WSBK – Australian Duel –

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Australian-style duel

WSBK - Australian Duel -

The second round of the World Superbike was held this weekend at Phillip Island: in 1000cc, the Troy war continues while in 600cc, Charpentier is no longer the only French to shine. Report and video interviews !

A week after the opening round in Qatar (read), the Mondial Superbike met this weekend under the Australian sun.

Birthplace of many participants – Bayliss, Corser, Muggeridge, Pitt, Martin, Curtain, Parkes, Brookes, etc. – Australia is one of the most anticipated events on the calendar. And it is without great surprise that we find five Australian riders on the first two lines of the starting grid in the Superbike category..

Author of the best time of the Superpole race in 1 ‘32.159, Troy Bayliss (n ° 21 – Ducati Xerox) achieved the second pole of the year, ahead of his compatriot Troy Corser (n ° 1 – Suzuki Alstare) who completed his turn in 1 ‘32.373. James Toseland (n ° 52 – Ten Kate Honda) manages, by two tenths, to beat Steve Martin (n ° 99 – Foggy Petronas) but turns almost a second slower than the official Ducati…

In the second row, Alex Barros (n ° 4 – Klaffi Honda) begins to better understand the operation of his new mount. Behind him are two locals: Karl Muggeridge (n ° 31 – Ten Kate Honda) and Andrew Pitt (n ° 88 – Yamaha Motor Italia). Noriyuki Haga (n ° 41 – Yamaha Italia) completes this line.
Phillip Island, 03/05/2006 – Regis Laconi struggles to take his marks… Video Interview Site.

We note that Regis Laconi (n ° 55 – PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) finally manages to reach the top 16 in the qualifying session, which allows him to compete in the Superpole. The Mosellan finally ranks 14th on the handlebars of his ZX-10R. Fabien Foret (n ° 15 – Alstare Suzuki) sets the 18th fastest time, just behind Norick Abe (n ° 3 – Yamaha Motor France).

The Japanese teammate, Sebastien Gimbert (n ° 16), is classified in 21st position..
Phillip Island, 03/05/2006 – Maxime Berger, one of the young French hopes. Video Interview Site.

Supersport side, Sebastien Charpentier (n ° 16 – Ten Kate Honda) continues to assert his supremacy by relegating the competition to more than eight tenths! Kevin Curtain (n ° 11 – Yamaha Motor Germany) is second, ahead of his teammate Broc Parkes (n ° 23) and the Danish Robbin Harms (n ° 127 – Stiggy Motorsports Honda).

The good surprise comes from the good performances of the two French rookies, Yoann Tiberio (n ° 32 – Team Megabike Honda) and Maxime Berger (n ° 27 – Gil Motor Sport Kawasaki), classified respectively 8th and 9th at the end of the tests! Gregory Leblanc (n ° 38 – Vazy Racing Team Honda) and Julien Enjolras (n ° 88 – Tati Team Beaujolais Yamaha) achieve the 23rd and 29th fastest times.

First Superbike race

Troy Bayliss widened the gap from the first laps of the race. Behind him, James Toseland, Troy Corser and Alex Barros are unable to keep up with the frantic pace of the official Ducati, so much so that in the seventh lap, the 2001 Superbike world champion is already more than 4 seconds ahead of the trio.

Yamaha all have rear grip issues. Also, only Noriyuki Haga manages to "save the furniture" thanks to his legendary ardor: he rolls alone in fourth position 2.5 seconds behind the pursuers of Bayliss. He is far ahead of Karl Muggeridge who leads the peloton made up – in order – of Rolfo, Walker, Pitt, Laconi, Chili, Kagayama, Xaus, Martin and Nieto.

Corser and Barros take advantage of a gap from Toseland to compete for second place. Very quickly, the Australian and the Brazilian separated from the British who despite everything continued to make the attraction with great reinforcements through the acceleration !

Halfway through, Barros does not release the pressure he exerts on the reigning world champion Corser. While the race seems won for Bayliss, the lap times indicate a clear advantage for Corser. Barros Suzuki and Honda spin a second faster than visibly out of breath Ducati !

In the 17th lap, Bayliss is in sight! In the long straight, the hitherto undisputed leader is literally dropped by Corser and Barros. This turnaround boosted the performance of Troy Corser – author of fine crossings in braking as in acceleration – who knew that Bayliss tires would not hold up … Behind him, Alex Barros patient: "I was anticipating an attack in the last round ", explained the Brazilian a little later…

At the same time, Bayliss continued his descent into hell and lost the third step of the podium in favor of Toseland. Bayliss’s Ducati waves when exiting a bend! Behind them, Haga is joined by Rolfo and Xaus…

Still in the lead, Corser squeezes out his right grip and therefore his rear tire. But nothing to do, the Australian crocodile still has the Brazilian hare in its pots … Famous for its trapper braking, Alex does not however manage to surprise Troy.

