It was a wild race weekend at Magny Cours with Ben Spies and Noriyuki Haga splitting race wins in the duel for their first-ever World Superbike title. Ducati Xerox's Haga entered the weekend with a three-point lead in the championship over Yamaha’s Spies only to see the Texan claim victory and the lead in the title chase after Race 1. Haga would respond in Race 2 by taking the win and control of the 2009 Superbike World Championship points heading into the final round.
Yamaha's Ben Spies (19) took his 13th win of the season.
Under partly cloudy skies, Sterilgarda Yamaha’s Spies took the win in Race 1 ahead of Haga, leading from start to finish as the Ducati pilot did his best to keep the American ace in sight. On the last lap, Haga managed to catch up to Spies but ran wide in one corner allowing Spies to take the win.
Spies, who set a new lap record during Superpole, seemed to have mix feelings about his performance during Race 1. The American said, "“The whole first race had some good parts and bad ones. We made some small mistakes, costing us a tenth here and a tenth there letting the riders come back and not really taking advantage of the lead. I made a mistake on the last lap and let Nori through, so I had to get on the outside and get back past."
Despite finishing in second and giving Spies the points lead, Haga commented, “In Race 1 I really enjoyed myself, it was a fantastic race.” But Haga admitted, “I didn’t make the best start and then it took a lot of laps before I was able to pass Max. Once I got past him I realized I didn’t have many laps left in which to catch Ben; if I’d had just one extra lap, I think I’d have won. On the last lap I was waiting for Ben to make a mistake and when he did so, I managed to get up alongside him but unfortunately the next corner worked in his favour and he got past me.”
Ben Spies crosses the line just ahead of Noriyuki Haga and takes the points lead in Race 1.
Italian Max Biaggi took the final podium spot on the Aprilia, another rostrum finish for the impressive rookie RSV4 campaign.
Haga’s teammate and Xerox Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio, who after a dismal start, played catch-up for most of the race. By Lap 4, the gap between Fabrizio and the front runners had extended beyond his abilities and the Italian had to settle for fourth place. “Obviously I’m very disappointed by my results today; I hoped to do a lot better. In Race 1 I wasn’t able to catch the leading group and finished in fourth which isn’t bad but I would have liked to be on the podium.”
Stiggy Racing Honda’s Leon Haslam crossed the finish line on his CBR1000RR in fifth, just ahead of fellow Honda rider Carlos Checa.
Team Suzuki Alstare’s Yukio Kagayama grabbed seventh with Sterilgarda Ducati’s Shane Byrne in eighth. BMW’s Troy Corser brought home ninth and Jakub Smrz wrapped up the top-ten.
BMW's Troy Corser (11) captured a top-ten spot during Race 1.
1. Ben Spies (Yamaha) 37mins 57.110secs 23 laps
2. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) +0.181s
3. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) +5.009s
4. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) +16.347s
5. Leon Haslam (Honda) +22.622s
6. Carlos Checa (Honda) +24.948s
7. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) +27.144s
8. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +27.578s
9. Troy Corser (BMW) +28.486s
10. Jakub Smrz (Ducati) +28.716s
11. Ruben Xaus (BMW) +52.680s
12. Matteo Baiocco (Ducati) +1min 01.372s
13. Luca Scassa (Kawasaki)+1min 05.123s
14. David Salom (Kawasaki) +1min 05.483s
15. David Checa (Yamaha) +1min 05.672s
Race 2
Nitro Nori returned the favor in Race 2, taking the win over Spies and reclaiming the championship lead. The Yamaha rider struggled a bit in the second race, finishing off the podium in fourth behind Aprilia’s Max Biaggi and Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea.
81,000 spectators watched the penultimate round at Magny-Cours where Norikyuki Haga earned his eighth win of the 2009 season.
With Spies winning Race 1 earlier in the day and gathering the points lead for a few hours, Haga needed the win to maintain a good position heading into the final round. His Race 2 victory coupled with Spies’ fourth-place finish gives Haga a 10-point lead with two races remaining.
Though Spies had won pole position, he quickly dropped to third at the start of the race. Lack of traction on the front wheel would slow him down in the corners and he managed to hold onto fourth, despite falling behind the leaders by almost a second.
After the race, Spies would comment, "Honestly I’m just super disappointed with the second race. We made a rear tire choice which was neither better nor worse, but the front tire we had on in the second race was hard to go at a pace with. I was consistently half a second off what we were doing in practice. I’m honestly surprised we didn’t finish in tenth with the way the bike felt. Even if we had won today we would still go to Portimao having to win both races so it doesn’t really change too much.”
Rea, who DNF'd Race 1, returned to claim the third spot on the podium but drops to fifth in the points standings. He will be looking to better his position at the final round at Portimao, ““All weekend we’ve had a good pace but it just seems that, come the first race, we couldn’t put it together. I was having a few problems with the front end in race two so I felt It was better not to risk a crash and nurse the bike home for a podium and the points. I just couldn’t go with Nori and Max at the end. The guys have done a great job in the workshop recently so I want to take this momentum to Portimao, I really love that track.”
Michel Fabrizio suffered from a minor crash in Race 2 but managed to climb back up to 13th by the finish.
In Race 2, Fabrizio suffered another bad start which ultimately led to his crash. He said, “My bad start in the second race conditioned the outcome, I tried to catch up quickly so as not to lose the leaders as I’d done in Race 1 but unfortunately I messed up my braking at the end of the straight and lost the front. I am very sorry because I think I could have got past Spies, giving Nori a couple more points. My compliments go to Nori because he was very strong today and deserved the win.”
