Oz Racers around the World – July 2009
MotoGP – Donington
Andrea Dovizioso
closed the MotoGP stay at
The race was one of the most unpredictable of recent years, with twists and turns every step of the way. Besides the maiden triumph there were falls for the top two in the World Championship, a disastrous pre-race decision from a title contender and riders holding on instead of coming in for a bike change.
Dovizioso had been in the chasing group on the opening laps, but was thrust up to the front courtesy of his superior pace and mistakes from his rivals. After battling with World Championship leader Valentino Rossi at the head of the field, the young Italian found himself alone out in front as the more experienced Rossi fell at the Fogarty Esses with eleven laps remaining.
Also benefiting from consistency were podium finishers Colin Edwards and Randy de Puniet, who engaged in an entertaining battle as the chequered flag came closer to being waved. Yamaha man Edwards took second from the LCR Honda rider on the final hairpin, ending the race just under 1.5 seconds behind Dovizioso. For both riders the top three result was their first podium of the 2009 season.
The early going saw uncertainty and instability as rain fell upon the lights going off. Early leader Jorge Lorenzo had been talked out of running wet tyres and took the lead after just a handful of laps, but took a fall when he clipped a slippery rumble strip and was unable to restart his Yamaha M1. The crash had been foreshadowed by a tumble for Toni Elías, the leader of lap one and a faller at the same spot on lap seven.
The Ducati Marlboro team of Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden were the only riders to go with full wet tyres on the grid, although a lack of heavy rainfall and the durability of Bridgestone’s dry tyre meant that they were immediately off the pace. The duo were lapped by the leader’s two laps before the halfway point of the race, their gamble definitively failing to pay off.
With eight laps remaining the first riders came in to change machines, but it was too late for the switch to make an impact. Alex de Angelis placed fourth, ahead of the remounted Rossi and home rider James Toseland –with whom he dueled on the last lap.
Rossi now leads the World Championship by 25 points from Lorenzo.
World Superbikes -
In race 1 the 25 points went to Biaggi after Spies had been wiped out by Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), giving Aprilia its first win in its return season to WSB. The second race saw Spies take a deserved victory, after the American managed to hold off Biaggi in the final stages. Fabrizio finished third, while points leader Noriyuki Haga, still not in the best of physical condition, limited the damage and managed to hold on to his championship lead by seven points.
Race
1 Biaggi scored his first win
of the season and his first win since Vallelunga 2007
in the opening race at
Max Biaggi:
"It's great! What can I say! When I crossed the start-finish I was so
happy to be winning this race and I had so many flashbacks of
Carlos Checa: "It's a good result for the team to get two riders on the podium and I think we did a very good job. At a certain point I thought maybe I could catch Max, but in the end I had to preserve my tyres as the right side in particular was not so good, and I could see there was no way. I settled for second as I could see that Johnny was 4 seconds behind."
Jonathan Rea: "Well, in Superpole we had to ride through the problems and get a good result and we did the same here in the race, so I feel quite fortunate to get a podium. We didn't quite have the pace of Max, but my team have done a really good job. I really love this place, but I can't understand why I had a slow start to the weekend."
Results 1. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4; 2. Checa C. (ESP)
Honda CBR1000RR; 3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR; 5.
Corser T.
(AUS) BMW S1000 RR; 8. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 20.731; 12. Parkes B. (AUS)
Race
2 Spies powered into the lead
shortly after the start to head towards his eleventh win of the season. It
wasn't easy however as the Texan had to keep Biaggi
at bay, and the Italian took second at the end. Third went to Fabrizio, who lost contact with the leading pair in the
last few laps. Despite his win, Spies was unable to overtake Haga at the top of the table. The Japanese rider ran a
heroic second race to finish in sixth place, holding off a trio of Tom Sykes
(Yamaha), Byrne and Smrz in the final stages. Just
off the podium were the Ten Kate pairing of Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa, their positions inverted from race 1. Once again Corser was up at the front in the early stages, but this
time the Australian finished in tenth.
Ben Spies: "It was a tough race, Fabrizio was there and I had to push and make good lap times. When I saw Max was there, he arrived quite quickly and I had to start braking very late and stopping almost in the middle of the corner to get good drive so he couldn't come by me. The first race obviously wasn't so good but we rallied together for the second race. That pass attempt was not the best move in the world, but that's how racing goes sometimes. A big thanks also to the Clinica Mobile guys because I wasn't feeling so good this weekend."
Max Biaggi: "It's a great result, I'm quite pleased, it's not a victory but we proved that we have a lot of muscle and could fight with Fabrizio and Spies all the time. I stopped behind Fabrizio for quite a time, while Spies managed to pull away. In the end I passed him and went to catch Spies. I tried to brake very late, but I didn't want to take him out like it was in the first race. We got a good result and it was a very good weekend here for Aprilia."
Michel Fabrizio: "It was really difficult to fight against Aprilia and Yamaha today. The only problem we had was coming out of the turns where I never quite managed to stay behind first Ben and then Max, but we should be happy with this third place and now we must look ahead."
