WSBK stars Haga, Bayliss and Fabrizio at World Ducati Day (Pic: Ducati Corse Press)

“This decision is part of a specific strategy made by Ducati, the aim being to further increase technological content in production models that will arrive on the market in the coming years. In order to achieve this objective, the company’s technical resources, until now engaged with the management of the factory Superbike team, will instead be dedicated to the development of the new generation of hypersport bikes, in both their homologated and Superbike race versions,” declared  Gabriele Del Torchio, President and CEO of Ducati.

“I would like to thank Nori and Michel, and all of the riders that have contributed to the great history of Ducati in Superbike, but above all the Ducati employees; it is their hard work and professionalism that has allowed us to achieve such important results. A big thank you also to all of the partners that have supported us, first and foremost Xerox of course. I would also like to acknowledge the Flammini brothers who have managed the championship for so long, and the FIM, the organization with which we have continuous, constructive relations.”

By making this important decision Ducati aims to increase the speed and efficiency with which it transfers advanced technological solutions, currently tested in the prototype championship, to the production series.

The task of testing innovative technical solutions in Superbike racing will therefore be entrusted to external teams in the coming years, teams that will have the chance to receive technical support from Ducati personnel. This choice will allow the teams to benefit from even more competitive machines and parts.

Despite the decision to interrupt its official participation in the World Superbike Championship, Ducati will continue to work, in collaboration with the championship organizers, other manufacturers and the FIM, to define a technical regulation aimed at containing costs.
Strong in the sporting spirit that has always allowed this manufacturer to compete, line-up against its rivals, and win, it is fundamental for Ducati to identify, together with the other interested parties, solutions that can guarantee the future of the championship in the medium-long term.

Recently the Superbike World Championship, according to the current regulations, has been interpreted as moving more towards competition between prototypes rather than for bikes derived from production machines. This has led to an increase in costs, both for the manufacturers and the teams participating in the championship. This picture does not correlate with the current worldwide economic situation, which has made the securing of sponsorship even more difficult. Ducati trusts that the work carried out by all parties will lead to improvement also in this area.

Troy Corser on the grid at Silverstone ("Photo by Gold&Goose/Alex Photo/Kel Edge/View Point")

“Frustrating is probably the word I have used most this season and once again it was what I felt today. In the first race I had a tyre with no grip whatsoever and it was so bad that the traction control was activating itself along the straight!”

“We used the same type of tyre in the second race and finally found a tyre with grip. The bike was exactly the same as in race one and the only difference was a new tyre, but it was the same type as the first race, so I have no idea why it behaved so differently,” said Corser.

Fortunately Troy was unhurt in the fall, but six points was a meagre reward after a promising practice and Superpole.

“The bike felt normal in race two and I was able to push harder. I overtook Max, but was maybe a bit late entering the turn. I was a bit off my usual racing line, hit some bumps and was on the deck before I knew much about it, fortunately without hurting myself,” said Corser.

Britons filled all six spots of both podiums today. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) took his first WSBK victory in race one and then followed it up with another win in race two. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took runner-up spot both times, with Leon Haslam (Suzuki) taking third in race one and Leon Camier (Aprilia) taking third in race two.

Troy Corser leading Max Biaggi at Silverstone ("Photo by Gold&Goose/Alex Photo/Kel Edge/View Point")

Results

Race 1:
1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha),
2 Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda),
3 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki),
4 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati),
5 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia),
6 Leon Camier (GBR-Aprilia),
10 TROY CORSER (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport)…
Race 2:
1 Crutchlow,
2 Rea,
3 Camier,
4 Haslam,
5 James Toseland (GBR-Yamaha),
6 Biaggi.
…TROY CORSER (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) DNF

Points:
1 Biaggi 373,
2 Haslam 313,
3 Rea 243,
4 Checa 204,
5 Crutchlow 188,
6 Toseland 179,
10 TROY CORSER (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 155

Johnny Rea on the Silverstone World Superbike grid

The two 18-lap encounters around the revised 5.902km Silverstone circuit were won by British rider Cal Crutchlow, with Leon Haslam and Leon Camier each taking a third place to make two all-British podiums.

Starting from second place on the grid, Rea, 23, grabbed the holeshot in both outings, leading the first for the opening eleven laps as he and Crutchlow built a commanding lead over third placed Haslam.

