Phillip Island Race 1&2

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ Mar 1 2009, 01:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Fantastic first race. Unfortunatly Johnny seems to have a point. Ben's first race weren't exactly a sucess. But then again I didn't see the incident closly enough to see if he was actually pushed out or intimidated. Anyway, he will have his chanse later today.


According to the commentators Biaggi nudged Spies...

Some awesome races today. Looks like Spies is the real deal.
Best race of the day was the supersport though. So glad to see Westy racing so well.
Lots of good rides for different reasons (too many to go into) in both classes.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Son of Doohan @ Mar 1 2009, 06:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Some awesome races today. Looks like Spies is the real deal.
Best race of the day was the supersport though. So glad to see Westy racing so well.
Lots of good rides for different reasons (too many to go into) in both classes.
I only saw the latter half of the second race, but it looked like a regulation AMA superbike race for the last several years with haga in the mladin role.

Posted in the other thread but will copy here.

Ok, missed the first race and SS so no judgements there on any aspect other than damn, can't wait for the SS replays.

As for Race 2, it is weird to say it but in many ways it was processional but entertaining and highly exciting at the same time.

IMO as a Spies doubter some time back I can now see why the US psoters wrapped him so heavily and whilst I am not 100% yet (hey, gotta give something to keep the fire burning) I am well at 99% that he is the real thing.

He impressed me greatly during testing not just by being quick but by being quick early on at new tracks, something that is very difficult to do for any rider, never mind one changing bikes, tyres and 'graduating' onto the world stage. But his race today was the straw for which I will say that he is here to stay as the manner in which he controlled the race and Haga-san was that of an old experienced head which in this case is on relatively young shoulders. Seriously impressive was the way he kept Max at bay (being fair, Max did not really try to pass) but moreso the manner in which he kept within 0.5 second and appeared to do it so easily at the time Haga-san was going full noise to break the group.

His speed through the first sector was fantastic and far superior to Haga-san (who was better in last sector) and allowed him the ability to make that final move andt hen ride away to a comfirtable race winning lead.

Being fair (and I bet this gets me flamed) I am not convinced that Haga-san chased as hard as one would expect given his past years and feel that he may well have realised that Spies was superior on the day and therefore settled reluctantly for second (very un-Hag like). That is not demeaning Spies ride as I would suggest that if Haga-san thought he had a poofteenth of a chance he would have pushed as it is to early in the season to gift points.

A very good result for Haslam and personally I would also suggest the Aprilia of Biaggi who I felt rode superbly if never looking at hreat for the top two (IMO).







Garry

Yeehaa! Bike racin' season's back with cracking start!!

Race one - did Biaggi run Spies off twice? I'm pretty sure that's what the commentators said, but I couldn't see for sure on the replays. Haga's run from 13 to 1 in one lap was impressive as was Neukirchner's slower (4 laps?) run from 14 to 1. Kagayama's run to 3 was almost as good and man, the Alstare Suzukis looked good in race 1.

SuperSport - Hanspree Hondas look really fast - 2007 & 2008 champs on board - they're gonna be tough to beat. All props to Ant West - he really looks at home in SS and the non-factory Stiggy Honda seems up to the task.

Race two - Spies achieved his potential early this season and has no where to go but up - would not surprise me if he ends the season top three. Nitro Nori's gonna be in the hunt all year, the announcers said he's still developing the bike away from Bayliss' set-up to one customized for his style, so expect even more as the season progresses. Kudos to young Leon Haslam for a great race and the amazing Team Stiggy for being the hottest non-factory team in SS and SBK.

Special mention to Aprillia and BMW for very impressive results in their first appearances. Corser's ride in the first race was masterful and included the fastest lap of race 1 - I'm not sure if that mark was bested in the second race. Biaggi looked very competitive on the Aprillia until he ...... up with severely worn tires.

Hey almost forgot... #46 - nice to see an Indonesian racer out there (SS) - do you know anything about the kid?

What a fantastic opening round that was
im liking Haga for the championship although i think it's gonna be close between him and Spies!
but how can i forget HASLAM .....what a man! what a man!, im so proud of him and im sure that there will be plenty of other podiums coming his way

as for Shakey.....well.........he might as well just quit while he's ahead!. nah im joking, okay so he's had a crappy opening round but the guy does have potential!.....

As for Kiyo, im guessing his comments will be...."too much push push....not happy!"

Supersport!!...wow wow wow wow!!!
Im backing Eugene Laverty in this, as im not much of a fan of Crutchlow but i've always loved Laverty out on track!. and now it looks like Kenan is back on true form!!

