ever and has already
asked to test his new Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7 as soon as possible.
"Today is a good day,” he said. “I have always followed the World
Superbike Championship and my view is that it is an extremely exciting
Championship. I have always admired the riders taking part in the World
Superbike Championship and I value the class’s technical level.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 September 2006 23:04
Troy Bayliss put his Ducati 999R at the front for tomorrow's Lausitz
World Superbike round, followed by the Yamaha of Noriuki Haga,
two-tenths of a second behind.
Bayliss' pace, coupled with a
lackluster qualifying performance by Troy Corser, hardens the
Australian's grip on the championship.
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama will start tomorrow’s 10th
World Superbike Championship round our Eurospeedway Lausitz from the
Both suffered from tyre problems on their Superpole laps and were unable
to maintain their top-three placings from regular qualifying: Both
Corser and Kagayama’s qualifying tyres didn’t work as well as expected
in the cooler conditions this afternoon but the duo are confident that
their race rubber will be more competitive tomorrow.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 December 2007 16:08
Ducati's Capirossi was fastest Friday in Malaysia, while Kawasaki touts
a new engine for Nakano, and Vermuelen battles a cold.
circuit hits Sepang in Malaysia this weekend, and the biggest question
is can American Nicky Hayden get his Honda back on track and sustain his
American Kenny Robert, Jr. was third fastest on
the KR Honda, following Hayden's teammate, pint-sized Dani Pedrosa.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 September 2006 22:51
American Honda's Miguel Duhamel was guaranteed a third place finish in
the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship, despite a frustrating weekend at
Road Atlanta, site of the penultimate round of the championship.
Saturday was the stronger of the two days for Duhamel. He led the first
lap, ran second on the second lap, then settled into third for the
duration. It was only on the 24th of 25 laps that he lost the spot to
Aaron Yates, the Suzuki rider drafting pass on the long back straight.
Duhamel countered with a strong move into the hard braking turn ten, but
couldn't find his away past the Georgian. The difference at the flag was
Last Updated on Friday, 15 September 2006 23:56
One of the closest MotoGP World Championships in history heads into its
final stage this weekend as the series heads out to Malaysia for the
first of a five-race spell across three continents. Races at Sepang,
Phillip Island (Australia), Motegi (Japan), Estoril (Portugal) and
Valencia (Spain), will decide the destiny of a title which for the past
five seasons has been lifted by Yamaha superstar Valentino Rossi. For
the Italian to retain that honour he must turn around a 38-point deficit
to current leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), although no fewer than nine
riders still have the mathematical odds to take the honours.
Rossi's chances were given a huge boost at the last round three weeks
ago in Brno, where a second place finish combined with ninth for Hayden
saw the gap between the pair slashed by thirteen points. That race went
down as the closest top-15 finish of all time in the sport,
strengthening this season's reputation as one of the toughest ever and
highlighting the number of points to be won and lost over the remaining
Last Updated on Friday, 15 September 2006 23:55
World Superbike Assen
Ducati put both bikes at the top of the chart
at the neutered Assen circuit, as World Superbike returned from its
Series leader Troy Bayliss was fastest on his Ducati
999R, followed by teammate Lorenzo Lanzi.
Last Updated on Friday, 01 September 2006 22:33
After a break of almost a month the Superbike World Championship enters
its hectic final leg with round nine of the series at Assen in the
Netherlands this weekend.
With four rounds over the next six weekends it promises to be a busy
time for the teams and riders in what has been a thrilling championship
so far. One man who can surely be expected to be in the thick of the
action is Yamaha Motor Italia's Noriyuki Haga, who is the closest rival
to series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati). The Japanese star gave his best
form of the season last time out in Brands Hatch, winning the day's
second race, and consolidating his second place in the championship.
Last Updated on Monday, 21 August 2006 17:19
Reigning AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin walked away with victory
today at the ‘Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals’ at Virginia International
Raceway in Alton, Virginia from injured Yoshimura Suzuki team mate and
series leader Ben Spies.
Six-time champion Mladin took the lead on the fourth of 28 laps and
opened it up to 19.5 seconds at the end of the 28-lap race – the biggest
victory-margin this season.
Said Mladin, after his fourth win of the season: "It was a good race for
us. We've been working hard all year but unfortunately, Ben's been too
With four races to run, he trails Spies by 39 points.
Spies broke a bone in his right hand during qualifying when he
high-sided, but he qualified second and easily took runner-up in the
first of the weekend’s two races.
Saturday Superbike Results:
1. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki)
2. Ben Spies (Yoshimura Suzuki)
3. Neil Hodgson (Ducati)
4. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
5. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki)
6. Jake Zemke (Honda)
7. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki)
8. Tommy Hayden (Kawasaki)
9. Roger Lee Hayden (Kawasaki)
10. Steve Rapp (Suzuki)
Last Updated on Saturday, 19 August 2006 23:55
At beautiful Brno, Bridgestone-shod Kawasaki MotoGP bikes went well in
The MotoGP World Championship battle was rejoined today
at Brno, with most of the riders now fully fit after three weeks away
from the racetrack. But it was Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet who
illustrated best the benefits of rest and relaxation on performance,
finishing this afternoon's free practice session in second place, and
just one tenth of a second down on reigning world champion, Valentino
The Kawasaki rider continued this refinement process during the early
part of the afternoon free practice session, before switching to the
qualifying tyre on which he set his fastest time of the day to take
second place on the timesheet.
