Round 5 of the World Superbike Championship in Monza, Italy made for a wild weekend of racing. The riders weigh-in on their successes and failures following the madness.
Michel Fabrizio – Ducati Xerox – 1st / 2nd
“I am so happy with today’s results. It’s gone well all weekend so I knew I had the chance to fight for the win and at last I’ve done it! Mid way through race 1 I was having trouble with the gears, especially when Ben passed me, but I didn’t give up and fought till the end. It’s a shame for Ben that the race finished as it did because it makes mine a bit of a false win but I’m very pleased of course. Race 2? Well Ben deserved the win in the first race so I’m pleased he took it instead in Race 2. I had to ride the second bike in Race 2 and for some reason I found it tricky at the start, I didn’t have a great feeling and couldn’t push but after a few laps I just concentrated on reaching the podium again and then it became easier. I thank my whole team for giving me such a fantastic bike this weekend. The double win I’ll leave for the next race!”
Ryuichi Kiyonari – Ten Kate Honda – 3rd / 3rd
“I am so happy to get these results for myself and for the team. We have worked very hard to find a good setting with the CBR1000RR this season but we have not always had good luck. My start was very bad in race one but I was able to fight back lap-by-lap during the race, although I was very surprised and happy when they told me I was third. In the second race I had a better start and I must say I am a little disappointed. I had the speed to catch Fabrizio but not quite enough to get past him. But this is my best result for a long time and I hope it indicates the start of a better part of the season for me and the team.”
Ben Spies – Yamaha World Superbike – 15th / 1st
“Race one was a tough pill to swallow, it was a hard one to get by but that’s racing I guess. Race two I had a clear strategy and made sure I got into a really good rhythm in the first 12 to 14 laps to build a safety buffer. Obviously we had a problem at the end of race one which I didn’t want to repeat so slowed a bit there and short shifted a bit to make sure everything was good to the end. The bike was good and could have run fast times all the way through but I wanted to make sure we got this one in the bag. The Yamaha team did great regrouping after race one and me too I think! Hopefully we can keep going and improving from here. I want to say congratulations for Michel in race one, but I couldn’t give it to him so easily in race two.”
Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox - 2nd / DNF
“Right at the start of Race 2 I was hit by a bird on my right arm; it hurt a lot and I lost all sensation, with strong pain and pins and needles in my right arm and hand. I tried to continue to race but it was too difficult to ride and as a result I unfortunately fell. Yes it hurts but I should be back in top shape very soon. Race 1 went much better for me of course and I really enjoyed the racing against Ben and Michel. I though at the end that I would surely end third but then Ben’s bike stopped so close to the finish line and I finished in second as a result. I’m sorry for him as he deserved the win and this year me and him will continue to battle it out. Despite the Race 2 result I still hold a 54 point advantage and so I’m satisfied with that.”
Jonathan Rea – Hannspree Ten Kate Honda – 5th / 4th
“We just had a few problems with the bike in the latter stages of the race, I don’t know whether it’s the light fuel load or what, but it developed a bit of chatter which was quite hard to dial out after race one. I got busted by a pretty hard move by Laconi in that race and, by the time I’d got back past him, I’d lost touch with the leading group. In Race 2 I got a much better start and tried really hard to catch Fabrizio and Kiyo, but they had a little more left in the tank at the end. Still, I’ve equalled my best Superbike result and we’ve shown that we can race at the front now.”
Tom Sykes - Yamaha World Superbike - 6th / 6th
“In race one I got away ok, but the problem was getting stuck in that first chicane as I was starting from row three. As soon as it bottled up everything got spread out and unfortunately the lead group spread a long way and was hard to catch. I got past a couple of people and to be honest I thought I was going to catch them but halfway through the race I suffered from some brake fading. It was very unfortunate. In race two I got off the line fairly decently and had good race pace, I was looking quite strong but not able to get that last little bit. I guess it was one of those weekends, I’ve been fairly fast and consistent but spoilt it a bit with the qualifying. I’m very confident in the bike and the team, especially for Kyalami and hope to have better memories after the race than when I tested there! All in all good weekend, two more scores on the board and moving up to fifth in the championship is great.”
Max Biaggi – Aprilia Racing – 11th / 5th
"I’m very angry, but I respect who take this decision, also if I not agree whit it. I would have understood it if I had taken the lead at that point, but the times clearly show that I was running a half second slower during that lap. It was exactly in that same point where last year Smrz ran straight ahead, hit me and broke my pinkie finger and the fifth metacarpal in my left hand, and no one did anything about it. I didn’t even want to race in the second heat, but then my good sense took over and I got onto the track anyway, despite all the controversy. Race 2 wasn’t going too badly, I had a good rhythm going and was catching up to the second group, but then I made an error and lost ground.”
Ruben Xaus – BMW Motorrad - 7th / 9th
"I am happy to give the team our best result of the season so far and happy that I managed another top ten finish in the second race. My seventh place result is also for Troy and the whole team because everybody has worked so hard for this. My race two result could’ve been better, but I made a really bad start and then got nudged by somebody in the chicane. I recovered and was happy fighting for eighth with Smrz, Parkes and Laconi but I just couldn’t get past Smrz for eighth. But generally, my race pace was good today and I think our result is also very good considering how little time we have in practice and qualifying. If we continue to make this good progress, we will be fighting for places even further up."
