Superbike 2008

<span style="color:redFirst of all a 400 hundred pics retro 2007

<span style="color:redThen the 62 bikes of 2008 Superbike!!!

nice shots

Thanks

so adrien you a photo journolist? get to go to all the sbk races? motogp races? awesom

No I'm just collaborating with press teams!

Adrien, that is some great ....! Thank you man.

Thank you to enjoy...

<span style="color:redBut the essential is... Qatar races

SUPERBIKE AUSTRALIA

The first qualifying practice for the second round of the World Supersport Championship saw Australian Andrew Pitt put in a good performance on his home circuit. In the morning’s free practice session under slightly wet conditions, Pitt showed he was well on the pace and left the pit box only to complete 3 laps in which he claimed top position on the sheets before Fabien Foret. The afternoon session showed no difference and Pitt once again dominated the field, claiming provisional pole before current series leader and fellow Australian Broc Parkes. Teammate Jonathan Rea put in a satisfying performance and claimed 7th position, despite the hand injury he sustained in last weeks’ Qatar crash.

Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager;

Andrew Pitt put in a great job today claiming provisional pole on his home track. There’s still a big task lying ahead of both riders in tomorrows qualifying but I am happy with the progress and confident that both riders can claim a front row start for Sunday’s race.

Andrew Pitt, 1’35.426;

I’m happy with my qualifying session and the provisional pole position. We went out on a dry tyre on a slightly wet track and I only did 3 laps in the free practice but managed to be quick and on the pace straight away. After the rain there was not much grip probably due to some dirt left on the track. We’ll have to choose the right tyre for tomorrow’s qualifying and keep hold of the pole position.

Jonathan Rea, 1’36.392;

The first session's conditions weren’t very nice, after the early morning rain we went out on a wet tyre on a medium dry track. Early on in the second session I experienced some problems with the machine, which we managed to sort out throughout the session. Irrespective of that, the lap times are there or thereabouts and I am feeling quite confident on the bike despite my hand injury so that shouldn’t hold me back. I’m just looking forward to finding a good set up tomorrow and achieve a front row qualifying for raceday.

Qualifying times:
1. A. Pitt 1’35.426
2. B. Parkes 1’35.506
3. F. Foret` 1’35.674
4. J. Brookes 1’35.788
5. G. Vizzielo 1’35.808
6. I. Clementi 1’35.920
7. J. Rea 1’36.392
8. J. Lascorz 1’36.501
9. G. Nannelli 1’36.565
10. G. McCoy 1’36.577

CORSER (YAMAHA) HEADS THE FIELD IN PHILLIP ISLAND FIRST QUALIFYING

Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) heads the field after the first qualifying session for the Australian Round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island. The 36-year-old Australian, who stands to become the record holder for Superbike rider presence this weekend, set a time of 1 minute 32.336 on his Yamaha YZF-R1 to clinch the overnight pole.

Fellow Aussie Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) was a shade slower at 1’32.374 on his Ducati 1098, with team-mate Michel Fabrizio another tenth behind in third. “The track is a bit bumpier each time we go out, even compared to the winter tests we did here” commented Corser. “I’m happy enough with that but we’ve still got work to do on the settings for race day. It’s only Friday but I’m pretty happy with the performance on this first day”.

“Maybe because of the rain yesterday, there’s still not fantastic grip on the track, but we tried a few different things to deal with it. We only made a few small changes between the free practice and the afternoon qualifying and things are going well, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow and Superpole”, said Bayliss.

“I was really happy with that, we didn’t change much between the morning and the afternoon session. We’ve been working mainly on the tyre set-up and for the moment it’s all good. It’ll all depend on the weather on Sunday but so far, so good”, declared Fabrizio.

Half-way through the session, the standings had an unfamiliar look about them, as Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) headed Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki), but the Czech rider crashed out shortly before the end and the German slipped down to fourth ahead of Smrz. Max Biaggi was sixth on the Sterilgarda Ducati 1098, ahead of team-mate Ruben Xaus, who crashed, while Regis Laconi showed some progress in eighth on the PSG-1 Kawasaki machine. Spaniards Fonsi Nieto (Alstare Suzuki), race 2 winner in Qatar, and Carlos Checa (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) made up the top 10. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) currently lies in thirteenth place.

World Superbike – Q1 1. Corser T. (Yamaha) 1'32.336; 2. Bayliss T. (Ducati) 1'32.374; 3. Fabrizio M. (Ducati) 1'32.570; 4. Neukirchner M. (Suzuki) 1'32.808; 5. Smrz J. (Ducati) 1'32.827; 6. Biaggi M. (Ducati) 1'32.827; 7. Xaus R. (Ducati) 1'32.827; 8. Laconi R. (Kawasaki) 1'33.188; 9. Nieto F. (Suzuki) 1'33.269; 10. Checa C. (Honda) 1'33.283; 11. Holland R. (Honda) 1'33.340; 12. Muggeridge K. (Honda) 1'33.489; 13. Haga N. (Yamaha) 1'33.588; 14. Lavilla G. (Honda) 1'33.718; 15. Kiyonari R. (Honda) 1'33.995.

