World Superbike Brno Results

Aprilia’s Max Biaggi and Yamaha’s Ben Spies each scored a win in Round 10 of the World Superbike Championship in Brno, Czech Republic. Biaggi took Aprilia’s first WSB victory in Race 1 after Spies was wiped out of the running by Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio.

In Race 2 the American held off Biaggi and Fabrizio to take a deserved victory after the heartbreaking Race 1 accident. The injured Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) limited the damage to his Championship Points lead and leaves the round with a seven-point advantage.

World Superbike – Brno, Race 1

The opening race at Brno saw Biaggi score his first win since Vallelunga 2007 and Aprilia’s first for the RSV4 in its debut season. Second and third were taken by the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda duo of Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea.

Biaggi had a lonely run to the finish after Fabrizio took out the other favored racer Spies when the Italian crashed in a fast left-hander and brought down the American.

The other new manufacturer in the series, BMW, also had a great day as Troy Corser parlayed his second-row starting position into an early lead during the opening two laps. The Australian wound-up finishing fifth to score the team's best result this season. However, It wasn't all good news for BMW as Ruben Xaus crashed out on the opening lap after starting in seventh, fracturing his right femur bone in the process.

Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) got another good result for the privateer Ducati team in fifth. Sixth went to home-track favorite Jakub Smrz, with the Czech rider powering his privateer Guandalini Ducati past six other riders after starting 12th on the grid.

Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda) picked up seventh followed by championship points leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who rode a defensive race as he continues to recover from injuries resulting from an accident at Donington Park.

Makoto Tamada rounded off the top-ten for Kawasaki.

Max Biaggi: "It's great! What can I say! When I crossed the start-finish I was so happy to be winning this race and I had so many flashbacks of Brno, I can feel that it is one of my favorite circuits. Of course I don't want to take anything away from Spies and Fabrizio, they were both very fast, but I remember Barry Sheene used to say ‘To finish first, first you have to finish' and this is a part of the deal. I put my head down and did not make any mistake, so a big thanks to all my crew, Aprilia and in particular Gigi Dall'Igna, the ‘papa' of our bike!."

Carlos Checa: "It's a good result for the team to get two riders on the podium and I think we did a very good job. At a certain point I thought maybe I could catch Max, but in the end I had to preserve my tires as the right side in particular was not so good, and I could see there was no way. I settled for second as I could see that Johnny was four seconds behind."

Jonathan Rea: "Well, in Superpole we had to ride through the problems and get a good result and we did the same here in the race, so I feel quite fortunate to get a podium. We didn't quite have the pace of Max , but my team have done a really good job. I really love this place, but I can't understand why I had a slow start to the weekend."

World Superbike – Brno, Race 1 Results
1. Max Biaggi (Aprilia RSV4), 40'18.306
2. Carlos Checa (Honda CBR1000RR), +3.631
3. Jonathan Rea (Honda CBR1000RR), +9.948
4. Shane Byrne (Ducati 1098R), +12.952
5. Troy Corser (BMW S1000 RR), +14.599
6. Jakub Smrz (Ducati 1098R), +19.359
7. Leon Haslam (Honda CBR1000RR), +19.680
8. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati 1098R), +20.731
9. Matthieu Lagrive (Honda CBR1000RR), 21.923
10. Makato Tamada (Kawasaki ZX-10R), +27.807
11. Fonsi Nieto (Ducati 1098R), +35.263
12. Broc Parkes (Kawasaki ZX 10R), +36.535
13. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda CBR1000RR), +38.586
14. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9), +40.061
15. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Honda CBR1000RR), +40.280
16. Luca Scassa (Kawasaki ZX 10R), +40.641

World Superbike – Brno, Race 2

Spies once again showed his champion-grade character as he rebounded from his Race 1 misfortunes to navigate to his 11th win of the season in Race 2.

