Newsletter Sign Up

MotoUSA Magazine

World Superbike Phillip Island Results

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Font Size:

Email a Friend

*Email Addresses (up to 5):

Personal Message:

*Your Name:

*Your Email Address:

Send me a copy of this email

* Indicates a required field

Email addresses will only be used to send this message. They will not be used for promotional purposes. See our Privacy Policy.

Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga and Yamaha’s Ben Spies split wins at the opening round of the 2009 World Superbike Championship. Joining the Japanese and American riders on the Phillip Island podiums were Suzuki’s Max Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama, along with Honda’s Leon Haslam.

Race 1

Nitro Nori got 2009 off to a blistering start with a 25-point victory aboard his new Xerox Ducati 1098R.

Haga claimed the top position in Race 1, the Xerox Ducati rider finishing where the 1098R left on in 2008. The Neukirchner/Kagayama duo of Alstare Suzukis bested Haga’s teammate, Michel Fabrizio, to hold the rostrum positions. Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea rounded out the top five.

Spies started the race from pole position, but the American’s race debut fell flat when on-track incidents caused a trip to the gravel. The Yamaha rider rejoined the race to finish 16th, better than half the entries yet out of the points.

Other notable finishes include the debut manufactuers, BMW and Aprilia. Corser got the better results in Race 1, finishing eighth on the BMW S1000RR and setting the fastest lap on the new Beemer. Biaggi, who surprised with a second-place Superpole result, finished Race 1 in 11th.

Noriyuki Haga - Ducati Xerox

“My qualifying was not so good but in Race 1 my start was strong, and I started to fight with Max up at the front almost immediately. There was the possibility of rain so I started attacking right from the first lap. On the last lap Max got past me again but I kept trying and then on the last corner he made a mistake and I was able to pass him. In Race 2 I was again fighting, this time with Ben (Spies) but he was very fast and by the last five laps my rear tire was finished, so I had to settle for second. I really enjoyed the race and I am very happy; my team has done a great job this weekend and I am feeling very comfortable on my 1198. A fantastic day, thanks to Ducati and thanks to the fans and I’m very happy that my move to Ducati brings my first win in the first race of the 2009 season."

1. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati
2. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki 0.032
3. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki 5.347
4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 6.587
5. Rea J. (GBR) Honda 8.491
6. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda 8.523
7. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 8.766
8. Corser T. (AUS) BMW 11.589
9. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 11.721
10 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha 11.761
11. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia 12.609
12. Checa C. (ESP) Honda 19.096
13. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda 24.149
14. Hill T. (GBR) Honda 27.416
15.Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia 28.173
16. Spies B.(USA) Yamaha 28.235

Race 2

Ben Spies took the Race 2 win pulling away from Haga in the final laps - Phillip Island

Ben Spies ran into the gravel in Race 1, but the AMA Superbike import got back to familiar form with a Race 2 win.

Spies scored an impressive win in the second race, fighting for the win with Haga. The new R1 pilot managed to pull away in the final laps, with Nitro Nori holding second to the flag. Stiggy Honda’s Leon Haslam took third, the former British Superbike racer beating a pair of Ducatis – Regis Laconi and Fabrizio.

As for the Aprilia and BMW, Biaggi’s 15th-place result is misleading, as the Roman was in the podium mix before running off-track. As such, it was Shinya Nakano who got the better RSV4 finish in 12th. Ruben Xaus was the faster BMW Motorrad rider, finishing 11th with Corser in 22nd after running into tire troubles.

1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha
2. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1.286

Ben Spies - Yamaha YZF-R1

"The first race was pretty rubbish for me, but I knew I could come back in race two and fight it out. Unfortunately the incident with Biaggi and Haslam left me no option and forced me off, a double blow to be forced off again shortly after with the Xaus incident! I almost made it into the points and had the pace to do it. Congratulations to Nori for that one. The second race was really tough, I had a couple of attempts to break the lead, and watched Nori as much as possible to see where the opportunities were, we were both keeping the pace really high. I tried to stay as close as possible to him and waited for his grip levels to come down. With four laps to go I felt it was the right moment so I put my head down and charged and just kept going! The Pirelli tires were really good and as it was the first weekend for the new R1 it was really great. We got it done in the end, it was a really clean race and Nori was excellent to race against. There are a few more of these to go so looking forward to the next one in Qatar."

3. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda 4.213
4. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 09 4.490
5. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 6.045
6. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki 9.947
7. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 10.174
8. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki 1000 K9 12.100
9. Rea J. (GBR) Honda 12.742
10. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha 20.061
11. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW 24.854
12. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia 25.192
13. Checa C. (ESP) Honda 27.162
14. Hill T. (GBR) Honda 29.737
15. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia 30.036
16. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda 38.458

With 45 points the double podium finish gives Haga a 15-point advantage over his nearest rival, Neukirchner. A consistent Haslam is third overall at 26. Meanwhile Spies is just one point behind the Honda rider and the young Texan looks to be Haga’s best rival in the title hunt.

World Superbike Points:
1. Haga (Ducati) 45
2. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 30
3. Haslam (Honda) 26
4. Spies (Yamaha) 25
5. Kagayama (Suzuki) 24
6. Fabrizio (Ducati) 24
7. Laconi (Ducati) 22
8. Rea (Honda) 18
9. Smrz (Ducati) 16
10 Sykes (Yamaha) 12

Manufacturers Title:
1. Ducati 45
2. Yamaha 31
3. Suzuki 30
4. Honda 27
5. BMW 13
6. Aprilia 9

Phillip Island World Supersport Results
Press Release Courtesy of World Superbike

Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) won a superb opening World Supersport race in a three-way sprint to the line. The Turk, 2007 champion in the category, took the flag ahead of Australian riders Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda). Honda, winners of the mid-range Supersport category for the last seven years, begin the new season with four CBR-RR machines in the top 4 places, with fourth going to Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) of Ireland. For 24 year-old Sofuoglu, the win is his eleventh in the series, while Honda celebrate their 63rd win out of 117 Supersport races. The Yamahas, which looked good in qualifying, finished fifth in the hands of Cal Crutchlow and seventh with Fabien Foret, who raced with a partially dislocated right shoulder following his crash on Saturday. Spain’s Joan Lascorz made his debut for Kawasaki with an encouraging seventh place. The new Triumph 675 also had a positive start, with Gianluca Nannelli finishing tenth and Garry McCoy fourteenth.

Results :
1. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR
2. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.060
3. West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 0.153
4. Crutchlow C. (GBR)Yamaha YZF R6 1.097
5 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1.098
6. Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 3.631
7. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 5.023
8. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 9.540

Points (after 1 round of 14):
1. Sofuoglu (Honda) 25
2. Pitt (Honda) 20
3. West (Honda) 16
4. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 13
5. Laverty (Honda) 11
6. Aitchison (Honda) 10
7. Foret (Yamaha) 9
8. Lascorz (Kawasaki) 8

2009 World Superbike Gallery

Latest World Superbike Racing News

See More World Superbike News

Phillip Island Rider Quotes:

Max Neukirchner - Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 6th:
"I was very happy with the first race and thought I could win it after a big fight with Nori. But I made a little mistake on the last lap and that was enough for Nori to take the chequered flag and push me to second. But for me, second is a great start to the season and it is a good way to say thank you to my team for all the hard work over the winter. I had some problems with chatter in race two and also got caught up in a lot of traffic and found it not easy to get through it. I lost three seconds on the front group and that was too much to make up. The grip level seemed quite a bit down in race two and it was not possible to go any faster. If I had gone any quicker, I may have crashed and I didn't want that as Yukio and I have not had a single crash all weekend!"

Yukio Kagayama - Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 8th:
"I am so happy to be on the podium again because the last time was a very long time ago - Brno in 2007. I am a racer and I like to win, so the first race was a good feeling for me. The bike was almost the same in race two, but the grip level was much different and I had some chattering and many slides. Also, I had a problem with my left boot and it was not so easy to use the shifter. If I didn't have that problem, I'm sure I could've caught and passed at least two riders in front of me. But it's a good feeling to be on the podium again and also good because I didn't crash this weekend."

Troy Corser - Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 22nd
A mixed day, but an absolutely great result to start our 2009 campaign. I am happy to get eighth after starting from the fifth row of the grid - my worst ever WSBK position - and I am happy to have set the fastest lap of the race. I rode race one as hard as I have ever ridden before and really had to work for my 8th after my poor grid position. But I had made a good start and I just tried to catch the leaders. The result (and fastest lap) proves that the bike has potential and I can’t wait for it to develop further.

Race two was a disaster from the start, but it wasn’t my fault. After just one lap the tires were sliding around and it was like trying to race on a wet tire in the dry! I don't know why there was a problem at all, because the bike was the same, the settings were the same and the only thing that was different were the tires. It was frustrating and dangerous, and I
should’ve pulled in, but I wanted to keep going, finish the race and give as much information to the team as possible. I had two really big ‘moments’ when I was well out of the saddle, but somehow I stayed onboard. How I’m not sure, but it certainly
gave the crowd a fright on the last lap! This is the first time that we have done so many laps in one go and now the technicians will have race information to analyse for the first time and from this I am confident that the progress will continue
and continue.

