DOUBLE PODIUM FOR ALSTARE	zurück

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama took a superb victory in the first race at the Eurospeedway Lausitz World Superbike Championship 10th round in Germany with team mate Troy Corser joining him on the podium. Kagayama had been in third place for most of the 24-lapper, but then charged past Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and Corser with just two laps to go. From then on in, he was determined to stay in front and took the flag just over a second ahead of Haga with Corser close behind.

Kagayama was ready to go all-out for victory in race two, but tyre problems prevented him from staying with the leading group of three. In the end, James Toseland (Honda) took a hard-fought for win with Haga again second and series leader Bayliss third.

It was not a good race for reigning World Champion Corser: The starter held the lights for longer than usual and many riders were moving slightly when the lights went out. Corser was judged to have jumped the start and had to pull into the pits for a ride -through penalty. The ride-though caused him to drop from fourth to 23rd place and although he stormed his way through the field, he could only manage 14th.

Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Max Neukirchner scored points in the first race at Lausitz today, but was forced to pull out of the second with a technical problem. Throughout the weekend, Neukirchner had been steadily coming to terms with the GSX-R1000 K6 Alstare bike and qualifying for Superpole had been a very positive step forward.

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

“I was very, very happy after my win in race one because it was such a hard race. My bike worked very well, except for a little braking problem. For the first 15 laps or so, Nori made very good lap times and I was at my maximum just staying in third place! It was hard to overtake. In the last five laps of the race, his lap times started to come down and I saw that I had a chance. I went past my team mate Troy and Nori and was able to finish first. It was very enjoyable having a big battle like that.

“We used the same tyre for the second race but it did not behave the same way and that is a bit strange. For the first few laps, the front had very little grip and my lap times were not so good and I lost touch with the leaders. Then, later on, the front tyre felt better and I began to catch up the leaders, but it was too late. The bike and the setting was the same for both races, so I don’t know why tyre behaved differently.”

Troy Corser - Race 1: 3rd, Race 2: 14th:

“It’d been a good weekend until the problem at the start of race two and the problem with my tyre and it ended on a frustrating note and I am not at all happy. The bike worked pretty well in the first race and the tyre was all right as well. It was good to get back on the podium again because it felt like it had been a long time. I really needed that result and I believed that another podium in race two would be possible. I’m not sure what happened at the start, because I felt that we were held for much longer then normal. I moved, but so did lots of riders, but I didn’t jump the start. Having the ride-though penalty ruined things for me, but I would’ve struggled in the race anyway because I had been having tyre problems before that. The rear tyre lost grip after one lap and I nearly highsided one lap later coming on to the start straight! The bike was virtually identical to race one and the tyre was the same so I’m not sure what happened. I’m very disappointed, very frustrated and very unhappy.”

Max Neukirchner - Race 1: 13th, Race 2: DNF:

“I was happy enough with the first race, though it was tough. I’m still getting used to the bike and learning more and more as we race. I had a little problem with the feel of the front suspension when the fuel level in the tank dropped. The suspension seemed to work ok when the tank was full at the start of the race but when the tank was half full, the suspension didn’t work as well.

“There’s not much to say about the second race, as I wasn’t on the track long enough to give much information. All in all, I guess I am a bit frustrated today because I felt that we’d get better results than we did.”

WSB Results:

Race 1: 1 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 4 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha), 5 Barros (Bra-Honda), 6 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 7 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 8 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 9 Toseland (GB-Honda), 10 Nieto (E-Kawasaki). 13 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra).

Race 2: 1 Toseland, 2 Haga, 3 Bayliss, 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Muggeridge, 6 Lanzi, 7 Nieto, 8 Fabrizio (I-Honda), 9 Xaus (E-Ducati), 10 Walker (GB-Kawasaki), 14 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra), DNF.


Championship Points: 1 Bayliss 341, 2 Haga 250, 3 Toseland 239, 4 Pitt 210, 5 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 209, 6 Barros 186, 7 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 164, 8 Walker 128, 9 Lanzi 1234, 10 Nieto 118. 18 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) 22.