The Texan took an early lead but did not take the victory without a challenge. Biaggi mounted pressure on the former AMA Superbike Champion throughout the race, but Spies was able to stave off the insistent advances of Biaggi. Fabrizio was in the mix up front for the majority of the race, but settled with third after losing contact with the leading pair in the last few laps.

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda pairing of Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa once again finished just off the podium, this time their positions were reversed as Rea bested his teammate by six-tenths of a second.

Haga ran a heroic Race 2 to finish in sixth and maintain his championship lead. The Japanese rider held off Spies’ Factory Yamaha teammate Tom Sykes as well as the Ducati privateers Byrne and Smrz in the final stages.

BMW’s Corser made another strong start in Race 2, but this time the Australian finished five places back in tenth.

Ben Spies: "It was a tough race, Fabrizio was there and I had to push and make good lap times. When I saw Max was there, he arrived quite quick and I had to start braking very late and stopping almost in the middle of the corner to get good drive so he couldn't come by me. The first race obviously wasn't so good but we rallied together for the second race. That pass attempt was not the best move in the world, but that's how racing goes sometimes. A big thanks also to the Clinica Mobile guys because I wasn't feeling so good this weekend."

Max Biaggi: "It's a great result, I'm quite pleased, it's not a victory but we proved that we have a lot of muscle and could fight with Fabrizio and Spies all the time. I stopped behind Fabrizio for quite a time, while Spies managed to pull away. In the end I passed him and went to catch Spies. I tried to brake very late, but I didn't want to take him out like it was in the first race. We got a good result and it was a very good weekend here for Aprilia."

Michel Fabrizio: "It was really difficult to fight against Aprilia and Yamaha today. The only problem we had was coming out of the turns where I never quite managed to stay behind first Ben and then Max, but we should be happy with this third place and now we must look ahead."

World Superbike – Brno, Race 2 Results
1. Ben Spies (Yamaha YZF-R1), 40'15.420
2. Max Biaggi (Aprilia RSV4), +0.213
3. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati 1098R), +0.657
4. Jonathan Rea (Honda CBR1000RR), +8.311
5. Carlos Checa (Honda CBR1000RR), +8.915
6. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati 1098R), +21.175
7. Tom Sykes (Yamaha YZF-R1), +21.384
8. Shane Byrne (Ducati 1098R), +21.599
9. Jakub Smrz (Ducati 1098R), +21.726
10. Troy Corser (BMW S1000 RR), +25.180
11. Shinya Nakano (Aprilia RSV4), +25.612
12. Leon Haslam (Honda CBR1000RR), +25.622
13. Ruichi Kiyonari (Honda CBR1000RR), +26.246
14. Matthieu Lagrive (Honda CBR1000RR), +31.098
15. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati 1098R), +32.706
16. Broc Parkes (Kawasaki ZX 10R), +33.173

World Superbike Championship Points Standings 
After 10 of 14 Rounds
1. Noriyuki Haga - 326
2. Ben Spies - 319
3. Michel Fabrizio - 273
4. Jonathan Rea - 206
5. Max Biaggi - 200
6. Leon Haslam - 180
7. Tom Sykes - 150
8. Carlos Checa - 145
9. Shane Byrne - 134
10. Jakub Smrz - 132 

World Superbike, Brno Post-Race Rider Quotes

Jonathan Rea - Hannspree Ten Kate Honda - 3rd, 4th
“We managed to grind out a good result in Superpole yesterday and we did the same in race one today. The team dug really deep to put us back on the podium after a really slow start to the weekend. Of course, two riders crashing in front helped us get some good points but we were with the leading guys when it happened. All in all, it’s been a good couple of races for us so we head into the summer break going in the right direction and I’m looking forward to recharging the batteries before we come back fighting again at Nürburgring in September.”

