FABIEN FIGHTS HARD FOR FIRST YAMAHA VICTORY
13 June 2004 - Yamaha Racing

Fabien Foret took his first victory in Yamaha Motor Italia colours at a tough round six of the Supersport World Championship at Silverstone today.

In a fantastic advertisement for motorcycle racing, the Frenchman kept his head as a six rider train of three Yamahas, two Hondas and a sole Ducati fought for the lead. The action was close, sometimes too close, as the riders made contact in a race which was only decided at the final corner.

In the end it came down to a three-way battle between Foret and the Hondas of Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes. All three had their turn at the front in the closing stages of the race but Foret was able to use his superior speed on the opening part of the lap to take a lead which he defended into the slow last corner.

Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) was also involved in the leading battle, br his YZF-R6 home in fifth place, just ahead of Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Motor Italia). Curtain’s team-mate Christian Kellner made a brave attempt to race but was forced to retire after six laps. The German had been suffering from a virus all weekend and decided to pull in for safety reasons.

With six of the 11 races run, Van den Goorbergh is the leading Yamaha rider in the championship in second place, 15 points behind series leader Muggeridge, who had his points from the Oschersleben round reinstated after originally being excluded. Yamaha’s strength in depth is confirmed by Curtain’s fourth place in the points, with Foret’s win moving him back to fifth. Yamaha leads the manufacturers’ championship, 10 points ahead of closest rivals Honda.
Fabien Foret (Yamaha Motor Italia) – first
“I’m so pleased to have won today. All season we have been up there. We have been competitive but my luck has been terrible. I have felt really strong all weekend and it was a great race with Karl and Broc. We touched a few times and were always passing and repassing but I always felt confident that I could retake them and hold on to the win.”

Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) – fifth
“We did everything except turn the forks upside down, but we still couldn’t get the front end to feel right! This weekend has been the same story as the last race at Oschersleben – we just can’t seem to get a front tyre that suits us, because after five laps I was having big front end slides. I was able to stick with the front group but I knew that there was no way I could do better than defend my fifth. I’m quite happy to bring the bike home and get the points today as I saved so many crashes throughout the race.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Motor Italia) – sixth
“I am still struggling to get a good feeling from the front tyre and that really hurt me this weekend. I was able to run with the leading pack but it wasn’t worth the risk of pushing harder. If I’d pushed more I could possibly have ended up on the podium, but equally I could have been in the gravel – so I had to ride with the championship in mind. I’m pleased that Fabien has won today and that has limited Muggeridge’s points advantage over me.”

Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany) – DNF
“Since arriving here on Wednesday I have had a bad fever and terrible headaches. All weekend I have stayed in my motorhome between sessions, resting in the hope that I would improve. Last night I was not sure if I would race or not but after morning warm-up I decided to give it a go. After a few laps I realized it was a mistake and that it was not a good idea to continue.”

www.yamaha-racing.com

More News
  For June 2004
  From Yamaha Racing
  For Racing General
  Biker247.com Home Page