WORLD SUPERBIKE - BRANDS HATCH RACE
07 August 2005 - Yamaha Racing

Noriyuki Haga was the star of the show at Brands Hatch today, taking his second win of the season in a thrilling second race.

The two 25-lap races proved to be two-men shows, with Haga and championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) constantly swapping places as they dominated both affairs. Corser took the honours by less than two-tenths of a second in the opener, but Haga gained his revenge in the second after holding off a late challenge that saw Corser run across the gravel on the final lap.

Haga delighted the crowd with his spectacular riding style. The Japanese, now looking totally comfortable on his R1, showed amazing confidence in his front suspension as he braked deep into the corners in a spectacular race one duel, which was decided when Corser gained superior drive as they came out of out final corner for the penultimate time. Race two was equally dramatic, with Haga narrowly avoiding a crash as the pair accidentally touched as they crossed the line in the early laps. From then on, the race was one of tension as Corser stalked the Yamaha rider throughout - his move on the final lap resigning him to second place.

Team-mate Andrew Pitt had two strong races at Brands. The Australian qualified alongside Haga on the second row of the grid and made to good starts to run with the group battling for third place, taking a seventh place in race one and improving to sixth in the second outing.

Yamaha Motor France riders Norick Abe and Sèbastien Gimbert had a difficult day in Brands. Abe made two lightning starts but struggled due to a lack of track knowledge, finishing 11th in the opener and retiring after crashing with Steve Martin (Petronas) in the second. Gimbert bagged two points for 14th in race two.

The results see both Yamaha Italia riders move up the championship table. Haga''s 45 point haul takes him to fifth, just five points behind countryman Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki), who occupies fourth, while Pitt moves up to ninth. Championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) left the United Kingdom with an improved advantage. He leads second placed Chris Vermeulen (Honda) by 110 points. Abe slides back to tenth in the standings.

The championship now makes a four week break before the Dutch round takes place at Assen, where Haga is scheduled to make his 150th world superbike appearance, and his 100th for Yamaha.

Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia)
''I had two fantastic races with Troy. In the second I led almost from the first lap to finish. Early on I tried to make a distance on him early but it was impossible. Later I tried some more crazy hard braking but still I could not make the gap. Unfortunately for Troy he made a mistake and when I see that I have a very big smile in my helmet! I would like to thank my team and also Ohlins and Pirelli, because today the bike was very good. Now I go back to Japan for more holidays and when I come back I hope we have some more Nitro for Assen!''''

Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia)
''I enjoy the circuit and we just hardly touched it at all weekend as it felt good from the first session. After two bad races in Misano and Brno it''s been good to be running consistently at the front this weekend. Now I need to improve my consistency a little bit. I can do the same lap times as Noriyuki but he is able to do them throughout the race, while my times are not as consistent. I''m also still learning more about the Pirelli tyres but I''m glad to have got a good weekend here and look forward to Assen - a track which holds good memories for me.''

Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)
''This track is very difficult and this year I have so many new circuits and I not so good at the new ones. Our race lap times were much better than our practice times so we worked well, but it was still not enough to get to the front. In race two I had bad luck with Martin. He ran wide, so I went inside, but he came back in and we fell.''

Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France)
''In race two we had more grip and rear traction so we made better times. I am happier about race two, scored some points, but we took a long time to make a good setting.''

Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia)
''Our bike is going up in performance and we are really happy with the development. Already this week we will be testing something different, some parts that were ready for this race but unfortunately arrived too late. It was good to see Andrew back with a smile on his face and he rode aggressively and did not make any mistakes this weekend. After the first race Noriyuki said that he wanted to win the second race, and that he would have to change the set-up if he was to beat Corser. So we changed the final drive ratio and front springs. These were not small changes but Nori is always seeing things to change and normally they prove correct decisions.''

Martial Garcia (Team Manager - Yamaha Motor France)
''Sebastien was one second faster than compared to last year, but so was everyone else, so the gap is still the same. Anyway, we found good setting but in the second race. In the first race we still had some problems. One of the problems is that Sebastien still has some pain in the leg so it was difficult to get good information. Our weekend was not too bad, except for the bad luck suffered by Norick with his crash.''