Go Haga, Haslam, Spies and Laverty!!!

SPIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy sh he actually won it.

I should probably post this pic now.



You heard it here first...Spies for the WSBK title in 2009.

If he hadn't been punted off on the first lap in the first race I think he would have been up there.

I can't describe how excited I am for A. Motorcycle racing being BACK and B. Spies winning!!

Also, I'm a little I have a tradition of having at least 1 tall beer per race. Hasn't been broken for 4 years going now. With it being the first racing of the year, and motherfing SPIES throwing down the gauntlet...I've slightly exceeded my limit. Work tomorrow? What?

First time on an R1 in a race. First time at Philip Island. First time in World Superbikes (where there is more than 1 competitive rival!). On pole and 1 race win. Ben motherfing Spies.

Sorry Phorest, I didn't get that... are you in your happy place?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mick D @ Mar 1 2009, 09:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Sorry Phorest, I didn't get that... are you in your happy place?

Oh yes. It's been a loooooong winter.

Love the enthusiasm!!!

I wouldn't dare claim Ben has the title yet. Too many others where quite impressive.

Ben sure did look great out there, and my stomach was twisted when he let off a little to save some rubber, than he was on fire. I'd been sweating bullets having Haga on my ... like that.

I didn't even have sound for the second race, and it was still a great race. It's still love/hate with justin.tv

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Traverser @ Mar 1 2009, 09:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I didn't even have sound for the second race, and it was still a great race. It's still love/hate with justin.tv
Its the first time ever I've seen a race on Justin. No sound, grainy, and very poor quality but I enjoyed the race as much as the races from GP06. So I love justin and would love to mail that person a case of the finest beer. BTW, what the deal with justin.tv, is it bootleg? It looks like somebody is taking a computer cam to their TV and streaming it for us. Is that what is happening? Either way, its brilliant, an I am now a fan of justin.tv.

I got to see race 2 only. Was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Did somebody say processional and AMA like? Haha, did they NOT see the 3 other riders behind the top 3? Biaggi was riding the ... of position 2 which switched a few times between Haga and Spies, just when you thought one might check out, it was on the entire race!

Oh, and then Haslam makes a charge late and stomps up to position 3. Biaggi trys to stay with and rides his ... for a moment then gets passed. I actually thought Biaggi had a chance at the win thinking the tires might drop off and his smooth style would have conserved the tires enough for a challenge to the lead.

The passes between Haga and Spies were all balls. Very clean, but very fast! Every time they went into turn one was a lump in throat. Either Haga, Spies, and Biaggi would look to out brake the guy ahead but the person in front would tip it in regardless of that wheel being shown! Damn, I love that!

Oh, I think we can dispel the idea about whether or not Spies is the real deal. Everything new, and most importantly, you have Haga, who mixed it up with the great Bayliss, riding Spies' ... from front to back the entire race. That has to be serious pressure. Spies looked like a seasoned veteran to the world scene.

As they say, you can't win the title in the first race, but you can lose it. Its gonna be very hard to make up those points. This may be the what makes the difference at the end. This field is so tight that attrition is the name of the game. I haven't seen race 1 so I really can't comment. But I did say there might be an early melee with such a packed grid.

Dorna must be shaking in their boots! Haha, I love it, this can only be good for us.

GO HAYDEN/MotoGP GO SPIES/WSBK

See you all at Utah!

First race of the WSBK season is decided by .03

Ben had me sweating bullets after race 1. I was worried he might not remember how to ride in traffic. Neukirchner and Haga had a great finish to race 1. I'm not sure but it looked like Haga ran into the back of him coming over the heights. Too bad for Neukirchner, he and Haga did a beautiful job of sandbagging it in practice. Both of them deserved a stealth win.

Ben really answered the call in race 2. After making such a bad mistake in the Southern Loop, it would have been easy to let the pressure get to him. It would have been equally hard to keep it together after Haga got in front and started pulling a gap. But in the end, Spies mugged Haga going into Doohans with a handful of laps left.

Nice to hear The Star Spangled Banner at an international race for the first time in nearly 3 years.

I'm gutted for Biaggi he had the Aprilia working well in race 2, but couldn't hold it together. Byrne should have stayed in England, he had a rough weekend with 0 points.

Congrats to Haslam, good podium in race 2 on a Stiggy Honda.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ Feb 28 2009, 05:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Fantastic first race.

Hey Fish, you're a Swede right? Do you know where they build the Stiggy Hondas?

There were several highlights of the races I was impressed with, but one was the Stiggy bikes/riders. You should be proud of your country man!