World Supersport Andrew Pitt put his Qatar setback behind him by posting the quickest time in the opening Supersport qualifying session at Phillip Island. The 32-year-old Australian got down to a time of 1’35.426 on his HANNspree Ten Kate Honda machine, a fraction ahead of another Aussie, round 1 winner Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport). Yamaha team-mate Fabien Foret from France was a tenth slower in third, with Joshua Brookes (HANNspree Stiggy Motors Honda) making it three home riders in the top 4. Italians Gianluca Vizziello ((Berry Racing Honda) and Ivan Clementi (BE1 Racing Triumph) were next up and the only other riders to record sub 1’36 times. The new 675 triple machines again made a positive impact, with both Clementi and Garry McCoy (SC) running well throughout the session.

Kawasaki PSG 1

THIRD AND FIFTH ROW FOR LACONI AND TAMADA

A satisfying day for the French rider Regis Laconi of the Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse team. During this second qualifying day on Phillip Island track in Australia he obtained good results and tomorrow he will start from the third row. Makoto Tamada has still some troubles due to a difficult feeling with the front of the bike and he has to start from row 5. Good expectations for tomorrow’s round where the Japanese rider could show some surprises.

MAKOTO TAMADA: “ I’m really disappointed not to be among the 16 riders of the Superpole but I still have some problems of feeling with the front of the bike. We are focusing on front tyre’s choice to find the better solution. Comparing to this morning I improved a lot especially in first two splits, this is why I’m quite confident about tomorrow’s round. We have to work more to make our ZX-10R more competitive even in last split”.

REGIS LACONI: “ I’m quite satisfied of the job done today on the ZX-10R. We changed the steering angle and we made some changes to the rear shock and we nearly solved the chattering problem. It’ s impossible to foresee tomorrow’s results, it will be a hard round, but I found a good feeling with the bike and I feel more confident especially entering bends. I’m sure I can battle among the first ten positions where there will be movement and you can feel the competition”.

TEN KATE RACING

Checa claims front row start at Phillip Island

Checa continued his good form and qualifying pace at the Phillip Island circuit and claimed his maiden front row Superbike start aboard his HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Fireblade. He set his Superpole lap at 1’32.373 and qualified in 4th position. A result well deserved after the struggle the team have encountered with the new bikes during the first sessions. Checa seems to have found his pace and secured the second place on the time sheets in the second qualifying, before being pushed away by Fabrizio, Corser and Bayliss, who claimed the pole position for tomorrow’s race. Superbike teammates Kiyonari and Sofuoglu encountered difficulties with their machines and both failed to qualify for the Superpole. They will start Sunday’s race from the 19th and 21st place respectively.

Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager;

I have some mixed feelings as not all our riders made it to the front, but I am well pleased with Carlos’s results. It is a big motivation for the team as well, everyone has been working hard to develop the bike for race weekend which can sometimes be a bit frustrating if the results fail to show. I hope we can stick with the leading group in tomorrow’s race and maybe aim for a podium. Kiyonari and Sofuoglu have definitely made improvements on the bike but it was just not good enough. Hopefully we can find some adjustments for them for their race tomorrow and maybe even take some points home with us.

Carlos Checa, 1’32.373;

I am satisfied with all the work we did. We already have improved since the last race in Qatar. I was a bit worried about the chattering I experienced yesterday, but we made some modifications and seem to have solved the problems. I was a little reluctant to use a qualifying tire during the Superpole and still wasn’t convince using it was the best option but my team convinced me and I must admit they were right and it worked well. It looks like we are on the right pace for tomorrow’s race and can be competing at the front.

Ryuichi Kiyonari, 1’33.522;

Tomorrow I will try to push harder and put in some better results. I am absolutely not happy with the results so far.

Kenan Sofuoglu, 1’33.728;

Well, I can’t be happy with this result. Last year I had a great weekend here riding the supersport machine and now I’m down at the back of the field. It’s very hard to accept but I guess it proves I still have a learning curve to complete before I can be competing with the guys up front.

THE SUPERPOLE



BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) GRABS SUPERPOLE IN EVENTFUL DAY AT PHILLIP ISLAND

Phillip Island (Australia) - Troy Bayliss grabbed his first Superpole of the year at the end of an eventful day for the 38-year-old Australian at Phillip Island. The Ducati Xerox rider crashed three minutes before the end of the morning Q2 session after setting the quickest time, earning himself eight stitches in his left elbow in the process, then he smashed the circuit record at the end of second free practice. Finally in Superpole he shaved a further three-tenths off that time to take the pole away from his fellow Aussie Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), leaving the mark at 1 minute 31.493 seconds. Young Italian Michel Fabrizio was next up for the Ducati Xerox Team, edging out Carlos Checa (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) for the final front row slot.