“In race one Cal had a little bit more pace than me, where I was missing maybe a couple of tenths a lap. The bike was working very well, but we got let down by the tyre a little bit, I think, because it definitely felt a lot different to the one I used in warm-up this morning,” said Rea.

Race two was almost a carbon copy, with Rea leading until lap 15, when Crutchlow again hit the front and made a break for the flag. The results strengthened Rea’s hold on third place in the championship.

“I thought I might have the pace in race two, but well-done to Cal – he did a great job and rode absolutely superbly. My team gave me a great bike this weekend that allowed me to at least fight for the wins here. I’m really happy and really enjoyed riding at Silverstone this weekend and we’ve had a couple of good results to take into the summer break,” said Rea.

Johnny Rea takes an early race lead at Silverstone

After two difficult qualifying sessions, Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, made a radical change to the rear of his CBR1000RR for morning warm-up and ran with the setting for the races.

In the first, he was able to climb from his grid position of 18th to 11th at the flag. The German looked set to repeat the performance and break into the top ten in race two, before a mechanical problem forced his retirement.

“For me, the first race was one of the best this season. OK, it wasn’t the best result but it felt great having a bike that I could fight for positions with. I had a lot of fun and I was able to pass a lot of other guys – it was a very good race for me and felt a little bit like a win! We basically went back to the setting that I used in race two at Assen and it allowed me to brake later and accelerate earlier,” said Neukirchner.

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team manager, Ronald ten Kate was pleased with the team’s progress over recent race meetings.

“The last two race weekends have brought us some very good results, after the issues we experienced before. The team seems to have bounced back really well. Of course, you always aim for a win on Sunday, but two seconds are good enough results which put us closer to second place in the championship and further away from the guys behind us,” said ten Kate.

Johnny Rea on the podium at Silverstone

2010 World Superbike championship – round 10
Silverstone, United Kingdom (5.902km – 18 laps) – results

Race one:
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 37’47.851s
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +1.621s
3. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki +11.433s
4. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati +15.874s
5. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +17.085s
6. Leon Camier (GBR) Aprilia +15.532s
11. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +30.972s

Race two:
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 37’48.348s
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +2.070s
3. Leon Camier (GBR) Aprilia +8.834s
4. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki +13.232s
5. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha +13.258s
6. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +13.568s
DNF Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda

Championship points after 10 of 13 rounds:
1 Biaggi 373,
2 Haslam 313,
3 Rea 243,
4 Carlos Checa (ESP) 204,
5 Crutchlow 188,
6 Toseland 179,
7 Haga 177,
8 Camier 164,
9 Fabrizio 160,
10 Troy Corser (AUS) BMW 155

“It’s really fun to ride here and tomorrow should deliver two fantastic races – there are so many good passing places. I want to thank all my fans and sponsors for coming out for my home race and I’ll certainly ride with a smile on my face tomorrow. The last two weeks have been a little crazy but it’s great to start the weekend at Silverstone like this. It’s the front row, and you can’t ask for much more than to start a race from there,” said Rea.

Jonathan Rea enjoying the new Silverstone layout

Pole position was taken by fellow British rider, Cal Crutchlow, after Rea had topped the timing sheets in this morning’s second qualifying session when the 5.902km Silverstone circuit was still damp in patches following overnight rain.

“It was a great time by Cal and it was too fast for me today, but I’m enjoying riding the bike, it’s a lot of fun, and I think the 18 laps are going to go quite fast compared to my Suzuka adventure last weekend. So I’ll need to pull the pin quite early on and see what happens, but the bike’s good, the team’s good and track is awesome – you can’t help but smile when you’re riding round here,” said Rea.

The new Silverstone layout has received an enthusiastic thumbs up from Rea and his World Superbike rivals, despite changes in track surface and its bumpy nature. He and Crutchlow are joined on the front row by Michel Fabrizio and Jakub Smrz.

Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate Max Neukircher was unable to improve the set-up of his CBR1000RR Fireblade in this morning’s damp conditions. The German qualified for Superpole thanks to his time from yesterday’s session but he was unable to progress beyond Superpole 1 and will start tomorrow’s two 18-lap races from 18th place on the grid.

