NEUKIRCHNER KEEPS 2ND PLACE IN SERIES	zurück

Team Alstare Suzuki's Max Neukirchner remains in second place in the World Superbike Championship after finishing seventh and fourth in today's rain-lashed Brands Hatch 10th round in Kent. Race one was delayed because of a rain shower as the teams lined up on the grid, but the track dried out and the race got under away after 15 minutes.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama took fourth place, with team mate Fonsi Nieto fifth. Neukirchner struggled with a tyre problem but still came home in seventh place. Japanese rider Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) won the race - his first ever WSBK win - with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) second and Max Biaggi (Ducati) third.

Race two did not start well for Kagayama: He was hit by Briton Tom Sykes on the first lap and was forced to go straight on into the gravel. He crashed, but remounted and rejoined the race dead last but was too far behind and could only finish 25th.

Neukirchner had a much better race this time, ending fourth, with Nieto just behind in fifth. Kiyonari had a terrific battle with fellow countryman Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), but managed to hold him off and take his second win of the day with Troy Corser (Yamaha) a distant third.

Fonsi Nieto - Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 5th:

"In terms of points, today has been one of our best race days recently and I'm happy about that. I had some tyre problems in race one and that prevented me from pushing harder. We are using some new front forks and they are better for braking and entering the turns, but we need more time to evaluate them and understand how we can get better grip. I was more aggressive in race two and pushed harder, but I lost contact with the leaders after about five laps and then it was difficult to get back into contact. All in all though, I'm happier this weekend."

Max Neukirchner - Race 1: 7th, Race 2: 4th:

"Race one wasn't so good because I guess we used a tyre that was too soft and it was spinning a lot and not giving good grip. I kept going as best I could and tried to score as many points as possible. The second race was much better. We used a harder tyre and I was happy to take fourth place and maintain second place in the championship. We were unable to try anything in this morning's warm-up because of the wet conditions and this is the kind of track where you need to put in a lot of laps to get a good set-up. Once again, my team worked very well this weekend and I want to thank them for that."

Yukio Kagayama - Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 25th:

"I am very disappointed with how today worked out because I really felt that I could make two very good results. I had problems entering the turns in race one and the bike was chattering a bit at the rear end. It was bad in some corners and not so bad in others but I adjusted my riding style and tried to work my way round the problem. I lost some positions, but my lap times were pretty consistent and I was pleased to get fourth. In race two, I got hit by Tom Sykes on lap one going into Druids. His bike caught my brake lever and that locked up the front end and I was forced to go straight into the gravel - where I crashed! It took a few moments to get the bike upright again and then I got back on it and rejoined the race. I was last by a very long way, but I decided to keep going and finish the race even though I had no chance of any points. I did this because I have many fans in Britain and I did not want to disappoint them."

WSB Results:

Race 1: 1 Kiyonari (J-Honda), 2 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 3 Biaggi (I-Ducati), 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare), 6 Checa (E-Honda), 7 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 8 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 9 Smrz (CZ-Ducati), 10 Rolfo (I-Honda).

Race 2: 1 Kiyonari, 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Corser, 4 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 5 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare), 6 Fabrizio (I-Ducati), 7 Sykes (GB-Suzuki), 8 Checa, 9 Smrz, 10 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 25 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare).

Points: 1 Bayliss 334, 2 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki) 252, 3 Corser 242, 4 Checa 233, 5 Haga 230, 6 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare) 183, 7 Biaggi 166, 8 Kiyonari 165, 9 Fabrizio 161, 10 Xaus 148, 11 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) 109.