SECOND ROW FOR SUZUKI
22 July 2006 - Suzuki Racing

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama will start tomorrow’s Brno World Superbike round in the Czech Republic alongside each other on the second row of the grid.

Corser is happy as this morning he was struggling to get into the top 15 after suffering problems with wheelspin and lack of grip. But in the afternoon untimed session, he tried Kagayama’s set-up and immediately began to get more comfortable with his bike.

Corser missed the recent Brno test due to illness and the information that Kagayama and his team provided made up for some of that lost time. Thanks to the information, he managed to finish fifth quickest in the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out.

Kagayama had qualified fastest in regular qualifying, but he tried a bit too hard on his Superpole lap and lost time finally ending sixth.

Team Alstare Engineering Corona Extra rider Fabien Foret finished 11th, but his lap time of 2:02.124 is within touching distance of the front row.

Troy Corser - 5th, 2:01.351:

“I’m much happier this afternoon than I was this morning or yesterday. Missing the Brno test has made it very hard for me these two days because we just couldn’t get the bike working well at all. I wasn’t happy after this morning’s qualifying so we decided to try Yukio’s set-up in the afternoon. He’d been at the tests, so we thought we might as well give his set-up a go. Normally I wouldn’t have believed that I would be able to get on so well with his set-up, but it was a big improvement on what we’d been getting up until then! It’s not perfect for me but it was a big step in the right direction, so I’ve got to say a big ‘thank you’ to Yukio and his crew for helping me out. I am happy not to have been any lower then the second row of the grid and now if I can get a couple of good starts I feel that I can run with the leaders for sure. It’s going to be two long, hard races tomorrow and I’m sure that we’re all going to suffer tyre problems in the races, so it may be down to whoever uses their tyres best.”

Yukio Kagayama - 6th, 2:01.453:

“In my Superpole lap I tried my best but it was not enough! It is my style to open the gas hard and maybe, just maybe, this was not the best thing to do in Superpole. But, the second row is ok and, as long as I make good starts, I can get good results. My physical condition is so much better now than the past few months and I cannot wait for the races tomorrow. My team has worked unbelievably hard recently so I want to get good results tomorrow so that I can say ‘thank you’ to them.”

Fabien Foret - 11th, 2:02.124:

“I am quite happy with my Superpole lap and the third row of the grid is not so bad I think. My bike is working well and I am also happy because my lap times are not so far from pole. I didn’t have any big problems today and we spent most of the time trying to find a good set-up and balance for the race. Yesterday I was a bit uncertain as to which tyres I will use for the race, but now I know exactly which ones to choose. I am hoping to make good starts, run with the leaders and get a pair of solid top-10 finishes.”

Final WSB Qualifying: 1 Haga (J-Yamaha) 2:00.457, 2 Toseland (GB-Honda - 2:01.056, 3 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 2''01.073, 4 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 2:01.207, 5. Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 2:01.351, 6 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2:01.453, 7 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 2:01.482, 8 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 2:01.498, 9 Laconi (F-Kawasaki) 2:01.620, 10 Nieto (E-Kawasaki) 2:01.799. 11 Fabien Foret (F-Alstare Engineering Corona Extra) 2:02.124.

SUPERSTOCK 600:

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Xavier Simeon won the fifth round of the Superstock 600 European Championship in Brno today after a mother of battles with Ducati rider Nicola Canepa.

The 10-lap race was red-flagged after just a couple of laps, but in the restart, Simeon and Canepa once again disputed the result. Canepa led the early stages but Simeon always looked threatening and took the lead just two laps from the end.

The result was in doubt right the way down to the wire, but in the end, Simeon was strong enough to hold off Canepa’s challenge and take his third win of the season.

Xavier Simeon - 1st:

“I am very happy to win the race because I had to use my head and not panic. Canepa was very tough today and I had to use all my experience to make sure I stayed ahead of him. We were close many times but although it was hard, it was also very fair. I didn’t want to leave it to the last lap before making my move in case anything happened, so I took the lead two laps from the end. Canepa tired to get past again but I was a little bit too strong for him today. That was a great race and I am so happy.

Superstock 600 Results: 1 Xavier Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Canepa, 3 Antonelli, 4 Jezek, 5 Chmielewski, 6 Beretta,

Championship Points: 1 Simeon 115, 2 Canepa 81, 3 Giugliano 71, 4 Colucci 46, 5 Antonelli 39, 6 Jezek 37

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