World Superbike Valencia Results

Sunday, April 05, 2009

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Nitro-Nori took the early lead in Race One at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia Spain. After American Spies fell in lap 10 Suzukis Max Neukirchner was left battling Ducati riders Fabrizio and Laconi for the remaining rostrum positions.

Xerox Ducati's Noriyuki Haga did the double in Spain

Japan’s Noriyuki Haga continued his consistent and fast form in Spain, taking his first World Superbike double-win of the season on the factory Xerox Ducati. Haga has always been fast in Spain, winning at the Ricardo Tormo circuit on several occasions in the past.

Race One was Haga’s second victory of the early season in what proved to be a treacherous race. Several riders hit the ground, including our own Ben Spies who lost the front in Turn One while battling for second position on lap 10. Joining him in the dirt during the 23-lap race were Troy Corser, Carlos Checa, Jonathan Rea among others.

Despite the fall, no one was touching Haga. The fifth lap of the race saw him make history by breaking

All knees and elbowz Spies positions his spindly frame on this years impressive Yamaha like a Recluse spider ready to strike. Spies doesnt have as much experience on the upcoming Assen circuit but he can certainly bet on better luck.

American Ben Spies fell off in Race One but came back and scored second in Race Two.

Neil Hodgson's lap record, set back in ‘03 on Michelins with a 1:34.862, just under Hodgson's 1:35.007 on his Pirelli-shod 1098R. By lap three he was firmly in the lead and pulling away.

After Spies fell, second-place in Race One became a battle between Xerox Ducati's Michael Fabrizio and Suzuki Alstare's Max Neukirchner, the pair some 3.6 seconds back from the lead. Fabrizio had to fight for second spot, working his way up from an eighth-place start and edging out Neukirchner by less than 0.4 seconds. He was equally 0.3-seconds ahead of privateer Ducati rider Regis Laconi.

The second place finish in the first race was Fabrizio's first podium of the season, proving he does have the talent Ducati has been looking for from the youngster the past two years. For young German Neukirchner on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 it was his second podium of '09.

It didn’t take long for Haga to record his third win of the season in Race Two, capping off the double in Spain, this time beating the shaken WSBK rookie Spies by over 5 seconds. The race was nearly 3-seconds slower than the first, and once again Haga’s Ducati Xerox teammate Fabrizio landed on the box, this time in third – again after a tough battle with Laconi, who just missed the podium for the second time.

It’s also worth noting American John Hopkins had bit of a rough start to his World Superbike career on the Stiggy Motorsports Honda, coming home 11th in the first race and 12th in the second after qualifying 16th. We expect to see some more speed from him as the season progresses and he gets used to the very capable CBR1000RR.

The wins for Haga came as no surprise, as the Japanese rider has always had the speed, but before where Haga was flat-out with his usual win-it or bin-it style, this year has seen the elder statesman take seconds and thirds when he knew he didn’t have the speed to win, showing his maturity and the team leadership from Davide Tardozzi at Ducati.

American John Hopkins took 11th and 12th in his World Superbike debut which is not bad for this seasoned field of competitors. We will expect more out of the MotoGP racer at the upcoming Assen circuit where he has more experience.

Fellow American John Hopkins was happy to be back riding, though an 11th and 12th was the best he could muster in Valencia.

As a result, Haga now maintains a 40-point lead over Spies (135 to 95) in the championship after three rounds. Neukirchner sits third with 65 points, aided by a his podium in race one. The German has shown signs of speed this season but has had trouble being consistent and keeping his Suzuki on two wheels.