I think that West actually was the better rider in WSS. He got smoked on the straight, suffering from what was a clearly underpowered bike. But to scrap with the two factoryisk Hondas of Pitt & Sogu was very impressive. West deserved that win, but such is the parity of racing, at least its much better than the parity of GP. It also looked like West's tire dropped off (your the tire expert, did it seem like an issue to you as well?) I saw him slide a bit in the last laps.

Well done Stiggy, & West.

oh finally!!

I enjoyed both races, slightly more second one.
didn't see what exactly happened to Biaggi, anyone saw it?
well done Spies.
but... Go Haga!!!

didn't see SS yet (stupid Eurosport ), I'm still downloading it

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Mar 1 2009, 09:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Hey Fish, you're a Swede right? Do you know where they build the Stiggy Hondas?

There were several highlights of the races I was impressed with, but one was the Stiggy bikes/riders. You should be proud of your country man!

I'm Norwegian but that's close enough as long as Norwegians and Swedes are in competition.
Stiggy have had several good builds the later years as they've been very competetive in SS (If only Harms could stop with those spectacular crashes. After all, he makes Lorenzo look like a baby girl when it comes to spectacular crashes )

Stigefeldt come from nearby a former GP track, Anderstorp so I supose they build the bikes there, and I might mix the cards here but I seem to remember that a danish guy used to build the SS engines for him. He used to race GP 250 and put in a year or two in the SS600 series before he took on the team leader job at full time.

That they are able to build that SBK bike without factory support and without any main sponsor is nothing less than sensational.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>I think that West actually was the better rider in WSS. He got smoked on the straight, suffering from what was a clearly underpowered bike. But to scrap with the two factoryisk Hondas of Pitt & Sogu was very impressive. West deserved that win, but such is the parity of racing, at least its much better than the parity of GP. It also looked like West's tire dropped off (your the tire expert, did it seem like an issue to you as well?) I saw him slide a bit in the last laps.
I didn't see the details too well on fishing line "broadband" ever so often stoping up but from what I've heard even the SS bikes now have a full set of electonics, including TC and surly the factory suported Ten Kate bikes would have that better dialed in so West did a decent job with what he had.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Well done Stiggy, & West.
Indeed it was.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (memento @ Mar 2 2009, 12:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I enjoyed both races, slightly more second one.
didn't see what exactly happened to Biaggi, anyone saw it?
He probably lost the front for a moment as he got sqeezed into one of the slower turns and he went strait into the gravel. They showed a replay of the incident after the race.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (memento @ Mar 1 2009, 11:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>oh finally!!

I enjoyed both races, slightly more second one.
didn't see what exactly happened to Biaggi, anyone saw it?
well done Spies.
but... Go Haga!!!

didn't see SS yet (stupid Eurosport ), I'm still downloading it
I think Biaggi ran off at Siberia in race 2, after nearly hitting the back of Laconi or Fabrizio.

Speaking of that, I was well impressed with Laconi this weekend - 8th on the grid and 4th & 7th in the races was a real surprise. I just hope it's not a one-off, and we see more of the old Laconi again.

Spies was awesome, just a shame he got shoved off in the first race. Haga was way better than I thought he would be, as he never seems to start the season well. Haslam was brilliant in the second race and not too bad in the first. Good steady rides from Hill and Sykes too - especially Hill after coming back from those injuries.

And how lucky was Neukirchner at Lukey Heights in race 1?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Stevo @ Mar 2 2009, 10:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I think Biaggi ran off at Siberia in race 2, after nearly hitting the back of Laconi or Fabrizio.

Speaking of that, I was well impressed with Laconi this weekend - 8th on the grid and 4th & 7th in the races was a real surprise. I just hope it's not a one-off, and we see more of the old Laconi again.

Spies was awesome, just a shame he got shoved off in the first race. Haga was way better than I thought he would be, as he never seems to start the season well. Haslam was brilliant in the second race and not too bad in the first. Good steady rides from Hill and Sykes too - especially Hill after coming back from those injuries.

And how lucky was Neukirchner at Lukey Heights in race 1?


Yeah lucky he didn't have a long flight over the front of the bike, but unlucky as it probably cost him the win in race 1. No doubt in my mind after witnessing race 2 that Spies is the real deal and if he doesn't win the championship then he will give it one mighty shake. To put his Yamaha on pole and to have a win on your first visit to the Island is impressive stuff indeed. It's going to be a fantastic series throughout the year and if yesterdays race is anything to go by then the Supersport category will be awesome as well. Roll on Losail in 2 weeks.