After an eventful race weekend at the cathedral of racing at the Dutch Assen race circuit, the World Superbike field heads to Italy for the Monza race weekend.
The Autodrome Nazionale di Monza is well known for its fast racing with an average 200km/h lap speed and it’s exciting slipstreaming fights. The Monza track is the fastest race on the calendar with its fast flowing track with some tight corners. Especially the first corner, the Prima Variante which always lends itself for some exciting racing. After some slipstreaming battles at the long start-finish straight the riders will head towards the first corner, braking hard into the tight chicane. Several victims have fallen in this corner at the past. Especially the start of the race as it gives a breath-taking moment when the big group of riders head towards the tight corner, all trying exit in the lead..
One of the favourite teams for the Monza weekend is the Italian Aprilia team as the Aprilia motorbike is well known for its high top speed, which is a big advantage at the long and fast Monza straights. After winning both races last year at their home track Max Biaggi will try to close the gap to the current championship leader Carlos Checa. While his English teammate Leon Camier is looking forward to race weekend after the team rounded up a successful test at the Mugello racetrack last week, leaving the entire Aprilia team confident for the Monza race weekend.
Italian Marco Melandri is also looking forward to the Monza race weekend. Despite the fact he is Italian the Yamaha rider only has only once ridden on the Monza racetrack, in 1996 on a 125cc motorbike. The Italian is glad to be finally able to race on the fast and famous Italian racetrack.
His teammate Eugene Laverty also can’t wait to get back onto his bike again and fight for the podium.
Castrol Honda’s racer Jonathan Rea is eager to get back onto his bike and continue his podium form after finishing first and third at the Assen racetrack. Rea is confident he can fight for the win. He realises that his bike isn’t the fastest of the field but the Castrol Honda bike is good in generating momentum for the long straights, which is good for some good slipstream fights.
The BMW riders Troy Corser and Leon Haslam are also looking forward to the Monza race weekend. After getting the first podium place for BMW last year the Australian Troy Corser is eager to fight at the front of the field again. He and his teammate Haslam are both confident that they made some good changes on their motorbikes and should be able to fight for the podium.
BMW Motorrad Italia rider James Toseland is returning again after his surgeon removed the wires that were placed after fracturing his wrist. After spending some time in the Hyperbaric chamber to help his wrist with the recovery the English rider hopes to be able to race again this weekend. After having to miss some races the Sheffield racer can’t wait to get back onto his motorbike. The first few practices will have to show if his wrist can hold the heavy pressure of racing again.
The Paul Bird Kawasaki team heads to Monza after a shocking return to the UK after the Assen race weekend last month. Returning back home to the UK the team were shocked when during a routine examination by the UK Border Agency at the Dover docks some banned substances were discovered. Four of the Kawasaki members were questioned but released again with the entire team fully co-operating with HM customs in their investigations. The fact that someone had entered their truck and left some drugs and a handgun shocked the entire team and made them increase the security of their vehicles. The team now heads to Monza fully determent to put this behind them and focus on the championship with their riders Tom Sykes, Joan Lascorz and Chris Vermeulen.
Also the World Supersport field awaits another exciting and thrilling race weekend at the fast Italian race track.
Italian rider and current championship leader Luca Scassa is eager to get back onto the highest step of the podium after crashing at the Assen race track. While his teammate Chaz Davies wants more after winning the Assen Supersport race.
Australian Broc Parkes wants the win as well, trying to beat Luca Scassa now that the Kawasaki rider is currently lying second in the championship only three points behind Luca Scassa and two in front of Chaz Davies.
The young English talented Sam Lowes is eager to race at the Monza track after supporting his twin brother Alex after his successful British Superbike race last Monday at the Oulton race track. Despite a broken collarbone the Parkalgar Honda rider wants to be back racing and fighting for the podium. His fractured collarbone didn’t reacquire an immidiate surgery as the bone was broken in several places, which made it pretty difficult to be plated. The Englishman now needs to get the bone healed again before a surgeon will decide if it’s necessarily to get a plate on the bone on a later time. Lowes spend some time in the hyperbaric chamber and getting some laser therapy, encouraging the healing of his collarbone. Despite the problem Sam is eager to try to get onto his back and race at the Monza race track.
The Ten Kate Honda race team is always a force to reckon with in the World Supersport. The French Ten Kate Riders Fabian Foret and Young talented Florian Marino are both eager to fight along with the others for the victory. After getting crashed out the Assen race by a mistake from Yamaha rider Luca Scassa, Marino will try again to fight along with the big group of riders challenging for the win.
Another rider who can’t wait to fight along for the podium is the Englishman Gino Rea. The Step Racing Honda racing was battling for second position at the Assen race track until he crashed out. The youngster is now eager to make up for the Assen weekend and get back onto the podium, just like at the Donington race.
Second in Superpole, some 0.648 seconds behind, was Eugene Laverty (Yamaha Superbike Racing Team) then Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) and Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) completed the front row, making it four different bikes in the top four places.
Max Biaggi: “It was very good, my first Superpole this year. This track is special for us and finally it came after three races in which it has been difficult to be competitive and get back on top. In qualifying we made good set-up trying a few different things, some of which worked and some of which didn’t. But we did a good job and Italy is always special for us. For sure, top speed is a help at Monza and you need it, but also good braking and agility helps, and I’m happy with everything.”