Carlos Checa - Hannspree Ten Kate Honda - 2nd, 5th
“Race one was a good result from a job well done. I got a good start and had a good pace. I felt very comfortable throughout the race and knew from my boards that I had a gap back to Jonathan. We have more understanding of the bike now and we were able to improve it from yesterday. Unfortunately, I had some chatter return during race two, especially when releasing the brake, which was strange. But it was a positive weekend and we were able to run with the leading riders from the opening practice session on Friday.”

Ben Spies - Yamaha World Superbike Team - DNF, 1st
“Race two was a tough race, Fabrizio was right there at the start so I had to make the push and put in the lap times to get ahead. Then I saw Max was up there, he arrived really quickly so I had to start braking very late and stopping almost in the middle of the corner and turning and getting a really good drive out so he couldn’t come by me, it was a great race. Obviously the first race wasn’t so good but we came back well for the second which was good for the points. I need to thank the Clinica Mobile guys, I arrived not feeling 100% this weekend and they looked after me really well and got me going. I want to thank Yamaha too, they gave me a great bike, it’s a shame we didn’t get to fight for the first race but I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes. “

Michel Fabrizio - Xerox Ducati - DNF, 2nd
“I am very sorry for what happened in Race 1. It was my fault, I need to stay calmer, what more can I say? Before the crash I saw that Ben was breaking early at that point of the track, so I thought I could get past him there. We’re fighting for a world title so I am angry with myself but at least neither of us were badly hurt. We made up for it to some extent in race 2, Ben more than me. I did all I could to stay with Ben and Max but they were too fast today; in fact the pace of the Aprilia, still in the development phase, is a bit scary with a view to next season. Anyway, I hold the third position overall and after the summer break I’ll continue with the fight for the title.”

Troy Corser – BMW Motorrad Motorsport - 5th, 10th
" I’m generally pretty happy with how the weekend has gone and it’s been good to be consistently in the top seven or eight in every session and also qualify for final Superpole. I feel so much more comfortable on the bike now and don’t feel as worn out afterwards as I have been. The recent tests have helped us a lot and it’s good to know that we are going in the right direction and it’s also good to know that there’s more to come. It’s a shame that Ruben crashed because I’m sure that he would’ve been right up there in both races. He is as happy with the rideability of the bike as I am and both of us are really beginning to enjoy ourselves."

Noriyuki Haga - Xerox Ducati - 8th, 6th
“I am not very happy but we have worked well this weekend despite the difficulties. The fractured scapula prevented me from performing as I hoped to. Having said that, I gained valuable points and find myself still in the lead, seven points ahead of Ben. I want to thank Doctor Corbascio and the Clinica Mobile doctors and also Rok, my trainer, for their help and support in these weeks. I also thank my team and Ducati for doing all they could to make me more comfortable on the bike and make the bike easier to ride. In the circumstances it’s a good result. Now I can go home to Japan with a smile on my face and there I will get down to some serious training to be in top form in time for Nurburgring, a track that I like a lot and where I hope I can rebuild my advantage.”

Tom Sykes - Yamaha World Superbike - DNF, 7th
“Overall a disappointing day, it’s a shame as I certainly think we had the pace on the Yamaha this weekend. Unfortunately race one we were just on the back of the lead bunch, only a couple of laps in and felt comfortable when we had an electrical problem on lap four which dropped us to the back of the grid. I got the bike going again and went from 24th to 16th but then got struck again with bad luck when a rider crashed in front of me. Race two we changed a couple of things on the bike and used the other one to be safe. It took a couple of laps to get settled in and I got stuck scrapping for a couple of places which cost some time but eventually managed to go and start chasing Haga down. To come away with seventh isn’t great, I think we should have been higher up. We’ll keep our heads up and press on for the remaining four rounds.”

