WSBK – French treble in Italy! –

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French treble in Italy !

WSBK - French treble in Italy! -

The heat was there for the 6th round of the World Superbike this weekend in Misano. With temperatures of over 30 ° C in the air and 50 ° C on the ground, machines, tires and riders are put to the test. Ready, Set ?

Sebastien Gimbert, who broke his ankle and damaged his shin at Silverstone, is not riding this weekend. But the other French people are in good shape, starting with Sebastien Charpentier (Honda Winston Ten Kate) who largely leads the Supersport championship ahead of his teammate Katsuaki Fujiwara. Fabien Foret (Honda Team Megabike) and Stephane Chambon (Honda Gil Motor Sport), also very efficient (read), appear respectively in fourth and sixth place in the provisional.

But the most anticipated Frenchman this weekend is of course Regis Laconi (Ducati Xerox): after a slow start to the season and despite his fall in the second round in Great Britain, his victory in the first round seems to him have restored confidence. Misano, Ducati’s official circuit, will it allow the Franco-Italian rider to ignite the crowd of tifosis ?

First Superbike race

For the second time this year, Corser (Suzuki Alstare) took the superpole by completing the lap of Misano in 1’35”330. He will therefore start ahead of Vermeulen (Honda Winston Ten Kate), Laconi and Muggeridge (Honda Winston Ten Kate). In second row are Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare), Chili (Honda Klaffi), Toseland (Ducati Xerox) and Martin (Petronas FP1). On the third row, the young German Neukirchner (Honda Klaffi) precedes three Italians: Lanzi (Ducati SC Caracchi), Bussei (Kawasaki Bertocchi) and Clementi (Kawa Bertocchi). Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia), Cardoso (Yam D.F.X.Treme), Walker (Kawa PSG-1 Corse) and Ben Bostrom (Honda Renegade Koji) follow. Haga (Yam Motor Italia) is 21st just ahead of McCoy (Petronas FP1), while Abe (Yam Motor France) is relegated to 25th place.

The start is given! Vermeulen passes in front of Corser while Laconi is closely followed by his teammate Toseland. Muggeridge, fifth, ahead of Martin and the rest of the horde. From the first pass at Tramonto (see), Troy Corser tries to steal the head from his compatriot Chris Vermeulen. But its braking, very strong, prevents it from following the trajectory and makes it lose a few meters. Regis is in his wheel. Troy quickly made up for his mistake and the three leading (Vermeulen, Corser and Laconi) widened a slight gap on their pursuers from the first straight line !

Karl Muggeridge does not want to be left behind by the top three and decides to take matters into his own hands by overtaking Toseland. At the same time, Max Neukirchner goes off the track … Vermeulen attacks very hard but does not manage to get rid of a Corser with a cleaner style and just as efficient. Steve Martin’s Foggy keeps pace, just like the No.1 Ducati…

On the third lap, still in Tramonto, Troy tries to brake Chris. But the young Honda rider did not give up and kept the advantage! Regis closely follows the fight between the two Australians. Andrew Pitt, 16th, loses the front and retires. The R1, who are doing their first year in the World Superbike, suffer from a lack of experience on this technical track.

Corser loses a few meters on Vermeulen and Laconi pushes him to react by showing the tip of his wheel … The Suz ‘recovers the small gap yielded to the Honda n ° 77. Troy seems easier than Chris, whose choppy way of moving around on the bike proves some difficulty in staying in the lead. In the fifth lap, the Ducatis went on the attack: James Toseland passed Karl Muggeridge then Regis passed Troy! But following the heavy fall of an Italian wildcard, Norino Brignola (Ducati), the race is stopped.

Unlike MotoGP, if the race is interrupted, it is the addition of the times of the two parties that determines the results of the race (and not the only classification of the second half). The starting line is formed according to the order of passage in the last lap before the interruption, namely: Vermeulen, Corser, Laconi and Muggeridge, Toseland, Martin, etc…

After a first false start, the red lights go out and the pilots set off for 20 laps: the Winston Ten Kate immediately take command. Laconi delayed braking and passed Muggeridge, who managed to recover his second place on the next turn at the cost of a great fright, his motorcycle having practically thrown him off the acceleration. The high side threatens !

Haga and Walker have a good fight for sixth place, with the Yam and Kawa neither willing to make their rider’s job easy … Meanwhile, at the end of the line on the right, Laconi brakes beautifully – very inside – on Karl Muggeridge and swoops down on Vermeulen. Corser is still in fourth position, a few lengths behind the leading trio.

In the fifth lap, Laconi made the same attack on Vermeulen and took the lead in front of a raging Italian crowd! Regis continued his efforts and widened the gap in a few laps. Corser then passed Muggeridge in Misano, then it was Kagayama’s turn to pass the Australian who seemed to be struggling. Indeed, Karl suffers from an upset stomach and would like to thank the mobile clinic team, "without whom I would never have been able to ride".

Ten laps from the checkered flag, while Regis has a comfortable second in advance and manages his tires, Kagayama falls! The Japanese saw his second place in the provisional strongly threatened by the two leading men, Laconi and Vermeulen … Toseland and Haga got rid of Muggeridge and got back on Corser. In the 17th lap, Regis is 3.5 seconds ahead !

Corser’s cast style keeps him close to his young compatriot Chris. Is the master biding his time? In any case, Laconi, him, flew a long time ago! On the 21st lap, McCoy retired due to a mechanical problem. Toseland then attacks Corser in the Curva del Carro, but is ironed in Curvone.

Only two more laps! Laconi is far ahead of Vermeulen, alone in second position. The battle will take place between Troy Corser and James Toseland for the last step of the podium: the two pilots pass each other on several occasions but Troy, despite heavy slipping of the rear wheel, keeps a more calm style and manages to tame a Suzuki which according to him "has some clutch issues"… He will explain later that his"GSX-R doesn’t like to have too many starts so the first race was tricky due to the interruption and then the false start". Fragile, the Suz ‘ ?

First French victory: Laconi crosses the finish line with a wheelie, Vermeulen is second at more than 4 seconds. For third place, it is after a superb fight (several overtaking and contacts) that the Ducati caps the Suzuki on the post. Corser, benefiting from a handful of seconds in advance at the end of the first five laps, inherits the third position! Toseland is fourth ahead of Italian Lorenzo Lanzi and Nitro Nori. Pierfrancesco Chili is 7th ahead of Chris Walker’s first Kawasaki and Karl Muggeridge, stranded in 10th place, does not know if he will be able to run the second race.

Despite the fatigue, Laconi gratified the hot, boiling public with a superb goat jump on the top step of the podium … Two hours of rest will not be too much before taking the handlebars for the second round. !

Supersport Race

In the meantime, the show continues in 600cc, with two French particularly well placed. Fabien Foret starts from pole position, the first of the year that escapes Sebastien Charpentier. The latter was even surprised by his teammate Katsuaki Fujiwara who started second. "General Lee" Charpentier is not far, however, since he occupies third place. Last of the first row: the Yamaha of the Australian (another one!) Kevin Curtain. The second row consists of Michel Fabrizio (Honda Team Megabike), Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati SC Caracchi), Broc Parkes (Yam Motor Germany) and Simone Sanna (Honda). The first Kawasaki is in 9th position (Cristiano Migliorati), the first Suzuki starts 10th (Javi Fores).

The 600 cc set off for 23 laps, headed by the two Honda Team Megabike of Fabrizio and Foret, followed by the two Yamaha of Curtain and Parkes, then the two Honda Ten Kate of Charpentier and Fujiwara. Foret does not take long to seize the first place. Fabrizio is second but does not finish the first lap due to mechanical trouble…

The sudden stop of the Honda of the Italian benefits Foret who takes several meters in advance from the first straight line. Sebastien Charpentier then sees the n ° 99 moving away and reacts by immediately passing Parkes while Nannelli falls. Sebastien and Katsuaki pass Kevin Curtain one after the other, but they are already 2 seconds behind the leading man.

Seb applies himself and manages to catch up with Fabien again. He drives in his Fuji wheel while Curtain is dumped. The rest of the horde is atomized! Charpentier whips so well that he glues back to Foret at halfway, without having worn his tires too much and does not wait long before taking the lead. Will the other two Honda be able to prevent him from securing his second victory in a row? ?

The three pilots are in a pocket handkerchief and Fuji attacks Fabien without materializing. Curtain runs lonely as Sanna (a 125cc Championship alumnus) climbs back onto Parkes.

General Lee and Fabien Foret are a little ahead of Katsuaki … A 100% French mano à mano is being prepared! Four laps from the end, Fabien missed out on Tramonto braking but stayed ahead of Katsuaki. The French immediately returned to the attack and the Japanese were unable to follow. The gap as we approach the 22nd lap is 1.3s, but in a half-loop Fabien is already halfway there !

On the penultimate lap, it was Charpentier’s turn to make a mistake: at the exit of the Del Parco chicane, the Frenchman was too strong and accelerated beyond the vibrators. It does not take more for Foret to take the wheel! The last lap promises to be hotly contested … But Charpentier, a true mind of steel, does not offer a fault. On the contrary, Foret had a big slip during a go-around that was a little too optimistic (or desperate) which allowed Sebastien to manage his ten-meter lead to the finish line! Hot !

Seb is first, on one of the circuits he "least like"… Yet he signs a second victory in a row – his fourth of the year – and again sets the fastest time in the race (he holds all the race records of the season). Fabien is second, Katsuaki Fujiwara third at 4.5 seconds Curtain is 4th at 13 seconds, Parkes 5th at almost 20 seconds followed by Simone Sanna, Javi Fores and Alessandro Antonello (Kawasaki). Stephane Chambon takes the last point of 15th place while Julien Enjolras (Yam Tati Team Beaujolais Racing) finished 24th.

In the championship, Sebastien Charpentier prances ahead with 140 points out of 150! Fujiwara and Curtain remain second and third with 106 and 93 points respectively. Fabien Foret climbs to fourth position (74 points) and must bitterly regret his disqualification at Monza (read) … Parkes is fifth with 60 points and Chambon sixth with 46, ahead of the two Italians Fabrizio and Nannelli.

Among the manufacturers, Honda is continuing its flawless performance thanks to the team of Ronald Ten Kate alone … Yamaha is second with 93 points. Ducati does not score a point this weekend and remains third with 51. Suzuki follows 4 points behind the Italians while Kawasaki almost doubles its score thanks to Antonello’s 8 points (18 points in all).

Second Superbike race

The temperature is still as high and the pilots have already run a race in two acts at noon … Suffice to say that there will be sport, the grid taking the starting order of the first !

This time the best start is due to Corser. Vermeulen was behind him, followed by Laconi and Muggeridge, who finally felt able to take the start. From the first lap, Chris Vermeulen takes the lead and Muggeridge apparently well perked up doubles Laconi.

On the second lap, Karl passed Corser during a supermotard braking but was overtaken on the exit. The Australians are doing the show and it’s not just them: Haga came back to seventh place behind Chile while he started in 21st position! James Toseland is fifth, one second behind his teammate Regis Laconi, who manages to get Karl inside on the next lap! Chili and Haga are fighting with great reinforcements on the brakes and acceleration. A delight !

In the fourth lap, Corser threatens Vermeulen at the end of the straight line. Laconi sets the fastest time in the race and joins the two Australians. In the Chili-Haga duel, the Japanese are beaten. Pierfrancesco goes back on the Ducati n ° 1 of James.

At the seventh passage of the Misano bend, Regis passed second, then very easily overtook Vermeulen and took control of the race! The Ducati, which had used us to move in all directions, seems to be on track !

Halfway through the race, Chili passed Toseland but rolled slower than Laconi. Regis goes on a series of laps and creates a one-second lead over his pursuers. Toseland, slightly behind Chile, tries to get back on the particularly swift Italian and does not take long to overtake him in the Curva della Quercia. Muggeridge does not keep up and is caught by a very demonstrative Haga style.

Still in the lead, Regis does not manage to take off as much as in the first race: Chris Vermeulen remains in contact thanks to heavy braking very hard. Haga passes Muggeridge and recovers "his" sixth place in the first heat. Slowly but surely, the young Vermeulen climbs back on Laconi and Haga seeks to catch up with Chile … Bussei and Walker offer themselves a good battle for the 9th place, Lorenzo Lanzi is in the front row.

On the 22nd lap, Troy Corser was three lengths behind Chris Vermeulen who himself was left behind by a very concentrated and consistent Regis Laconi despite the stifling heat. Will the end be less impressive? Nay! Just look at Haga, who deserves his nickname "Nitro Nori": the Japanese man slips off the two wheels out of bends, leaving Chili in a plume of blue smoke! Rossi’s or Melandri’s slides look pale next to them !

The last three laps nail the (tele) spectator on the spot: each acceleration becomes delicate and invariably results in a wide slip of the rear wheel! Chile reclaimed its fifth place from Haga on the last lap. For the others, the positions do not change despite everyone’s efforts.

Laconi achieves his first double of the season, the second of his career! In fact, the first four each double their results in the first round. Chili finished fifth in front of a Haga who really gave everything and we thank him! Muggeridge saved the furniture and finished 7th in front of his compatriot Steve Martin on the Foggy Petronas. Lanzi Lorenzo got the better of the two ragpickers Kawa, Bussei and Walker. Kagayama is 12th, Norick Abe 15th.

In the championship, Corser manages his lead acquired in the first half of the season thanks to two good third places. He has 224 points, 73 ahead of the second who is now Vermeulen. Laconi also passed Kagayama in the overall standings, totaling 162 points. The Japanese fell to fourth position with 148 points ahead of Toseland (124), Haga (88), Walker (87), Chile 8th with 86 points, Pitt (70) and Muggeridge (65). Abe, French Yamaha team rider, is 11th with 63 points while Sebastien Gimbert’s counter remains stuck at 26.

On the constructor side, Ducati (200 points) is back on Suzuki, scoring 100 points in the last four rounds! Suzuki remains first with 263 points and Honda, overtaken by Ducati, is third with 194 points. Yamaha is fourth with 129, ahead of Kawasaki (100) and Petronas (17).

With a regular leader but losing speed and a particularly recovered French vice world champion, the second half of the season risks being fiercely contested! Next meeting with the World Superbike on July 17 in Brno !

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