Results 1. Spies B. (
Points (after 10 of 14 rounds): 1. Haga 326; 2. Spies 319; 3. Fabrizio 273;
World Supersport
There was a sensational end to the
Supersport race as Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World
Supersport) had to retire with a mechanical problem two laps from the flag as
he was heading for another dominant victory, thus re-opening the title battle.
His closest rival Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda)
had been struggling all weekend and could only finish fifth. The win, after the
four-way battle for second turned into the fight for first, went to his
team-mate Fabien Foret, who
returned to the top slot for the first time since last year, the Frenchman thus
wiping out all memories of his nasty crash here on this track twelve months
ago. In the sprint finish, the runner-up slot went to Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda), who managed to get the better of the
two increasingly competitive
Results 1. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6; 2. West A. (AUS)
Honda CBR600RR; 3. Lascorz J. (ESP)
Points (after 10 of 14 rounds): 1. Crutchlow 185; 2. Laverty 168; 3. Sofuoglu 128; 4. Lascorz 122; 5. West 95; 6. Foret 88; 7. Pitt 85; 8. Mccoy 63; 9. Aitchison 61; .
AMA (July 31, 2009)
Press Release from Mat Mladin: Due to safety concerns I will not compete in this weekend’s round of the AMA Superbike championship.
It is important to note that
This is 2009, and the days of showing up to race tracks that we know nothing about and have not been allowed to test at because of the AMA new rules regarding our testing are raising serious safety issues.
We race 200hp motorcycles where with constant development, the brakes, the tires, the chassis, the engines and the complete package as a whole gets faster every year. With these extra speeds the margin of safety gets much smaller if the racetracks are not made safer.
We go to a few venues that still have some safety issues, but many venues have made vast improvements over the past few years. Sanctioning new venues with numerous safety flaws is just plain ridiculous. Why do people have to get hurt seriously or worse before a racetrack is made safe before adding it to our National Championship schedule?
The adage of "they are going to make changes" doesn't cut it after someone has hit a concrete wall.
With acceptance of these new venues with obvious safety flaws, the bar has been dropped in regards to safety, opening the door to many other circuits that are not acceptable or fit for racing motorcycles.
I will never accept the lowering of safety standards for the sake of a few people making money. It is the young kids, the future of the sport that will bear the brunt of the worst of this. One day, the teams and riders need to come together for the well being of each other.
Last but not least, I thank my fans for their continual support over the years. Without you, none of this racing is possible, and I'm very upset about not having a safe platform to put on a show for you guys this weekend, but I also know that none of you want to see me busted up in the bottom of a concrete wall or ten foot deep ditch. I look forward to seeing you all at VIR in two weeks.
Mat Mladin Announces his Retirement
The most successful rider in the history of AMA Superbikes, Mat Mladin, has announced he will retire from the sport at the end of the 2009 season.
The Australian has swept all before him since joining the series in 1996, winning the title on six occasions, while his race victory tally currently stands at a record-breaking 82 triumphs.
Nonetheless, in the year that the 37-year-old is well on course to end his career with a seventh AMA Superbike title, Mladin has confirmed he will hang up his leathers at the final round next month.
“After so many great years of racing in the
“My career has been long and above and beyond my wildest expectations. I won my first national championship on dirt bikes back in 1981 and have had an amazing career ever since. If I had my time again, I would not change a single decision I have made, in life or in racing.
“I would like to thank my team for their constant hard work. Without these guys, the 80+ race wins and multiple championships would not have been possible. I wish to thank my fans. I want you to know that you all have helped me achieve so much. I will miss you.
“I want to thank my mum and dad for getting me involved in such a fantastic sport that turned into my profession. I love you both. My brother and sister for all the miles you done cramped into the back of a little pick up in the early days. These were great times and the ones in racing I will cherish the most.
You mean the world to me.
“My daughters are growing fast and it is time I put my efforts into their future.
“My wife, what can I say? You have unselfishly given your time and efforts to this lifestyle of ours. Racing had its down days, but with you by my side it was easy to get up and smell the fresh air, and realise how lucky I am. You have been a rock for so long, and if I could live another 100 years I still would not have the time to repay you for your commitment. I love you babe.”
As well as AMA Superbikes, Mladin competed in 18 WSBK races between 1992 and 2003, his best performance coming in the final year when he scored a pole position at Laguna Seca and finished in fourth.
After winning the Australian Superbike Championship in 1992, Mladin had moved straight to the 500cc World Championship with Cagiva, taking a best finish of sixth on his way to 13th in the championship in what was his first and last world championship campaign.
1994 saw Mladin
return to
Mladin, who chose not to race at last weekend's Heartland Park Topeka round for safety reasons, holds an 83 point lead over nearest rival Tommy Hayden with just four races to go.
Mladin has won all his AMA titles with Suzuki.
Mladin has been openly unhappy with the changes made to the AMA SBK series this season and had been loosely linked to a WSBK switch following the stunning success of his former team-mate and title rival Spies.