“The problem is that I can’t keep the line in the corners and I don’t have any grip at the rear. It was bad yesterday but today it is even worse. We’ll try to make the bike completely different for tomorrow, like we had in the Assen test and working mostly on the rear, and we will see what happens,” said Neukircher.

“We’re happy to have Jonathan on the front row of the grid – that was the mission for him today. He seems to have already found quite a good pace for the race and that’s what tomorrow is all about. We’re still looking at a few things on the bike but we’re ready to race with the top guys being fairly close to each other on race tyres. With this new track layout, I think the races are going to be very nice to watch,” said team manager Ronald ten Kate.

2010 World Superbike championship – round 10
Silverstone, United Kingdom (5.902km) – final qualifying results:
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 2’04.091s
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2’04.763s
3. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 2’05.083s
4. Jakub Smrz (CZE) Aprilia 2’05.168s
17. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2’07.041s

Carlos Checa on the Althea Ducati at Silverstone on Saturday

The Spanish rider, having registered the fourth fastest time in the first Superpole phase, closed the second phase with the tenth fastest time, just missing out on a spot in the final phase by 41 thousandths of a second.

“It was so easy to find yourself out of Superpole by just a fraction of a second today”, said Carlos. “With the first tyre I caught Camier who unintentionally slowed me down while with the second tyre I didn’t have a great feeling. I’m satisfied however with my race pace and I hope to make a strong start tomorrow in order to do my part. It will undoubtedly be a close race.”

Shane Byrne was also satisfied, despite just missing out a top eight finish.

“I am really happy”, said Shane, “because after Brno I have finally understood the Superpole. And to have taken my best Superpole result yet here at my home track is of course great news. The team’s has done a really good job and tomorrow I will do my best to run two great races.”

Tomorrow’s warm-up takes place at 9.20 while Race 1 gets underway at 12.00 and Race 2 at

15.30; both are 18 laps in length, or 106.236km.

Shayne Byrne the Althea Ducati at Silverstone on Saturday

Superpole:
1. Crutchlow (Yamaha) 2’04”091
2. J. Rea (Honda) 2’04”763
3. M. Fabrizio (Ducati) 2’05”083
4. J. Smrz (Aprilia) 2’05”168
5. L. Haslam (Suzuki) 2’05”595
6. M. Biaggi (Aprilia)2’05”682
7. T. Corser (BMW) 2’05”740
8. R. Xaus (BMW) 2’06”787
9. S. Byrne (Ducati) 2’05”026
10. C. Checa (Ducati) 2’05”035

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider was just three hundredths of a second behind pole position man, Eugene Laverty. Sofuoglu’s time was even closer to third-placed Joan Lascorz – only five thousandths of a second.

Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda

“Step by step we are improving, which was the goal – to improve the bike, the time, the position. I’m still not so happy with my lines in some corners on the track, especially in the final sector. Two or three times I was fastest until the last split, when I lost two tenths, which left me in second position.”

“The team has some ideas to improve this and normally it’s not a problem to work on one split. Anyway, I feel I’m ready for the race tomorrow and hope that a good result is coming,” said Sofuoglu.

“The other guys in the championship are fast again, which I expected, but I think this is the closest qualifying between us yet! It should be a nice race and I have to get as many points as I can. When I have a 25 point gap I might be able to close the throttle a little, but that won’t happen tomorrow. Right now my feeling is that I can go for the win tomorrow but, if it turns out that I can’t, I will have to settle for the most points I can get.”

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team manager Ronald ten Kate expects close racing but the team are still working to give their championship contender, Sofuoglu, an advantage tomorrow.

“So far so good in Supersport, with everything going according to plan with Kenan. We’ve caught up with the front massively and were already in contention today for the pole position. The task for tomorrow is to dial out the problems in the final sector which is where Kenan is losing all his time. For sure, it’ll be a frantic battle again at the front with the usual three, but this time with maybe as many as four or five riders in the leading bunch. May the best man win,” said ten Kate.

Ronan Quarmby in the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda pits

Ronan Quarmby, Sofuoglu’s team-mate for the Silverstone weekend, will start from the fifth row of the grid for tomorrow’s 16 lapper around the 5.902km Silverstone circuit after setting the 18th fastest time.

