2009 World Superbike Season
Follow all the action of the 2009 SBK season in this 2009 World Superbike gallery and make sure to visit the MotorcycleUSA World Superbike Racing page.
The Yamaha factory team for 2009 supports a pair of young stars, Tom Skyes and AMA Superbike sensation Ben Spies.
The factory Yamaha R1. The team is still testing the 2008 spec R1 as it gets up to speed.
The 2009 Yamaha Factory Racing Team World Superbike YZF-R1.
Ben Spies figures to be a strong contender in the veteran-filled SBK ranks.
Michael Schumacher, seen here chatting with retired SBK champion Troy Bayliss, spent time on the factory R1 during a media test held after the Portimao circuit in Portugal.
Max Neukirchner started to work with the all-new 2009 GSX-R1000 Suzuki at the demanding circuit and understand the new bike.
As the bike is new, there is much work to do as you can imagine. I managed to do a short shakedown test in Japan before the bikes were sent to Phillip Island, so these tests were my second time on the bike. My first impression of the new bike is that it handles better than before.
“I have enjoyed being back on the bike after some weeks off and the test has gone really well so far, I’m very happy. I hadn’t seen this track before of course and I really like it, it’s fun to ride. We haven’t yet tried any qualifiers and I think I may be able to go a touch faster with those tyres but we’ll see tomorrow, with this heat it’s hard to go extremely fast. I’d like to improve even further tomorrow, I’ll see what I can do.”
"I am happy with our progress and happy that I finished without any crashes and now can enjoy Christmas fit and healthy and ready for next year." - Ruben Xaus
Troy was happy that his fastest lap, on race rubber, was not far off the pace and a sign that there is still more to come.
"Of course, I would've liked to have gone faster at the end, but that wasn't the reason we came here. We came here to try and understand the bike and get it to do what we wanted it to do." - Ruben Xaus
Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser at the Pirelli test in Kyalami, South Africa.
Yukio Kagayama - Portimao Test
Max Neukirchner - Portimao Test
Max Neukirchner - Portimao Test
Tom Sykes - Portimao Test
Ben Spies - Portimao Test
Michel Fabrizio - Portimao Test
Xerox Ducati - Portimao Test
Broc Parks - Portimao Test
Makoto Tamada - Portimao Test
Gregorio Lavilla - Portimao Test
Noriyuki Haga - Portimao Test
Broc Parkes - Portimao Test
Makoto Tamada - Portimao Test
Shane Byrne - Portimao Test
Ruben Xaus - Phillip Island Test
Noriyuki Haga - Phillip Island Test
Troy Corser - Phillip Island Test
Troy Corser - Phillip Island Test
Max Biaggi - Phillip Island Test
Broc Parkes - Phillip Island Test
Makoto Tamada - Phillip Island Test
Broc Parkes - Phillip Island Test
Makoto Tamada - Phillip Island Test
Ruben Xaus - Phillip Island Qualifying
Troy Corser - Phillip Island Qualifying
Yukio Kagayama - Phillip Island Qualifying
Yukio Kagayama - Phillip Island Qualifying
Max Neukirchner - Phillip Island Qualifying
Yukio Kagayama - Phillip Island Qualifying
Michel Fabrizio - Phillip Island Qualifying
Noriyuki Haga - Phillip Island Qualifying
Ben Spies sets the World Superbike grid up AMA style with a Superpole victory at Phillip Island.
Ben Spies - Phillip Island
Karl Muggeridge - Phillip Island
Régis Laconi - Phillip Island
Noriyuki Haga took the Race 1 victory.
Ben Spies took the Race 2 win, pulling away from Haga in the final laps - Phillip Island
Noriyuki Haga - Losail
Michel Fabrizio - Losail
Ben Spies - Losail Superpole
Ben Spies claimed the double at Qatar.
Hopkins No. 121 up to his usual hijinx at Valencia.
Ben Spies in action at Valencia.
Ben Spies - Valencia
Cal Crutchlow - Valencia
Spanish babes are present at the Valencia round of the 2009 World Superbike Championship.
Max Biaggi is figuring out the all-new 2009 Aprilia RSV4 at Valencia.
Haga was straight thuggin on a Dutch bicycle before the Grand Prix in Assen.
Ben Spies progressed through the bracket-style three-round qualifing system, finally laying down a 1:37.626 on his factory Yamaha R1 to secure the pole on Saturday at Assen.
Haga-san shredding Pirelli rubber at Valencia.
Leon Haslam with a Dutch umbrella girl before Race 1 on Sunday. Haslam put in a solid performance for the day, finished third and second in Race 1 and 2, respectively.
Even the lower brackets got umbella girls in Assen.