In the last lap, Barros is unable to dislodge Corser. At the exit of Lukey Heights, Corser adopts an ultra-defensive trajectory while Barros prefers to go wider in order to favor his exit: a waste of time, the reigning world champion locks the last two corners and crosses the finish line first. !

Toseland completes the first podium of the day while Haga and Rolfo finish off poor Bayliss … The Australian still manages to take sixth place, ten points that could make the difference at the end of the season.

Results first race SBK Australia:

Pilot Team Time Tours
1 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 34 ‘33.545 22
2 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 34 ‘33.995 22
3 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda 34 ‘41.519 22
4 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia 34 ‘48.666 22
5 Rolfo R. Ducati SC – Caracchi 34 ‘49.837 22
6 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox 34 ‘50.665 22
7 Xaus R. Sterilgarda – Berik 34 ‘50.737 22
8 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 34 ‘56.002 22
9 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia 34 ‘56.035 22
10 Walker C. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 34 ‘56.721 22
11 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox 35 ‘01.892 22
12 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 35 ‘01.958 22
13 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 35 ‘02.378 22
14 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing 35 ‘02.522 22
15 Fabrizio M D.F.X. Honda Treme 35 ‘02.667 22
23 Drill F. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra 24 ‘14.019 12
27 Gimbert S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 6 ‘33.623 4

Supersport Race

Once again, the Supersport race sees the two top names in the category compete against each other. Sebastien Charpentier, reigning world champion and recent winner at Losail riding his CBR600RR, must resist the relentless attacks of Kevin Curtain and his R6.

The Australian, in front of his audience, remains in the wheel of the French and even manages to overtake him for a few moments. But every time Kevin thinks of widening the gap, General Seb pushes it back !

"It was a very close race but still correct because Sebastien and I trust each other", will testify the Australian at the end of the race.

Unable to keep up with the French in the last laps, the two official Yamaha are forced to let Charpentier pocket a second consecutive victory! He is therefore at the head of the provisional classification ahead of Curtain who collects the second places..

Aside from Charpentier’s new victory, the French clan welcomes the excellent result of Yoann Tiberio who signs his first race in the World Supersport with a superb fourth place. !

Gregory Leblanc finished very close to the points while Maxime Berger, Julien Enjolras and Anthony Gobert (GMT 94) did not finish the race.

SSP Australia race results:

Pilot Team Time Tours
1 Carpenter S. Winston Ten Kate Honda 34 ‘01.822 21
2 Curtain K. Yamaha Motor Germany 34 ‘03.183 21
3 Parkes B. Yamaha Motor Germany 34 ‘09.618 21
4 Tiberio Y. Megabike Honda Team 34 ‘18.610 21
5 Harms R. Stiggy Motorsports Honda 34 ‘18.620 21
6 Brookes J. Ducati SC – Caracchi 34 ‘23.072 21
7 Stigefelt J. Dark Dog Stiggy Mr. Honda 34 ‘23.166 21
8 Thomas D. Gil Motor Sport 34 ‘28.131 21
9 Zaiser C. LBR Ducati Racing 34 ‘28.295 21
10 Roccoli M Yamaha Team Italia 34 ‘28.337 21
11 The Grelle S. Legrelle – Honda Belgium 34 ‘31.661 21
12 Sanchini M. RG Team 34 ‘36.810 21
13 Vizziello G. Yamaha Team Italia 34 ‘38.150 21
14 Van Keymeulen D. Bikersdays Yamaha Moto 1 34 ‘39,224 21
15 Fores J. SLM Racing Yamaha 34 ‘10.396 21
17 Leblanc G. Vazy Racing Team 34 ‘51.615 21
26 Gobert A. Yamaha – GMT 94 18 ‘00.606 11
29 Berger M Gil Motor Sport Kawasaki 11 ‘34.609 7
33 Enjolras J. Tati Team Beaujolais Racing – –

Provisional general classification SSP:

Pilot Team Points
1 Carpenter S. Winston Ten Kate Honda 50
2 Curtain K. Yamaha Motor Germany 40
3 Harms R. Stiggy Motorsports Honda 21
4 Stigefelt J. Dark Dog Stiggy Mr. Honda 20
5 Parkes B. Yamaha Motor Germany 16
6 Sufuoglu K. Winston Ten Kate Honda 16
7 Brookes J. Ducati SC – Caracchi 16
8 Roccoli M. Yamaha Team Italia 15
9 Zaiser C. LBR Ducati Racing 15
10 Fores J. SLM Racing Yamaha 14
11 Tiberio Y. Megabike Honda Team 13
12 Vizziello G. Yamaha Team Italia 10
13 The Grelle S. Legrelle – Honda Belgium 10
14 Thomas D. Gil Motor Sport Kawasaki 8
15 Sanchini M. RG Team 4
– Leblanc G. Vazy Racing Team –
– Berger M. Gil Motor Sport Kawasaki –
– Enjolras J. Tati Team Beaujolais Racing –
– Checa D. GMT 94 Yamaha –

Second Superbike race

In the second Superbike round, Haga made one of those amazing starts of which he has the secret. But from the next straight line, his R1 tilts against the Suzuki of Corser and Honda of Toseland, the Ducati of Bayliss taking care of giving him the final blow in the following turns..

Very quickly, Toseland, Corser and Bayliss separated from Haga and Pitt while Barros did the same with the rest of the peloton which included Muggeridge, Walker, Martin, Rolfo, Xaux, Nieto, Chili, etc..

From the fourth round, the bulk of the horde is definitely dropped by the six leading men who now seem to regroup. Despite his best efforts, Toseland failed to outrun Bayliss. But it is in the next lap that the key event of the race occurs…

Not wishing to leave Toseland and Bayliss to explain themselves, the world champion Troy Corser goes on the high side! Haga and Pitt manage to avoid it but Barros, dodging the Suzuki, hits Troy himself! Fortunately, it is only the dorsal reinforcement which takes … But all this quickly made it disseminate the leading group !

The two leaders thus take nearly 5 seconds ahead of the two official Yamaha. Alex Barros shows composure and picks up Pitt and Haga’s R1s right away. Behind, it’s Walker’s turn to separate from the peloton.

Halfway through the race, Toseland still leads ahead of Bayliss. At 9 seconds now are Pitt, Haga and Barros. The fight which animates the main body of the pack results in the fall of Lorenzo Lanzi. The young Italian gets knocked off at the entrance of the hairpin Honda and brings with him Karl Muggeridge.

Andrew Pitt, Nori Haga and Alex Barros indulge in a few muscular passes, but James Toseland remains the most spectacular: the plumes of smoke escaping from his rear tire attest to his total commitment !

However, with six laps to go, Bayliss made an unstoppable attack on the Briton: a superb interior in the hairpin Honda. In a few turns, the Australian then takes several steps ahead. Haga, Barros and Pitt are 13 seconds behind new leader.

In the 19th lap, Barros took the third step of the podium and broke away from the two Yamaha. The final lap sees Kagayama and Rolfo compete for sixth place as Walker ultimately has to bow to Xaus.

Bayliss, the first to pass the checkered flag, signs his 33rd victory in Superbike, his 99th podium and above all takes the lead in the championship. James Toseland, second in this round, remains one point behind the Australian in the general classification. For the second time in a row, Barros is once again on the podium and there is a good chance that he will take a liking to it. !

The disappointment remains great for Regis Laconi who finishes in 16th place while his teammates Nieto and Walker are respectively 9th and 10th. Fabien Foret is 18th, Sebastien Gimbert 20th.

After these two very busy weekends, the drivers and their teams will be able to take a step back, analyze their performances and rest before disembarking on our continent, on April 23 in Valence. !

Results second race SBK Australia:

Pilot Team Time Tours
1 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox 34 ‘33.803 21
2 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda 34 ‘39.331 21
3 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 34 ‘48.115 21
4 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia 34 ‘50.011 21
5 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia 34 ‘51.459 21
6 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 34 ‘54.635 21
7 Rolfo R. Ducati SC – Caracchi 34 ‘54.933 21
8 Xaus R. Sterilgarda – Berik 34 ‘59.027 21
9 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 34 ‘59.441 21
10 Walker S. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 34 ‘59.810 21
11 Fabrizio M D.F.X. Honda Treme 35 ‘06.670 21
12 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 35 ‘06.974 21
13 Neukirchner M. Team Perdecini Ducati 35 ‘07.014 21
14 Chile P. D.F.X. Honda Treme 35 ‘08.117 21
15 Martin S. Foggy Petronas Racing 35 ‘08.270 21
16 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 35 ‘09.352 21
18 Drill F. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra 35 ‘22,840 21
20 Gimbert S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 35 ‘23.017 21

SBK provisional general classification:

Pilot Team Points
1 Bayliss T. Ducati Xerox 75
2 Toseland J. Winston Ten Kate Honda 74
3 Corser T. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 63
4 Barros A. Klaffi Honda 55
5 Pitt A. Yamaha Motor Italia 45
6 Haga N. Yamaha Motor Italia 42
7 Rolfo R. Ducati SC – Caracchi 32
8 Fabrizio M D.F.X. Honda Treme 25
9 Xaus R. Sterilgarda – Berik 24
10 Nieto F. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 19
11 Lanzi L. Ducati Xerox 15
12 Kagayama Y. Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra 14
13 Abe N. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 14
14 Walker S. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 12
15 Muggeridge K. Winston Ten Kate Honda 11
19 Laconi R. PSG-1 Kawasaki Corsica 6
21 Gimbert S. Yamaha Motor France-Ipone 3

–

 Drill F. Alstare Eng. Corona Extra –

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