Team Alstare Suzuki news
2008 Superbike World Championship
Round 13, Magny-Cours, France
Sunday 5th October
Crowd: 78,000 (3-day). Conditions: Dry, sunny/cloudy 12-17C.
FONSI BACK ON THE PODIUM!
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto had his best weekend of the year since the opening round in Qatar, by taking a superb runner-up spot in race one at Magny-Cours today. Fonsi had started from the front row of the grid and spent most of the race fighting with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and eventual race winner, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). Because of a problem with the gearchange on his number one bike, he used his spare bike in race two, but did not like the feel of it as much and could only manage eighth place. His team mate, Yukio Kagayama was disappointed to finish eighth in race one and seventh in race two. Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner had grip problems in both races and ended fifth in the first race and ninth in the second. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) finished third in race one and that was enough to give him the Superbike World Championship title, with one round (Portimao) remaining.
Fonsi - Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 8th
The first race was a good result for me. Everything worked very well and the only problem I had was at the start when my fuel tank was full and the the bike was not so easy to handle. After some laps, the fuel was less and I was able to push harder.
For race two, I had to use my spare bike because the gearchange was not working properly on my number one bike. My spare bike did not feel as good or as fast, so I just had to ride as hard as I could without doing anything stupid. Eighth is not wonderful, but this weekend I have scored more points than any other weekend except the first round in Qatar and that makes me happy.
Max - Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 9th
I don’t want to say this weekend has been bad, but that’s how it is. In the first race, I lost grip very soon and the rear was spinning a lot. I rode the bike as hard as I could and managed to finish the race, so perhaps eighth is not that bad. We changed to a softer rear spring for race two, but the bike felt the same! The rear was spinning a bit more and it was difficult getting the bike to change direction. If we had not lost day one of practice because of the bad conditions, maybe we would’ve found a better set-up for the bike for today. But that’s the way it is sometimes and it’s better I forget about today and start thinking positively about Portimao.
Yukio - Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 7th
I am disappointed and a bit frustrated this weekend because I feel that I have given 100 per cent, as usual, but my bike was not as good as it should’ve been. In the warm-up this morning, we found a better set-up for my bike and the grip was better, so we used this set-up in the first race. But the bike felt different, did not give any better grip and lost positions because I could not lap fast. But I never want to give up, so I rode my best and finished the race. For race two, we adjusted the rear shock in order to give more grip and the feeling was a bit better, but not enough to challenge the top positions. At the start of the season, our bike was fast and strong, but maybe the other bikes have caught us up and passed us and maybe now their package is better than ours. We have to work hard for the last round, but I want to show that I am a good rider and end the year with a good result.
Results
Race 1: Haga (J-Yamaha),
2 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare), 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 4 Biaggi (I-Ducati),
5 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 6 Troy Corser (Aus-Yamaha Motor Italia), 7 C Checa (E-Honda),
8 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare), 9 Sofuoglu (Tur-Honda), 10 Lavilla (E-Honda),
Race 2: Bayliss, 2 Haga, 3 Corser, 4 C Checa, 5 Xaus (E-Ducati), 6 Biaggi,
7 Yukio Kagayama, 8 Fonsi Nieto, 9 Max Neukirchner, 10 Rolfo (I-Honda),
Points: 1 Bayliss 410, 2 Haga 325, 3 Corser 316,
4 Max Neukirchner 298, 5 C Checa 284, 6 Biaggi 235,
7 Fonsi Nieto 234, 8 Fabrizio 203, 9 Kiyonari 193, 10 Xaus 171,
11 Yukio Kagayama 153,
Re : WSBK 2008 rd13 Magny-cours -
05/10/2008, 20h29
Normal qu'a un moment les pilotes disent non aux solitations.
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