“For Ronan, everything is new – the track, the team, the bike – but he’s chipping away with his times as well, and improved massively on yesterday. Overnight we’ll go over the data again and try to find further improvements for tomorrow and we’re hoping he can have a nice race and finish close to the top ten,” said ten Kate.

The 19-year-old South African has not only had to learn Silverstone revised layout this weekend, but to work with a new team and get accustomed to a new Honda CBR600RR. Despite two crashes today, Quarmby improved by 1.5s over yesterday’s qualifying time and is looking forward to an even better performance in tomorrow’s race.

“Well, it hasn’t been a good weekend so far, but then it’s never much fun when you’re crashing. My left ankle is quite swollen but the times have improved, at least, and my starts are usually quite good. Without the crashes, today was definitely better than yesterday, so I hope tomorrow is better again. It was difficult this morning and I hit a patch of water with an intermediate tyre in the rear and went over the high side. I’ll do my best in the race tomorrow and try to have more fun than today,” said Quarmby.

2010 World Supersport championship – round 10
Silverstone, United Kingdom (5.902km) – final qualifying results:
1. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 2’09.426s
2. Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2’09.456s
3. Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki 2’09.461s
4. R Tamburini (ITA) Yamaha 2’09.537s
18. Ronan Quarmby (SA) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2’13.507s

“If I hadn’t have been held up on my quick lap in final Superpole, I think I would’ve been on the front row of the grid. I think it was Ruben Xaus in the way, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Fifth is not so bad because I am directly behind Cal on pole and, as long as I make two good starts, I feel I can be in contention tomorrow,” said Haslam.

Leon Haslam at Siverstone

He will now start tomorrow’s pair of 18-lap races from the second row of the grid, just behind Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha).

“I’m pretty happy with the bike set-up, but I’m always looking for improvements and we’ll just try a few tweaks in the warm-up tomorrow morning: I feel fairly well dialled-in with the track now and much happier with the tyres than I was in the last round at Brno.”

“My aim is to make two good starts and go all-out for a pair of wins or podiums. Hopefully Max Biaggi will be somewhere behind – preferably with a few people between me and him,” said Haslam.

Haslam’s team mate Sylvain Guintoli, ended with the 11th quickest lap in Superpole and will start from the third row of the grid.

“In one of my Superpoles, I saw a yellow flag and maybe I was a bit too cautious and eased off a bit too much – just to be safe. That was because of Toseland’s crash, but perhaps I could’ve gone a bit quicker, even though the flag was out. I am ready for the big fight tomorrow and hoping to have some fun – especially as I have so many friends and family here,” said Guintoli.

Crutchlow took Superpole today, with a blistering lap of 2:04.091 and with it, his fifth Superpole win of the season. Second was Jonathan Rea (Honda) with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Jakub Smrz (Aprilia) fourth.

Final qualifying & Superpole:

1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 2:04.091,
2 Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda) 2:04.763,
3 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 2:05.083,
4 Jakub Smrz (CZE-Aprilia) 2:05.168,
5 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 2:05.595,
6 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia) 2:05.682.
…
11 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 2:05.066.

“It was just unfortunate that my qualifying tyre didn’t work in Superpole 3, otherwise I think I could’ve got on the front row of the grid for sure. I used a qualifying tyre in Superpole 2 and it worked OK, though to be true I didn’t feel a big difference between the race tyres and the qualifiers this afternoon,” said Corser.

Troy Corser in action at Silverstone (Photo by Gold&Goose/Alex Photo/Kel Edge/View Point)

“I used my last qualifier in Superpole 3, but it gave no grip and was spinning straightaway. I ran off the track and almost crashed! I went back to the pits, put on some race rubber and immediately went faster!”

Briton Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) once again dominated Superpole today, taking his fifth win of the season, with a superb lap of 2:04.091. Second was Jonathan Rea (Honda), with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Jakub Smrz (Aprilia) fourth

Final qualifying & Superpole
1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 2:04.091, 2 Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda) 2:04.763, 3 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 2:05.083, 4 Jakub Smrz (CZE-Aprilia) 2:05.168, 5 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki) 2:05.595, 6 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia) 2:05.682, 7 TROY CORSER (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 2:05.740

Kenan Sofuoglu in action on Friday at Silverstone

The current series leader’s time was just two tenths of a second slower than Honda CBR600RR-mounted provisional pole man, Eugene Laverty. Sofuoglu is eager to extend his 15-point series lead this weekend with Laverty one of his main championship rivals.