WORLD SUPERBIKE RACE ONE:
1. Noriyuki HAGA (Duc 1098)
2. Michel FABRIZIO (Duc 1098), -3.677
3. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), -3.959
4. Regis LACONI (Duc 1098), -4.210
5. Leon HASLAM (Hon CBR1000RR), -13.824
6. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suz GSX-R1000), -14.562
7. Tom SYKES (Yam YZF-R1), -15.155
8. Max BIAGGI (Apr RSV4), -16.316
9. Shane BYRNE (Duc 1098R), -20.361
10. Broc PARKES (Kaw ZX-10R), -23.878
11. John HOPKINS (Hon CBR1000RR), -30.902
12. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon CBR1000RR), -31.298
13. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), -32.660
14. Makoto TAMADA (Kaw ZX-10R), -42.156
15. Tommy HILL (Hon CBR1000RR), -43.040
16. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Suz GSX-R1000), -45.204
17. Ayrton BADOVINI (Kaw ZX-10R), -52.023
18. Luca SCASSA (Kaw ZX-10R), -52.474
19. David SALOM (Kaw ZX-10R), -55.775
20. Matteo BAIOCCO (Kaw ZX-10R), -56.202
21. Carlos CHECA (Hon CBR1000RR), crash
22. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R1), retired
23. Brendan ROBERTS (Duc 1098), crash
24. Ben SPIES (Yam YZF-R1), crash
25. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Hon CBR1000RR), crash

WORLD SUPERBIKE RACE TWO:

Yamahas Spies rode hard in Race 2 to slip into second between the Haga and the other Xerox Ducati rider No. 84 Frabrizio. Flipping his bike in the first race didnt seem to shake the riders tenacious performance.

Frenchman Regis Laconi (55) battled for podium positions in both races on the privateer DFX Ducati, just missing the box with a pair of fourth-place finishes.

1. Noriyuki HAGA (Duc 1098)
2. Ben SPIES (Yam YZF-R1), -5.105
3. Michel FABRIZIO (Duc 1098 F09), -6.386
4. Regis LACONI (Duc 1098R), -6.573
5. Leon HASLAM (Hon CBR1000RR), -14.075
6. Carlos CHECA (Hon CBR1000RR), -17.333
7. Max NEUKIRCHNER (Suz GSX-R1000), -19.207
8. Max BIAGGI (Apr RSV4), -20.697
9. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Hon CBR1000RR), -21.015
10. Tom SYKES (Yam YZF-R1), -22.581
11. Shane BYRNE (Duc 1098R), -22.604
12. John HOPKINS (Hon CBR1000RR), -23.952
13. Jonathan REA (Hon CBR1000RR), -29.082
14. Jakub SMRZ (Duc 1098R), -29.277
15. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), -32.384
16. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), -35.125
17. Broc PARKES (Kaw ZX-10R), -38.344
18. Brendan ROBERTS (Duc 1098R), -39.161
19. Karl MUGGERIDGE (Suz GSX-R1000), -39.374
20. David CHECA (Yam YZF-R1), -49.904
21. David SALOM (Kaw ZX-10R), -52.631
22. Tommy HILL (Hon CBR1000RR), -52.966
23. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Hon CBR1000RR), -53.196
24. Luca SCASSA (Kaw ZX-10R), -53.491
25. Roland RESCH (Suz GSX-R1000), -79.946

World Supersport

Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow took his first-career World Supersport win in Valencia. The win puts the rookie tied with Kenan Sofuoglu for top spot in the World Championship points standings three races into the season.

British youngster Cal Crutchlow edged out Aussie Anthony West at the line to take the first-career World Supersport win in only his third-ever race in the highly-competitive series. A brief rain shower delayed the start of the race and left the track damp in places. Third-place in the tricky conditions, but nearly 9 seconds adrift, was Ten Kate Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu.

"I knew where we were strongest into turn one and out on the back straights, however West was really strong in the places where we were a bit weaker," said Crutchlow. "We've been chasing a perfect set-up all weekend and luckily we found it for the race. It was dodgy conditions for the start but we got through it and got on the pace. The team have put in such a lot of effort since the last race. To come here and win is really good for me and really good for Yamaha."

Cruthchlow’s win and Sofuoglu’s third now ties the two at the top of the points standing with 54 points each. Third in the championship is also a tie right now at 43 points, with Eugene Laverty, Anthony West and Andrea Pitt all even-up after three races.