Race classification WSB

Round: 8 - Brands Hatch
Circuit: Brands Hatch
Circuit Length: 4197
Lap Record: 1'' 26.755 (Shane Byrne, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'' 26.248 (Shane Byrne, 2003)

Race: 25 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 36'' 45.074
2 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +0.186
3 R. Laconi Ducati FRA +1.976
4 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +4.590
5 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +5.746
6 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +8.428
7 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +8.598
8 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +15.628
9 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +15.671
10 M. Neukirchner Honda GER +28.250
11 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +32.470
12 B. Bostrom Honda USA +32.500
13 D. Hobbs Yamaha GBR +32.683
14 P. Riba Kawasaki ESP +32.885
15 S. Martin Petronas AUS +35.171
16 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +35.272

Race 2: 25 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 36'' 39.815
2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +2.686
3 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +8.062
4 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +12.053
5 R. Laconi Ducati FRA +13.044
6 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +13.184
7 J. Toseland Ducati GBR +14.215
8 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +21.026
9 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +21.175
10 B. Bostrom Honda USA +21.257
11 M. Neukirchner Honda GER +29.315
12 P. Riba Kawasaki ESP +30.591
13 P. Chili Honda ITA +34.619
14 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +39.732
15 D. Hobbs Yamaha GBR +39.879

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1'' 27.272

Championship standings WSB

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 344
2 Chris Vermeulen Honda AUS 234
3 Regis Laconi Ducati FRA 214
4 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 172
5 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 167
6 James Toseland Ducati GBR 161
7 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 130
8 Pierfrancesco Chili Honda ITA 111
9 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 95
10 Norifumi Abe Yamaha JPN 88
11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 85
12 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 66
13 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 63
14 Giovanni Bussei Kawasaki ITA 46
15 Ben Bostrom Honda USA 33
17 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 28

Manufacturers standings WSB

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Suzuki 353
2 Ducati 257
3 Honda 250
4 Yamaha 208
5 Kawasaki 143
6 Petronas 18


WSS : Curtain podiums at Brands
Round: 8 - Brands Hatch
Circuit: Brands Hatch
Date: 7 August 2005
Crowd: 103000
Temp: 20ºC
Weather: Dry

Kevin Curtain recovered from the ''worst start of his career'' to produce a fighting podium finish at Brands Hatch today.

The Yamaha Motor Germany rider, starting from second on the grid, made a poor start and found himself pushed out onto the grass at the turn one. Ending the first lap outside the top 10, the gritty Australian was able to pick his way through the pack and almost close down leading duo Sèbastien Charpentier and Michel Fabrizio (both Honda). The 39-year-old closed the gap down to within a second, but a lack of rear grip - a result of his hard riding charge through the field - saw him unable to mount a challenge. Nonetheless, Curtain was delighted with his third place, which sees him close to within seven points of second place in the championship.

Team-mate Broc Parkes was involved in a thrilling battle for seventh, only to retire with mechanical gremlins six laps from the end. In the championship, Charpentier extended his advantage to 74 points over team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara, with Curtain third and Parkes seventh on 60 points.

Kevin Curtain
''That was the worst start of my career! I found myself pushed right out, I think one of the Ducatis touched me, and I was quite lucky to stay on. From then it was just a case of getting my head down and working my way through the pack. I''m glad to be on the podium, although maybe I could''ve won judging by the way I was able to catch the guys. I just run out of laps and at the end my rear tyre couldn''t give any more, but the result is good for my championship.''

Broc Parkes
''It''s been a difficult weekend. I was involved in a tough battle but the engine lost a bit of power and I had to pull in.''

Race classification WSS

Round: 8 - Brands Hatch
Circuit: Brands Hatch
Circuit Length: 4197
Lap Record: 1'' 29.149 (Stéphane Chambon, 2003)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'' 28.376 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005)

Race: 23 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 34'' 33.153
2 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +0.985
3 K. Curtain Yamaha AUS +1.173
4 S. Chambon Honda FRA +7.317
5 F. Foret Honda FRA +7.777
6 K. Fujiwara Honda JPN +17.008
7 A. Corradi Ducati ITA +18.416
8 C. Jones Honda GBR +21.131
9 M. Lagrive Suzuki FRA +28.218
10 C. Crutchlow Honda GBR +28.788
11 X. Fores Suzuki ESP +29.853
12 T. Tunstall Honda GBR +30.065
13 R. Harms Honda DNK +30.382
14 T. Lauslehto Honda FIN +30.699
15 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE +33.175

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 1'' 29.380

Championship standings WSS

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 190
2 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 116
3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 109
4 Fabien Foret Honda FRA 85
5 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 82
6 Stephane Chambon Honda FRA 68
7 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 60
8 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 56
9 Xavi Fores Suzuki ESP 52
10 Tatu Lauslehto Honda FIN 42
11 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 33
12 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 28
13 Alessio Corradi Ducati ITA 25
14 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 21
15 Craig Jones Honda GBR 18

Manufacturers standings WSS

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1 Honda 200
2 Yamaha 109
3 Ducati 76
4 Suzuki 65
5 Kawasaki 21


European Superstock : King Kenan rules at Brands
Round: 6 - Brands Hatch
Circuit: Brands Hatch
Date: 7 August 2005
Crowd: 103000
Temp: 18ºC
Weather: Dry

Kenan Sofuoglu raced back to the head of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup with a dominant victory at Brands Hatch today.