“The track is not easy, of course, and I already said before the weekend that it wasn’t my favourite. But all in all, we’ve just arrived, sat on the bike and went out so the speed is not so bad for now. Of course, we need to be better than fourth, but I know we can improve the set up and I can improve myself tomorrow,” said Sofuoglu.

The other rival for the 201 SuperSport title, Joan Lascorz, is also on the provisional front row with the third fastest time today, just a tenth behind second-placed Gino Rea, also on Honda machinery.

“There are no big problems at the moment and we just have to find a small change to the set-up to make things better. Also, I’m still searching for the best line – I can’t say it’s really good at the moment. Once again, I’m fighting with the other two fast guys but I think tomorrow I’ll be ready to go faster and hopefully keep the bike on the front row for Sunday’s race,” said Sofuoglu.

Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate for this weekend, South African Ronan Quarmby, ended the day in 20th position after riding the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR for the first time.

Like his fellow World Supersport riders, the 19-year-old also had to learn Silverstone’s recently adapted 5.902km layout, but is confident of further improvement in tomorrow’s free practice and final qualifying sessions.

Ronan Quarmby learning the revised Silverstone track

“I think the biggest problem today is the new track – it was a little slippery but there are so many different lines and different places to brake and get on the gas. I’ve been watching the MotoGP and Moto2 races here and did maybe five or six laps on the scooter but it’s still difficult. I’ve also got a new bike under me with traction control and other electronics that I’ve not used before – it’s just extraordinary,” said Quarmby.

“There’s so much more to use and benefit from and my ideal time was a full second faster, so tomorrow I know I’ll be in the high 10s or low 11s. I’ll get a good night’s rest and think about things and then see what happens tomorrow, which will hopefully be better than today.”

Team manager Ronald ten Kate was pleased with the start to the weekend considering this is the first time for the team at the heavily revised Silverstone layout.

“Kenan made a good jump forward after this morning’s free practice session and is confident of more to come tomorrow. For Ronan, it’s a whole new experience, with a new bike and a new circuit to learn. He has made methodical progress today and we can only ask for more of the same tomorrow, when I am sure he will be faster,” said ten Kate.

“I really enjoyed riding the circuit today – it’s like it fills me full of happy pills because it’s all new and fresh! The bike is working OK straight away

Jonathan Rea in action at Silverstone

and I got up to a good rhythm pretty much from the off and qualifying was good. We’ve still got some more work to do tomorrow but I’m looking forward to making improvements,” said Rea.

After taking a win and a second place last time out at Brno in the Czech Republic, Rea’s good form continued into last weekend’s prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour race, where he finished on the podium, and the Northern Irishman relished Silverstone’s new 5.902km layout in today’s two sessions.

“The bumps are bumps and they’re same for everybody and we spent this afternoon working more on the gearing and trying to get the right compromise for that. But it’s always fun when you come to a new circuit – the layout’s really nice, but it’s just that the bumps and the surface isn’t great,” he said

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, also liked the new circuit, although, like many other riders, its bumps caused him some issues. The German rider finished 18th fastest today, after crashing unhurt at turn one towards the end of the qualifying session.

“I think I like the circuit but there are a lot of bumps so it’s not easy to get the right chassis set-up so I think you must live with a not perfect setting. Of course the crash was bad for me – I put in a new rear but the front was already 17 laps old. The bike carried on for maybe 200 metres more and hit the wall, so the front end looks not so good. I’m sorry for my guys who have a lot more work to do now,” said Neukirchner.

Max Neukirchner at Silverstone

Neukirchner had just put in a new rear Pirelli for a faster lap but the crash ended his session. His Honda CRB1000RR righted itself, however, and went head on into a track-side barrier, causing extensive damage.

“I think that, for all the World Superbike riders, today was more about learning the track rather than setting up a bike for it. From tomorrow we can really start to make some changes to the bike to improve it. Johnny was quick from the box today and his Suzuka 8 Hour experience definitely didn’t slow him down at all. Max was on a decent pace as well and just when we put the new tyre in for him to set a fast lap time he had a small crash with big damage, which was a pity. But we’ll be back for more tomorrow,” said team manager Ronald ten Kate