The 25-year-old Frenchman concentrated on the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR
during this morning's opening free practice session, switching between
his two race machines frequently as he tested different combinations of
suspension and engine settings, as well as a number of different tyres
from Kawasaki's tyre partner, Bridgestone.
Last Updated on Saturday, 19 August 2006 07:46
Valentino Rossi got back to dominant form today as the MotoGP World
Championship returned to action in the Czech Republic following a brief
summer break. The Italian was able to bounce back from his Laguna Seca
disappointment with a series of fast laps at the Brno circuit after
quickly finding a good base set-up for his YZR-M1 machine. After lapping
second quickest in the morning practice, just 0.047 seconds behind
series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), Rossi ended the day on top of the
time sheets after improving by almost two seconds in the afternoon -
with only Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki) able to lap within 0.5 seconds of
his best effort.
It was also a positive first day for Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate
Colin Edwards, who started the day with one of his two bikes configured
with the same settings used by Rossi on his way to victory and the
circuit lap record last season. The information immediately put the
Texan on the front foot and, after reacquainting himself with the YZR-M1
machine following his recent exertions on a Superbike in the Suzuka 8
hour race, he was also able to pick up the pace in the afternoon and
lapped fourth fastest.
The ((Camel Yamaha)) team return from a three-week holiday next weekend to tackle the first of a final spell of six races that will determine whether reigning MotoGP World Champion ((Valentino Rossi)) can turn around his fortunes and make a sixth consecutive defence of the title he has held since 2001. The Czech Republic Grand Prix takes place at the legendary circuit of ((Brno)), located just over 200 kilometres south-east of the capital city of Prague, where last year Rossi took victory and the lap record as he edged towards his fifth straight title.
Last Updated on Friday, 01 September 2006 22:58
The scenario is dramatically different for Rossi this time around but a similar performance is required as the Italian aims to close down the 51-point gap to series leader ((Nicky Hayden)) (Honda). It is a tough task but certainly not impossible, as Yamaha legend Wayne Rainey proved in 1992 when he pipped the injured Mick Doohan to the title despite lying 65 points behind with only five races remaining.
((Suzuki Castrol))'s ((Vincent Philippe)) and the SERT ((GSX-R1000))
have taken pole position for this weekend's ((Oschersleben 24 Hour))
sixth round of the FIM ((World Endurance Championship)) with a time of
He was just under a second faster than ((Yamaha Austria))'s ((Gwen
Giabbani ))(1:29.493), setting the scene for a very competitive race
Suzuki Castrol team manager Dominique Meliand said: "We set good times
on qualifying tyres and good times on race tyres so I am happy. If it
rains tomorrow then that makes it difficult to race; there are a lot of
people on the track here and a lot of tight turns - but then that is
Last Updated on Friday, 04 August 2006 12:18
This weekend sees the Superbike World Championship move to the famous Brands Hatch circuit in England for round eight of what is proving to be a pulsating series.
Brands is traditionally the highlight of the season, with the year's biggest crowd flocking to see some of the best racing of the year. An old-fashioned race track, Brands Hatch provides a challenging mix of fast, blind corners and radical elevation changes to test the riders' skill, bravery and machine set-up skills. It is a circuit rated by many riders as their favourite.
The Yamaha Motor Italia squad travels to the UK in good form, having seen Noriyuki Haga close in on series leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati) last time out in Brno. Haga currently lies second in the series, 73 points behind Bayliss, and Brands Hatch is one of the Japanese rider's favourite venues, having taken his YZF-R1 to the win there last year.
Last Updated on Friday, 28 July 2006 17:14
Suzuka readies for World Endurance round
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Akira Watanabe has put his GSX-R1000 into provisional second on the grid for Sunday’s Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance fifth round as World Champions and series leaders Suzuki Castrol are currently down in 15th.
Watanabe set a time of 2:09.636, which was just over 400ths-of-a-second behind pole-setter Yoshiteru Konishi on the Toy Story Honda.
Due to an entry of 84, qualifying was split into two groups: The morning sessions were held in the dry, sunny conditions while the afternoon was more mixed and despite some rain, many of the afternoon qualifying sessions were declared officially "wet". When a qualifying session is declared wet, the Suzuka-only ‘four sets of tyres for qualifying’ rule does not apply to that session and teams may use extra tyres during that session.
American wins US Grand Prix
Last Updated on Monday, 10 September 2007 10:45
Jennifer Mello vs. Chris Romer in Senate District 32
For half the blistering hot U.S. Grand Prix, the story was Chris Vermuelen and his Bridgestone shod Suzuki.
Then, over the bumps, Casey Stoner threw his Honda away and American Nicky Hayden caught Vermeulen. With Stoner down, flyweight Dani Pedrosa set off after Hayden and Aussie Vermuelen. Hayden dashed around the inside of Vermeulen at turn six, and was never headed after lap 17.
Valentino Rossi, after a rough start, staged his typical march through the field, passing Marco Melandri for fourth on lap 20, putting his Yamaha ahead of the Honda.
Suzuki tops again in AMA Superbike
They looked more like bucking broncos than highly developed Superbikes.
The newly repaved Laguna Seca included a bunch of bumps and ripples, and coupled with the short set-up time this weekend, the AMA circus bounced around like a rodeo.
In fact, the new pavement, coupled with record heat, started coming, creating gravel traps mid-corner.
It didn't stop Ben Spies and his Suzuki GSXR-1000 from checking out early, but Ben Bostrom with the newly allowed traction control enabled Ducati gave chase after a lap one red flag.