Leon Haslam - Stiggy Racing Honda - 7th, 12th
“I had a lot more chatter from lap one in the second race. I was doing lap times half a second off what I did in warm-up. The group in front was not that far away but I couldn’t go any faster than I did.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari - Ten Kate Honda Racing - 13th, 13th
“What is really disappointing is that I am about one second per lap slower this year than I was on the same bike last year. It’s very frustrating and the biggest problem is that we don’t seem to know what the problem is. It’s like looking into a black hole and not being able to see anything. The feeling was a little better in race two but we achieved the same result – even if the lap times showed a small improvement. I will find it difficult to enjoy the holiday because all I want to do is get back on the bike and ride every day until we find a solution.”

Matthieu Lagrive - Honda Althea Racing - 9th, 14th
“I’m very happy for today’s races results but I’m just a little disappointed only because of my two bad starts. I’m sure with a better starts I would be able to reach the front group of riders because my bike was very good today and I could have run fast times all the way through. In the second race my start was so bad that I had to overtake seven or eight riders in the first lap. My bike set up has significantly improved due to the good solution we found during Imola testing.”

Makoto Tamada - Kawasaki World Superbike - 10th, DNF
“I felt a lot more confident on the Ninja ZX-10R this weekend as the machine was working really well. We made some big improvements with the suspension and swing arm and we had good engine power. I was running in the top ten for the majority of sessions and was very happy to qualify on the third row and make it into Superpole. In race one I didn’t have such a great start but I was able to move up and battle for seventh before I ran out of rear grip and had to finish in tenth. Race two was a major disappointment as I was hit by another rider on lap three and broke my middle finger again from the previous injury and wasn’t able to finish the race.”

Broc Parkes - Kawasaki World Superbike - 12th, 16th
“It’s been an up-and-down weekend as the bike was working really well here on Friday but I had two crashes yesterday which set us back in our bike set-up and made us miss out on moving up the grid during Superpole. Starting that far back is always hard and I didn’t get a good start in race one, so to end up twelfth was a bit of luck due to a few crashes and drop-outs at the front. Race two I didn’t get a good start again which was a shame as we had much better lap times and rear grip which would have put us in the top ten had we qualified better. Overall I feel disappointed things didn’t work out as well as we’d hoped as we could have been a definite top ten here in Brno for both races.”

Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki Alstare Brux - 14th, DNF
"All year we have had problems trying to find good set-ups at the track and this weekend was no exception. And sometimes we have also had big problems with grip. In the morning warm-up we found a good tire and I could do 2:001 lap times easily. So we chose the same tire for the first race and it didn't work at all! It was sliding around right from the start of the race and I couldn't push hard at all. I wanted to go faster, but I couldn't turn the bike and kept missing my apexes. After five laps of fighting, I decided to go as fast as I could without crashing and that's what I did. We used a different tire in race two and it was a bit better, but after a while it started chattering. I got caught in a group and I just couldn't overtake anybody because I had to be careful on the brakes. I was just behind Hopkins when his bike suddenly slowed in the corner and I hit him. I don't think it was his fault; something went on his bike, but it's just my luck that I fell and he didn't!"

John Hopkins - Stiggy Racing Honda - DNF, DNF
“It has been a bad day at the office. This morning in the warm up we used a soft front tire, and it was my decision to use the tire in the race. I was trying to catch up with the group in front of me, but lost the front of the bike and crashed out of the race. I started the second race with a harder front tire, but it took me a while to get the confidence back. I made a mistake at the start and lost some ground before my bike broke down. It was definitely not the weekend we had been hoping for.”

Ruben Xaus - BMW Motorrad Motorsport - DNF, DNS
"That was a bit pity because I have been so happy about the bike this weekend because it has been so much easier to ride. Finally we were getting somewhere and then I crash! I guess that maybe the tire was a bit too hard and a bit too cool. I didn’t highside, I just fell off. I was sliding along OK and than I hit some deep gravel and that spun my right leg round and that’s when the damage was done. I want to be positive and say that at least the injury has happened when we are about to have five weeks or so off and that will give me time to recover. I can’t wait to get back on my bike and carry on with the recent improvements."