WORLD SUPERSPORT RESULTS:
1. Cal CRUTCHLOW (Yam YZF-R6)
2. Anthony WEST (Hon CBR600RR), -0.171
3. Kenan SOFUOGLU (Hon CBR600RR), -8.408
4. Mark AITCHISON (Hon CBR600RR), -12.421
5. Katsuaki FUJIWARA (Kaw ZX-6R), -16.529
6. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Hon CBR600RR), -19.242
7. Michele PIRRO (Yam YZF-R6), -26.124
8. Barry VENEMAN (Suz GSX-R600), -34.525
9. Eugene LAVERTY (Hon CBR600RR), -35.436
10. Fabien FORET (Yam YZF-R6), -38.337
11. Gianluca VIZZIELLO (Hon CBR600RR), -39.759
12. Robbin HARMS (Hon CBR600RR), -39.970
13. Andrew PITT (Hon CBR600RR), -50.532
14. Massimo ROCCOLI (Hon CBR600RR), -51.506
15. Doni Tata PRADITA (Yam YZF-R6), -62.755
16. Patrik VOSTÁREK (Hon CBR600RR), -72.275
17. Arie VOS (Hon CBR600RR), -84.237
18. Miguel PRAIA (Hon CBR600RR), -91.250
19. Joan LASCORZ (Kaw ZX-6R), -1 lap, pitted
20. Yannick GUERRA (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap

2009 World Superbike Valencia Gallery

2009 World Superbike Season Gallery

Latest World Superbike Racing News

See More World Superbike News

Point Standings

World Superbike

Noriyuki Haga - 135 Points
Ben Spies - 95 Points
Max Neukirchner - 65 Points
Michel Fabrizio - 60 Points
Leon Haslam - 58 Points

World Superbike Rider Bios

Ben Spies Bio

Entering 2010, after capturing the World Superbike title in 2009, Spies jumps up to race in the MotoGP series full-time alongside fellow Texan Colin Edwards.

Troy Bayliss Bio

After replacing the injured Fogarty at the start of the 2000 season, Troy Bayliss had emerged as one of the most dominant riders the World Superbike championship has ever seen.

Noriyuki Haga Bio

The Samurai of Slide. "Nitro" Nori Haga has reached icon status with race fans around the globe. It all started with a pocket bike and from there, the rest is history.

View All World Superbike Rider Bios

Rider Quotes - Haga

"Not so bad! Anyway I had a good feeling this weekend, bike and the team have both been working well. At the start it was good but I had already decided I would go into the lead in the early laps. Finally I kept my own race. Of course I want to win both races today but it's not so easy. I now have a very good feeling with this bike, it is so easy to ride, that's why I was able to push, also I did very consistent laps with this tire. I said yesterday that my plan was to win both races so I’m very happy to have done that! "

Rider Quotes - Fabrizio

Fabrizio rode with blazing confidence to keep second from Neukirchners grasp in Race One gaining Ducati the old one-two on the podium. Fabrizio went on to fend off the Frenchman Regis Laconi to stick third in Race Two.

"For me Valencia is very difficult but this result is fantastic. I grew a beard to bring me good luck, and it worked so maybe I will keep it now! At a certain point in Race 2 I realised that I wouldn’t be able to fight with Ben (Spies) for second but I stayed focused and held off Laconi who was pushing hard. It's a great result for the team, we have worked very well from Friday after the first disappointing couple of races."

Rider Quotes - Spies

"I was trying as hard as we could in the first couple of laps, but had a couple of problems and didn't quite get rolling. By the time we got into second, I would have needed to be right on the back of Nori to stay with him because he was riding at a really good pace. I just didn't quite have those 3 or 4 tenths today so I will come back at Assen and try to step it up."