"It has been a bit eventful but I'm sitting here on pole and that makes me feel good about tomorrow's race" declared Bayliss. "Deep down I knew Troy was the man who I was going to have to beat. We always end up fast here and it was pretty close and I'm sure it's going to be a good race tomorrow. I did a long-run yesterday and planned to do another one today but the crash put paid to that. I did quite a few laps and I'm reasonably happy with the tyres and I feel sure the first few laps will be decisive up to about lap 8 and then it's definitely going to get slower and a lot harder for the rest of the race".

Corser said: "It's always great to race here at Phillip Island and see all the friends and family. Today the bike was working well, but we had a few problems in that last free practice trying to get the bike balanced. Unfortunately we were unable to use the qualifying tyre before Superpole so basically I was doing it for the first time on the qualifying tyre. We can't complain too much however and well done to Troy".

Fabrizio commented: "It's been a great weekend so far and hopefully I can continue. Let's see if I can stay with these two ‘old' guys tomorrow! It's going to be a really tough race, I feel sure and for me to finish behind them will be a great satisfaction".

Carlos Checa declared: "I wasn't sure with the qualifying tyre, which I've only used a couple of times but all the team pushed me to use them whereas I wanted to use the race tyre. We are trying to understand better the bike, which is still young, but the feeling for the tyres is already good. This combination is working much better now and we are at a good level quickly".

Qatar winner Fonsi Nieto was fifth for Alstare Suzuki, followed by the rapidly improving Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati), Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha WSB) and Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki). Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) had to abandon his Superpole run before entering the shoot-out lap after his gear lever snapped and the Italian will start from row 4 of the grid.

TIMES: World Superbike Superpole

1. Bayliss (Ducati) 1'31.493
2. Corser (Yamaha) 1'32.011
3. Fabrizio (Ducati) 1'32.164
4. Checa (Honda) 1'32.373
5. Nieto (Suzuki) 1'32.711
6. Smrz (Ducati) 1'32"714
7. Haga (Yamaha) 1'32.728
8. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1'32.767
9. Holland (Honda) 1'32.903
10. Laconi (Kawasaki) 1'32"962
11. Xaus (Ducati) 1'32.983
12. Muggeridge (Honda) 1'33.028
13. Rolfo (Honda) 1'33.104
14. Lavilla (Honda) 1'34.060
15. Checa D. (Yamaha) 1'34.166
16. Biaggi (Ducati) 1'32.565

World Supersport

Australians dominated the second and final qualifying session for their home World Supersport round, picking up the top 3 positions on the grid for tomorrow's 21-lap race. HANNspree Ten Kate Honda's Andrew Pitt went half-a-second under Charpentier's lap record from last year to clinch pole with a time of 1'34.592. Josh Brookes was three-tenths slower on the similar HANNspree Stiggy Honda bike, with round 1 winner Broc Parkes making up the Aussie front-running trio in third. His team-mate Fabien Foret was a shade behind in fourth, ahead of the other Ten Kate and Stiggy machines of Jonathan Rea and Robbin Harms.

Alfa Romeo Superpole Award

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) is the second winner in the ALFA 159 SUPERPOLE AWARD contest, which was launched at the start of the season. The prize, an Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 Sportwagon Ti, will be awarded at the end of the year to the rider in the Superbike World Championship who has totaled the highest number of Superpoles. After two rounds therefore, the two Troys, Corser and Bayliss are level with one pole each.

Cool pics.

So can anyone beat Bayliss for the Championship???

Max seemed a contender but is too far back now after a few crashes, Haga has had a bad start to the season and Corser is a great rider but can't win the battle of Troy at this stage of his career?! Nieto? Nice start to the year but I don't think he's a serious contender. There seem to be a few 'young stars on the rise' but at this stage I don't think they are right and ready to step up each race and have a real go at winning.

A fired up Xaus seems the only one with the ability, drive or audacious-ness to challenge!! The Honda's are off to a slow start but will be stronger as the season goes on though I fear Troy Bayliss is riding off into the sunset with the world title already...

Thank you.

The Australia is here

Bayliss is really Baylistic!
Biaggi has an injury



Haga is a little bit out of order ...

BUT I think Checa... perhaps.

great shots adrien! pinnin thread

Thank you ...

I think tonight it will be video Wanganui 2007 on line, nice road race supermot and hypersport

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (frosty58 @ Mar 22 2008, 08:30 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>great shots adrien! pinnin thread
Excellent Frost!

Adrien, what that means is you need to keep coming back and posting pics bro.

Thanks for the inside scoop, great pics once again!

Top quality photos there. Thanks very much.

Thanks you!!!!!!!