Spies won Race 1 after making a ballsy move on Haga in the last lap, leaving the Ducati rider trailing by a tenth of a second. Leon Haslam finished out the rostrum half a second behind the front-runners in Assen.
Noriyuki Haga following his victory in Race 2, "First of all, I’m sorry for Ben and his crash, I hope he is fine. After the first race we changed the suspension a little bit and the bike was really comfortable, so a big thanks to everyone in the team. I think it’s nine years since I won here, in 2000, so I’m very happy and now I’m looking forward to Monza."
BMW's Troy Corser recieved a small fracture between his hand and wrist from an accident at the Monza tests. Troy could’ve had pain-killing injections before the races, but did not want to loose sensation in the hand.
Reigning World Superbike Champ Troy Bayliss was on hand at Monza acting as the official ambassador of Team Ducati Xerox.
Noriyuki Haga, a resident of nearby Milan, Italy, was a fan favorite coming into the weekend races in Monza, especially now that he rides for the Italian marque Ducati.
Race 1 got off to a dramatic red-flag start. Kawasaki's Makato Tamada made contact with Ducati privateer Branden Roberts as the riders compressed into the tight first chicane. Robert’s Ducati then skipped across the grass and through the chicane, hitting Max Neukirchner's Suzuki and putting the German on the ground. BMW's Troy Corser, and Honda's Tommy Hill were also taken out.
Just when it all looked in the bag for the young Texan, having made a final-lap break, his factory Yamaha R1 puffed smoke and lost power going through the final corner, handing the win to Fabrizio, his first of the season and the first of his career at his home race in Italy.
Max Biaggi finished third for Aprilia, however, when he climbed atop the podium, the loudspeaker announced a 20 second penalty for the Roman driver because of a suspected cut at the second chicane in the seventh lap.
In Race 2 Spies took redemption for his bad luck in Race 1. The American was out front by the end of lap one and every lap thereafter. He stretched his lead to over six seconds but then slowed his pace as he short shifted home to ensure he had enough fuel to cross the finish line.
The Race 2 podium (left to right): Ducati's Michel Fabrizio in second, Yamaha's Ben Spies with the win, with Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari rounding-out the podium.
Kawasaki's Makoto Tamada aboard his Kawasaki ZX-10R at Valencia.
Nitro Nori keeping it fresh with the Ducati crew before the races in Assen.
Yamaha's Ben Spies recorded his sixth consecutive Superpole at Kyalami.
Spies wins another heavy piece of glass in South Africa.
Xerox Ducati's Noriyuki Haga scored double wins at Kyalami.
Kyalami Race 2 podium consisted of Michel Fabrizio (left), Noriyuki Haga (center), and Jonathan Rea (right).
Xerox Ducati's Noriyuki leads teammate Michel Fabrizo and Ben Spies in Race 1 at Kyalami.
Ben Spies improved his championship hopes with a dominating double victory performance at Utah's Miller Motorsports Park.
Spies was wearing a one off helmet for the races at Miller Motorsports Park designed by legendary helmet artist Aldo Drudi. It incorporated the flag of the Lone Star State with the slogan "Texan Terror" on the back.
The ‘Texas Terror’ headed into race day at Miller Motorsports having set a new record for most consecutive World Superbike poles, having taken pole in the first seven races of the series. Fellow Texan Doug Polen held the previous record over a decade ago.
Troy Corser: "There’s no disguising that this has been a hard weekend for us all here at Miller. Although we had some difficulties during the weekend, my main problem today was my right shoulder. I damaged the ligament between the shoulder and the collarbone in the Monza crash and it has not recovered yet.
Michael Jordan was in Utah to root for Spies and check out WSBK.
The visit to Miller Motorsports Park was definitely designed to showcase all that World Superbike has to offer America.
Miller Motorsports Park
Ben Spies: “That was a tough race, I almost feel like I robbed Michel because he rode fantastic. I tried to set a good pace but a pace that was comfortable and every time he took a tenth out I had to put a tenth back to keep him at bay. Then in the last six laps I pulled the pin and held it to the end."
Rea, Fabrizio and Spies were the overall winners for weekend at Miller.
Jonathan Rea diced with Noriyuka Haga and Michel Fabrizio in Race 2 of Misano.
Spies was in impeccable form in Race 1 of Misano to take another Victory in a flag-to-flag race.
Max Neukirchner was out of commission for the Misano round.
Shane "Shakey" Byrne made a stellar ride on the Sterilgada Ducati in Race 1 to score second, his first podium for the season.
Jonathan Rea scored a first career World Superbike victory in Race 2 of Misano, Honda's first for the 2009 season.
Fabrizio continued to outshine his Ducati Xerox teammate for the second round in a row at Misano.
Ducati Privateer Jakub Smrz took a pair of fourth-places at Misano.