Eugene Laverty: “It’s been a good weekend for us, the fact that the team is pretty much next door to the circuit is nice and hopefully we can have a couple of good races tomorrow and be fighting for the podium. We’ve been waiting for it for a long time and hopefully tomorrow we can achieve that. The Yamahas managed to challenge the Aprilias on this track last year, so we’re looking forward to this weekend to try and challenge Max again.”
Jonathan Rea: “For sure I’m very happy to be on the front row of the grid, because the weekend hasn’t panned out great so far. We’ve been working very hard for tomorrow’s race, it was pretty critical in the end for tyres with the temperature going up and down, but I’m savouring the moment to be on the front row, it’s exactly what we need to get away in the group tomorrow. For sure it’ll be a big group but a big ambition of mine is to stand on the podium here at Monza, it’ll be very special.”
Fifth on the grid for Sunday’s 18-lap races is another local legend Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike) with Friday’s fastest qualifier Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) sixth. The second row is completed by the last two riders in Superpole 3, Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) and Noriyuki Haga (Pata Aprilia).
A great ride from satellite competitor Ayrton Badovini (BWM Motorrad Italia Superbike) put him ninth, ahead of British rider Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia). Championship leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was the top twin-cylinder rider on show, 11th, one place up on the battling Sylvain Guintoli (Effenbert - Liberty Racing Ducati).
Out of Superpole after a close combined qualifying ranking were big names like Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki Racing Team) and James Toseland (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike), each struggling with injuries, Vermeulen from a first day highside crash that gashed his left elbow and Toseland from an existing operation on his right hand.
Times: 1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'41.745; 2. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 1'42.393; 3; 4. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'42.614; 4.Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'42.688; 5. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'42.714; 6. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1'42.723; 7. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'42.954; 8. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'43.043; 9. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'42.886; 10. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'42.995; 11. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'43.116; 12. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1'43.146; 13. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'43.090; 14. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'43.437; 15. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'43.993; 16.Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1'44.005; etc.
World Supersport
The ParkinGO Yamahas continue to dominate in the Supersport World Championship, but this time pole position at Monza is in the hands Chaz Davies. The British rider set a quickest time of 1 minute 47.809 seconds around the high-speed track, a couple of tenths quicker than Sam Lowes on the Parkalgar Honda. Broc Parkes took his Kawasaki Motocard.com ZX-6R machine to third place, with the front row completed by Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).
Fifth and sixth place went to two Italians, Roberto Tamburini on the Bike Service Racing Team Yamaha and Luca Scassa with the second ParkinGO Yamaha. Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) continued his Supersport learning curve with the next slot on the grid, and James Ellison took his Bogdanka PTR Honda to the outside row 2 position, one place ahead of Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda).
Times: 1. Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1'47.809; 2. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'48.051; 3. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'48.189; 4.Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1'48.347; 5. Tamburini R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'48.368; 6. Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'48.468; 7. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1'48.55; 8. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'49.080; etc.
Superstock 1000
Opening round winner Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) powered to pole position for tomorrow’s Superstock 1000 race at Monza with a time of 1 minute 46.044 seconds. The Italian was ahead of the three BMW S 1000 RR machines that have been setting the pace so far, the Italia STK version of Sylvain Barrier, Michele Magnoni (Baru Racing Team) and the other BMW Italia bike of Lorenzo Zanetti. Australian champion Bryan Staring put in an excellent run to take his Kawasaki Pedercini to fifth overall ahead of the second Althea Racing Ducati of Lorenzo Baroni.
Times: 1. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'46.044; 2. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1'46.261; 3.Magnoni M. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'46.352; 4. Zanetti L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1'46.358; 5. Staring B. (AUS); Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'46.527; 6. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'46.807; 7. Petrucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'46.875; 8. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'47.013; etc.
Supersport 600 – Race
With his win at Monza, young Frenchman Romain Lanusse ((MRS Yamaha Racing France) has now taken over at the top of the European Superstock 600 Championship. Such was Lanusse’s domination that the following group were a full six seconds behind in their sprint to the line. The photo-finish saw Dino Lombardi (Martini Corse Yamaha) take the runner-up slot, ahead of American Joshua Day (Racedays Kawasaki), wild-card Franco Morbidelli (Forwards Yamaha), Riccardo Russo (Trasimeno Yamaha) and another wild-card Giuliano Gregorini (RCGM Team Yamaha). In the standings Lanusse is now followed by Dutchman Michael van der Mark, who could only finish tenth.
Results: 1. Lanusse R. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 18'43.803 (185,061 kph); 2. Lombardi D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 6.167; 3. Day J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 6.662; 4. Morbidelli F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 6.665; 5.Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 6.685; 6. Gregorini G. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 6.829; 7. Vitali L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 7.500; 8. Major N. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 8.398; etc.
Points: 1. Lanusse 45; 2. Lombardi 33; 3. VD Mark 31; 4. Day 23; 5. Russo 20; 6. Calero perez 17; 7. Metcher 16; 8. Morbidelli 13; etc.