The championship will be decided on October 25 in Portugal at Portimao. Set your TiVo, it should be epic.
Race 2 Results:
1. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) 38mins 00.282s 23 laps
2. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) +1.480s
3. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +6.024s
4. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +18.135s
5. Leon Haslam (Honda) +21.236s
6. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) +23.647s
7. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +23.701s
8. Karl Muggeridge (Suzuki) +24.838s
9. Carlos Checa (Honda) +31.455s
10. Troy Corser (BMW) +32.507s
11. Fonsi Nieto (Ducati) +37.594s
12. Ruben Xaus (BMW) +44.727s
13. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) +49.782s
Broc Parkes: “We didn’t have enough grip in the second race. We tried all weekend but we have a bit of work to do to get the bike to where we want to be. In race one we had a false neutral a few times. It was shame because we could have had maybe 11th place in that race and more points, but it wasn’t to be. We came away with one point, but we wanted more.”
14. Matteo Baiocco (Ducati) +50.345s
15. Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) +56.209s
Magny-Cours Riders Quotes:
Troy Corser - BMW - 9th, 10th:
"The bike’s progress continues every time we go out - and that’s good news. The improvement is steady, but I guess both Ruben and I would like much more - but then we are racers! My results today are OK and I supposed it’s probably what was expected, but I am a little disappointed because we are so close to a great result and I’d like it to happen sooner, instead of later. This weekend the bike wanted to wheelspin and wheelie and we have to control these things if we want to progress more quickly. My crew chief told me that my race distance time today would have been good enough to win the race last year! That surprises me, but it shows just how competitive the series is this year and the strength of our rivals. "
Ruben Xaus - BMW - 11th, 12th:
"Sometimes racing is a bit frustrating and today was a bit like that. Our bike has a big potential and we are working hard to realise that potential and challenge the leaders more often. It’s a bit frustrating because Troy and I realise that there’s so much more to come from the bike and we want it now. Clearly, I am not fully fit at the moment, so to finish 11th and 12th in my condition shows that the bike is a very good one. Today I had some small problem keeping the bike on the line that I wanted. This was my first four cylinder race at Magny and that, together with my physical condition, meant that I would always be playing catch-up today. Now I’m looking forward to going back to my physio and getting fitter and stronger for Portimao."
Tom Sykes - Yamaha World Superbike Team - DNF, DNF:
“Race 1 I made a bit of a mistake, I went for the brake lever and it was just a touch further out than I normally have it so my initial brake pressure was really strong and I knew that, but I had a split second and I lost the front and couldn’t save it. It was a massive crash and I was lucky to get away with it. For Race 2 we changed the rear tire, which I wasn’t convinced was the right one but we went with anyway, unfortunately I was proved right and was struggling with it. Before I could do anything, going into the hairpin Carlos Checa made a big mistake and I got caught up in that and landed badly, pulling the muscles in my shoulder. Luckily nothing broken, so a weekend to forget, and I’m looking forward to something better in Portimao.”
Leon Haslam: - Stiggy Racing Honda - 5th, 5th:
“We had a little problem in race one that held us back from the leaders. In race two, in the early part of the race, we had a lot better set-up. But after about lap six or seven the bike was surging a bit so I reset the electronics. A few minor things held us back from challenging for a podium or two today but I am pretty happy to get a couple of fifths.”
Carlos Checa - Hannspree Ten Kate Honda - 6th, 9th:
“Race one was not fantastic but sixth was acceptable after the problems we have had this weekend. In race two I lost 10 seconds at the start, trying to exit the first gear hairpin in second gear, and then I almost crashed at the last chicane. I got caught up in Fabrizio’s crash because I was trying to pass Sykes and then I saw the yellow flags. It was too late to do anything about it and I think Sykes crashed behind me, so I’m sorry for that. Afterwards, I just tried to find a good pace and finish as high as possible. The bike and the team are in good shape – I just didn’t have the right level of confidence this weekend.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari - Ten Kate Honda Racing - DNF, DNF:
“I am very disappointed because I think we showed that we had some pace on Friday morning. After the crash in the afternoon, I have been in pain for all the sessions but was not feeling too bad for the races today. I was trying to pass Shakey Byrne just before the last chicane, but I think I got a bit close and used too much brake. I will go back to Japan now and have another operation and hopefully I will be OK for Portimao.”
Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki - 7th, 6th:
"Today my results were the best they have been for a long time, but I want more. The progress the bike has made on its new suspension has been good, but again, I want more. There have been some not so fun times this season, but at Imola last week and here in Magny-Cours, I am enjoying being a racer again. The settings we used on the bike today were the best they have been this weekend, so a big thank you to my team for doing a good job. There were still some problems with rear grip, but I hope that we can solve this problem in Portimao. I am looking forward to continuing the good progress there and ending the season on a high."
Karl Muggeridge - Suzuki - DNF, 8th:
"I suppose the crash in race one was probably my mistake: It was early in the race and the fuel tank was full and I must have got in a bit too hot and lost the front. Maybe because of this, I rode a bit tentatively at the beginning of race two and it took me a bit of time to get going properly. My bike was OK on the fast sweepers, but it struggled for grip on the slow, small corners and I reckon that cost me about four-to-five-tenths-of-a-second each lap. I am getting more used to the bike every time out and feel we are making good progress with it and the new suspension. Hopefully, I will have another chance in the next round, but I'll wait and see on that."