Yukio Kagayama – Suzuki Alstare Brux - 4th / 17th
"I made not so bad a start and was fourth after lap one and trying to stay with the top group. I was having problems with Biaggi, because although I could close in on him on the brakes, his bike would always accelerate better than mine out of the turns. After 12 laps or so, my tire was nearly at the limit and the grip level was not good. I just kept pushing as hard as I could without taking any big risks and managed fourth place. In race two, I made a good start but my bike was vibrating a bit. Then I got a ride-through penalty and was last. It was difficult catching up again - especially as my bike was still vibrating - but I managed to overtake some riders and get 17th. I'm not so happy today because I thought my results would be a lot better. I cannot fault my mechanics because they have worked very well and we found a good feeling with the bike which makes me feel very positive for the next race. So thank you to my staff."
Broc Parkes – Kawasaki – 10th / 13th
“In the first race I had a bit of a problem with my exhaust pipe and started running out of fuel on the last lap. To get a top ten is awesome, however, because we didn’t expect it. We changed the exhaust on the first bike but there was a problem with the radiator, so I had to run my second bike. I ran out of stamina a little bit in the second race and then we started running out of fuel again. After this weekend, it is our best one ever, and we scored points in each race, despite all my injuries. I was very tired in race two so I was glad to bring it home for the team. We have done a lot of work this weekend.”
Leon Haslam – Stiggy Racing Honda – DNF / 7th
“I went out on my second bike today, which I hadn't been riding all weekend, and took a bit of a gamble with it. We had some issues with the fuelling and the suspension, but we decided to stay with the set up we used in Assen. It took me a few laps to get into it, but I was able to run a good pace. The pace in the end of the race was definitely good enough for a place on the rostrum. It was a tough weekend, with bad qualifying results and a disappointing first race. To finish the second race in seventh race place is a good enough result, so I am pretty happy.”
Carlos Checa – Hannspree Ten Kate Honda - 9th / 10th
“It is not so exciting to fight for tenth place but this is what it is at the moment. At the beginning things were not so bad, but we were carrying some of the limitations of before. Entry points and there was still some jumping in the rear, it was difficult to get side grip on throttle opening, and I was struggling to get to the front group.”
Shinya Nakano – Aprilia Racing – 13th / 12th
“It was a very difficult race. The second heat went better, times were decent and I recovered several positions after having lost ground at the start. Instead, I had a bit more difficulty in Race 1. I’m happy that my shoulder didn’t bother me the entire weekend and it should be even better for Kyalami. Honestly, I’m amazed at the decision they made about Max. I saw a lot of drivers that were with me cut the chicane each time, but no one else was penalized.”
Tommy Hill – Honda Althea – 20th / 16th
“Race one was really very difficult for us. Immediately after the start there was a big crash in the first chicane, someone bumped into my bike and I crashed. We were able to restart the race, as I did not injure myself, although I was forced to use my second bike & I struggled with the same problems I have found during the qualifying session. I tried to ride aggressive but I couldn’t really chase the riders in front of me and the only thing I could do was try and finish the race.”
Jake Zemke – Stiggy Racing Honda – 18th / 20th
“It is definitely not the weekend that I wanted to have. I want to thank the team for all the hard work they put. They bent over backwards to get to a point were I was happy on the bike, but we just never got there. Race one went a lot better then race two, we made some changes and thought they would help us, but they didn't, and then the ride through penalty for cutting the chicane just finished the race for me.”
Troy Corcer – BMW Motorrad – DNF & DNS
"I got hit by another bike on the first lap of the first race and was lucky not to get hurt. I was on my knees and a bike caught the back of my head and forced my helmet down on to the tarmac and gave it a big thump. I managed to get off the track and on to the grass, but I was winded so I just laid down on the grass. I could see that some straw bales were protecting some other riders and I thought that there would be a red flag. I just wanted to get my breath back, but the marshals insisted on putting me on a stretcher and taking me to the ambulance. As soon as I had got my breath back, I got up and walked back to the pits for the restart of the race. The team didn’t put any pressure on me to start the race, but I felt OK and decided to try. Unfortunately, I got sucked into a four or five rider draft going into the Parabolica and found myself going in a bit too hot. I tried to brake as normal and drift a bit wide but Muggeridge came across and I had to choose between hitting him or braking harder than normal and possibly crashing. I put more pressure on the brakes and I guess you know what happened then! Yep, a crash. I went along the tarmac and then the gravel feet first, flipped a couple of times and was very lucky not to hurt myself any more. I felt pretty bruised and battered and we decided not to risk anything by starting the second race. It was all a big shame because I thought we’d get some good results today. But anyway, congratulations to Ruben for getting seventh and showing everybody that we are improving all the time."
Makoto Tamada – Kawasaki World Superbike - DNF / DNF
“On Sunday morning we made some last minute changes and this was much better and I felt much more comfortable on the bike so I had a good feeling for the race. In the first corner I was pushed on to the gravel by another rider and had a big crash. I knew that I hurt my wrist pretty bad so I wasn’t that surprised when they told me after an x-ray that it was broken. I was therefore out of race two and will also miss Kyalami next weekend which is a real shame for me and the team. I hope to be back in Salt Lake City as the break isn’t so bad.”