Ruben - Race 1: 19th, Race 2: 11th
For me the results today were not important, but what was important was that Troy and I have given the team a lot of information and data to analyse. Today was the first time either of us have done a race distance and we have learnt a lot more about the bike today. We made the rear sprocket longer for race two and I was much more happy with the bike. I had told the team yesterday that I wanted three teeth longer, but they told me that two was enough. Now I think they owe me a beer because I believe I was right!

It’s hard to think that we have made so much progress that we’re battling with the top guys already and when you consider our grid positions, I think we’ve done really well. I'm not happy with 11th, but I’m happy with our performance in the race and
know that it could’ve been even better - if it were not for the grid positions. This is just our first step, but already we can see that our future looks promising.

View all articles by Bart Madson
View all articles in World Superbike 2009 News

Comments

KT - Speed FIM March 4, 2009 01:12 PM
I just posted my complaint about the showing of FIM races days after they actually happen. I also mentioned they should offer HD programming ASAP...........

Mark - Speed Channel Is Retarded March 4, 2009 10:09 AM
How about instead of asking Motorcycle USA to hold the results until Wednesday - You ask SPEED CHANNEL to show Race 2 on Sunday LIKE A RESPECTABLE BROADCASTING CHANNEL. They need to get their $h|+ in gear. You can't avoid the results of the 2nd race no matter what. And what do they hold back the race for? So they can show some Pinks re-runs? Or some whack low-rider show? Ridiculous. Please take a second and request they make the SLIGHT change to their programming and show the 2nd race in a timely manner. http://www.speedtv.com/feedback/

Ben - Race 2 March 4, 2009 09:37 AM
Race 2 isn't on Speed Channel until Tuesday which pretty much sucks because all the results are announced before. Kinda blows the excitement of watching the race. Hey Moto USA...maybe hold the results of race 2 until Wednesday morning...what do ya think??

speedblows - speedblows March 3, 2009 03:58 PM
it was said best thus: "if television ever gets the enema it so badly needs, the SPEED channel is where they'll insert the irrigation tube." nuff said.

KT - Race 2 March 2, 2009 08:21 AM
It absolutly sucks that they only showed race one on speed channel. I didn't get to see race two. I take Ben looked pretty good cause he won. I'll be sure to tune in next week. Should be a great year for racing!!!

thewall67 - Great weekend March 1, 2009 11:33 PM
It was just incredible to see Spies take pole position and then get a win. New bike, new course, new series, new riders to race...much more than I expected from him.

jimbolaya - spies March 1, 2009 05:36 PM
Ben will apparently be worlds sbk champ sooner rather than later. The question after that is, will he even want to race motogp, or would he rather just keep winning wsbk championships for several years then retire? I guess these are excellent problems for a young man to have! As americans we can all look forward to one of us being world champ regardless the venue.

Gads - Spies March 1, 2009 04:48 PM
Well done spies...if the guy isnt the world sbk champ within a few years i'd be very surprised. I'd say haga has it this year but spies will take it next year after more experience on these new tracks.

Ben - Ben Spies March 1, 2009 02:00 PM
Damn! If Biaggi didn't hestitate and force Ben off the track he probably would have grabbed top 3! Good news was Ben keep lap time pace with Haga. Side Note: THe new Aprilla is the sickest looking bike on the grid. I must have one!

rolaids - hachiman March 1, 2009 01:10 PM
I think as long as Haga does not take any cold medicine and fails the pee pee test I think he should win the championship. I have been a fan of him for many years and hope he finially wins it. But spies is so good and it will be good to see him win to, after all he is american and from texas to boot but he is so talented that he can ride the wheels off of anything. At least no one will walk away with the championship this year. Last year was bad.

Dan The Canadian - Go Spies and Ducati....... March 1, 2009 09:13 AM
I'm telling you, this will be a great season to watch, and probably more interessting than MotoGP..... Maybe we could see Rossi-Hayden-Stoner joining the gang......... Now that would be unbelievable....

Hutch - Spies & Haga March 1, 2009 09:10 AM
Oh man, I love old man Nori. I would hate to see our own Mr Spies come over and battle him head to head each and every race...then claim the title in his rookie season - If (and only if) - it means Haga gets second in the title chase again. If he does. He may go ballistic and start hurting people. Otherwise. Nice ride Benny boy!

Add a Comment

Your Name:

Subject:

Comments: