Oz Racers around the World - October 2005

October 23^rd Motorcycle Grand Prix at Turkey – 250GP

Casey Stoner won the first Turkish GP leading the race from the first lap till the end. So, for

Casey Stoner won the first Turkish GP leading the race from the first lap till the end. So, for the fifth time this season the CARRERA SUNGLASESS – LCR Team Australian rider gained the victory and the second place in the world championship. After the unlucky race in Phillip Island, Casey came to Turkey to demonstrate his great potential once again and made a fantastic race beating the world champion Dani Pedrosa. A good performance for Roberto Locatelli who made a great recover from 20^th position because of one hit with Corsi in the first lap. Now Loca is 14th in the world standing with 55 points.

Casey Stoner FIRST - “What can I say? It has been a very good day! We have had a few problems this weekend and I have not been feeling the best, but as always, come the race, the team gave me the best bike and I was feeling very confident for the race. I am very happy to beat the new world champion. I really regret the mistake I made in Phillip Island. This win proves that we are very competitive team and we always want to win. I am very happy the way the year has gone and we are going into Valencia to finish off the year with a win”.

October 23^rd Motorcycle Grand Prix at Turkey – MotoGP

Chris Vermeulen – Camel Honda – 11^th “We can say that I managed to complete one of my objectives, which was to finish ahead of another Honda, but it’s not enough. I would have had to do much better to be satisfied. As I ride this bike more, I realize how many things I still have to learn and that this is building up some great experience for me. Today I got away better than in Phillip Island and I battled with several riders for a few laps. I also committed a few mistakes and one of these allowed Tamada and Nakano to pass me. For a few laps I lost my rhythm a bit, and only in the last part of the race did I feel much better again. I closed in on Nakano but not enough to get past him. As I said, it’s all experience which will help me improve, whether it’s in setting up the bike or in racing, especially if I get the chance to ride again in Valencia.”

World Superbike 2005 - Aussie Preview

October 2^nd - Round 11 - Imola

Troy Corser got a great run off the line at a slightly damp but drying Imola and led the field into the first turn with Vermeulen and Kagayama in tow but the Japanese rider was not there for long before James Toseland slipped his Ducati up the inside to promote himself into that third position. Vermeulen then went up the inside of Corser halfway through the first lap and immediately started streaking away from Corser who late on the first lap looked to perhaps have missed a gear.  Karl Muggeridge then looked to be frustrated by bike trouble as he banged the tank on his Fireblade but then seemed to get straight back on the pace so perhaps the Queenslander's Fireblade had developed some sort of intermittent problem. Pierfrancesco Chili then ended his race in the airbags.

The Aussie 1-2 up front continued to pull away from the field with the best of the rest proving to be defending World Champion James Toseland who had Yukio Kagayama, Andrew Pitt, Noriyuki Haga and Chris Walker giving chase.

As they started lap four of the 21 lap race Corser had managed to close up a little on Vermeulen but the pair were already a country mile ahead of Toseland and his gaggle. Haga then got the better of Pitt before slipping ahead of Toseland to take third place. A lap later Andrew Pitt also got the better of Toseland but not for long as he struck right back to shoot back past Pitt and then Haga to move back up third place while Yukio Kagayama slid off into the airbags and out of the fight.

Corser continued to follow Vermeulen but their pace remained hot as Corser was bounced out of the seat but landed straight back on without losing any ground.  No such luck for countryman Andrew Pitt however who slid out of the race after losing the rear and saving it only to lose the front as the pendulum swung the other way.

Corser took the lead from Vermeulen on lap 8 of 21 after putting in the fastest lap of the race as the track continued to dry. Vermeulen appeared to be running an intermediate Pirelli on the front of his Fireblade while Corser looked to be running slicks at both ends of his GSX-R1000.

Haga couldn't manage to close the gap however and Vermeulen went on to take a fighting win over Corser by only 3-tenths while Haga had given up trying to catch the Aussies and crossed the line 15 seconds down.  James Toseland salvaged fourth place after that mid race mistake while Steve Martin scored a great fifth place on the Foggy Petronas machine. Chris Walker rounded out the top six to make it six different manufacturers in that top six.