The Turkish Yamaha Motor Germany rider was in thrilling form all weekend. Starting from pole position, he pulled away from his rivals at a rate of over a second a lap, to build a five second lead which he controlled to the flag.

Fellow Yamaha rider Massimo Roccoli, the points leader going into Brands, crashed out on lap 12 while contesting second place with another Italian R1 rider, Luca Scassa, and Alessandro Polita (Suzuki). The young Rimini rider was unhurt, but slips back to third in the championship, 21 points behind Sofuoglu but three behind Craig Coxhell (Suzuki), who was fifth at Brands.

Sofuoglu''s team-mate Didier van Keymeulen had a race to forget. The Belgian, who crashed and broke his pelvis at the same venue 12 months ago, experienced set-up problems all weekend and slipped back from his seventh place start to end the 15 lap race in 11th. Despite his Brands Hatch troubles, Van Keymeulen remains a title contender, lying fourth in the championship and trailing Sofuoglu by 29 points with four races remaining.

There was more good news in the junior superstock class, with Italian Claudio Corti extending his lead in the European Superstock 600 Championship with a win at Brands Hatch.

Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motor Germany)
''This is a perfect day for me. All year I have wanted to win at Brands Hatch because last season I was very fast here but was nervous before the race and did not perform well. I achieved everything I wanted this weekend: pole position, lap record and the race win. My plan was to make a break and I was able to quickly make a lead. I nearly crashed a few times so I decided to ease up and control my lead. When I crossed the line I expected that Roccoli would be second, so it is good for my championship that he did not score. Of course, this is not the way I want to win the championship but I missed Misano and he did not score here - so now we are equal and ready to race to the finish.''

Didier van Keymeulen (Yamaha Motor Germany)
''From the very first practice session I have been unable to get a good feeling from the bike. I just could not push hard enough in the race and of course I am very disappointed with the result, but in a way happy to get some points. My strength is normally that I can make very consistent lap times but today they were all over the place. It was so bad early on that I considered retiring, but I knew that I could still get a few points. I knew it would be difficult this weekend but I can now put Brands Hatch behind me in the knowledge that I have had good results at the last four circuits. Next time is Assen, my home race and a fast and flowing circuit that suits my style.''

Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni)
''I am disappointed because I was sure that I would finish second today. I was involved in a good fight with Scassa and Polita but Scassa went into the first corner slower than I expected and my front touched his rear wheel. That was the end of my race.''

Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

Round: 6 - Brands Hatch
Circuit: Brands Hatch
Circuit Length: 4197
Lap Record: 1'' 29.569 (Kenan Sofuoglu, 2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'' 29.477 (Kenan Sofuoglu, 2005)

Race: 15 Laps
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 K. Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR 22'' 38.518
2 L. Scassa Yamaha ITA +5.249
3 A. Polita Suzuki ITA +5.644
4 R. Chiarello Suzuki ITA +7.391
5 C. Coxhell Suzuki AUS +7.461
6 A. Martinez Yamaha ESP +8.138
7 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +11.991
8 I. Dionsi Suzuki ITA +12.238
9 E. Rocamora Suzuki ESP +21.833
10 O. Bridewell Kawasaki GBR +21,877.000
11 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL +22.528
12 J. Laverty Suzuki IRL +23,768.000
13 R. Cooper Honda GBR +24.872
14 J. Mazuecos Yamaha ESP +26.813
15 G. Sanders Kawasaki GBR +33,117.000

Fastest Race Lap:
Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time
1 K. Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR 1'' 29.569

Championship standings FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points
1 Kenan Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR 111
2 Craig Coxhell Suzuki AUS 93
3 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 90
4 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 82
5 Riccardo Chiarello Suzuki ITA 60
6 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 52
7 Luca Scassa Yamaha ITA 38
8 Alex Martinez Yamaha ESP 38
9 William De Angelis Yamaha ITA 37
10 Ilario Dionsi Suzuki ITA 35
11 Vittorio Iannuzzo MV Agusta ITA 30
12 Enrique Rocamora Suzuki ESP 24
13 Ayrton Badovini MV Agusta ITA 24
14 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 24
15 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 22

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