View all articles by Steve Atlas
View all articles in World Superbike 2009 News

Comments

jimbolaya -Spies' competition April 7, 2009 08:55 AM
One might speculate that the fact that Spies has crashed a couple times so early in the season could be associated w/ a dearth of competition in the AMA SB series (yes of course there was Mladin, but Spies has won the last two years). The closer the competition the higher the stress level & the higher the stress level...Another contributing factor is probably the simple fact that he has dramatically less experience at the tracks. Within time he could increase his confidence & experience in close quarters (only one racer near his level before) & he'll likely win this or another soon championship.

Dwihary A Putro -Dark Horse's Raising April 6, 2009 10:29 PM
Finally my fellow countryman hero of Supersport - Doni Tata Pradita - got his first world championship point... do it again Doni! The new dark horse is raising... you will see in the next few races!

Superlight -WSB/AMA April 6, 2009 10:49 AM
I hope those who now run AMA Superbike were watching this weekend's races at Valencia-they are as entertaining as AMAs are boring. You weren't sure who was going to prevail and many brands mixed it up front, versus Mladin doing the typical walk-away. Please DMG, embrace the WSB rules package and maybe in a few years American superbike racing can emulate WSB (or have you adopted WSB rules and I just didn't know it?).

jimbolaya -race vs. street April 6, 2009 10:34 AM
ep probably said it best. The pilot, race team leader, tuners & setup personell determine the outcome more than the base stock bike. Race teams have a data base of every millisecond of every track; the greater this secretly held vat of historical files the greater their baseline information & the faster they are able to determine whether a theoretical change is going backward or forward. Kawi, having no winning tradition for a long time in WSB & AMA SB, have little accurate data to draw from, manipulate & build upon. Obviously, Yoshimura's AMA SB data base is priceless. The Ducati twin applies its torque to the pavement coming out of corners in a stronger, more linear & controlled fashion vs. the fours; in that way it has always had an advantage because the Duck pilot has more acceleration w/ greater motion controll. A few years ago Ducati added peak power equal to or beating the fours & the rest is history. Also, the difference in time between the podium finishers is usually very close. Meaning the difference between winning & also ran can be small fractions of second even after a 30 minute sprint.

ep -street vs. race April 6, 2009 09:20 AM
the other thing to remember is that the comparisons we read on MUSA and other sites are reviewing the bikes in stock form. in stock form, kawasaki focused on weight reduction and midrange power, where the yamaha is not concerned as much with weight reduction in street form, because yamaha knows that when the bike is in race trim, it's already at or below the minimum weight. when you add aftermarket suspension components, engine-mods, exhaust, wheels and ECU these bikes are much closer in terms of performance than they are in stock form. so it's all about rider, team and set up, not so much about individual machines.

John -green not so meanie April 5, 2009 07:58 PM
I've been wondering the same thing. From what I have gathered is that Kawi is only focusing heavily on the supersport teams this year. Another snippet I 've read from bSB rider Smart or Hawk was that the '04 was the best chassis the ''06 model was a step backwards. As for the '08 Spies had said that the Zx-10 was the worst bike in the AMA superbike paddock. But Hacking was riding the snot out of it to get on the podium. Back in the twilight of the ZX-7r E. Bostrom was winning races Vs the RC51 and yanagawa could get top 5-7 place in WSB during th Collins Bayliss era. So maybe they need a Banzai rider to get the most of it, say someone of Haga or Bayliss nature plus the team to support it(Current superbike effort).

Justin -Green getting stomped April 5, 2009 06:35 PM
In racing it is about the package and the rider that wins a race. Just because the bike has a monster engine, doesn't mean it should be contender. If it can't turn in, hold a line and hook up the power to the ground after the turn, it is going to lose. Kawi needs Scott Russell back. He always made the Kawi work right.

James -Green Meany getting stomped... why? April 5, 2009 05:14 PM
I'm a little new to this sport, and I would like to know from anyone who already does... why is Kawi consistently getting served by all the other builders on the course? Everything I've ever read about the 08-09 ZX-10R praises the mind-bending engine power. I know these are heavily modified bikes, but it seems kind of odd to have such a competitive baseline platform perform so poorly.