Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Italia) scored a fantastic double win at the Nurburgring on World SBK's return to the German track for the first time in ten years. Just two weeks after breaking his collarbone in practice at Miller Motorsports Park the USA, Haga fought off Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) to win race 1, and then got the better of his team-mate Troy Corser in a rain-shortened second encounter to take the double. Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) took two thirds in front of his home crowd.
In race 1, Haga was in terrific form on the Yamaha. With a perfect race strategy the Japanese rider got the best of a determined Troy Bayliss (Ducati), who tested him until a couple of laps from the flag before making a mistake. Third place went to local hero Neukirchner, who held off Corser. Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) got a bad start but made a good recovery to pass Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) for fifth place on the final lap. Seventh went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), who faded in the final stages after running with the leading group for much of the race. Behind the Italian were Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare) and Makoto Tamada (PSG-1 Corse) on the first Kawasaki to finish. Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) concluded in a disappointing 14th place.
Race 2 was shortened with 5 laps to go due to rain and Haga completed the douple despite being behind teammate Corser at the time - it was the previous lap's classification that stood. Third place again went to Neukirchner, ahead of Bayliss, who still managed to increase his points lead in the table. Checa scored another fifth place, after holding off the three Ducatis of Michel Fabrizio, Max Biaggi and Ruben Xaus. Both Kawasakis were in the points, Regis Laconi in 10th and Makoto Tamada in 13th.
Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Italia - 1st/1st During the race the collarbone was no problem, just some muscle pain. I had a great fight with my team-mate Troy in the second race, it was very exciting, fun and fair, I really enjoyed it. I want to thank Dr Ting for the operation on my collarbone, a big thank you to all the fans and congratulations to Troy for a great race. I'm so happy for the win, and it's fantastic to go forward to Misano having closed the championship gap a bit. Time to celebrate!
Race 1 Highlights
Troy Corser - Yamaha Italia - 4th/2nd With the weather conditions the way they were it was completely dry at the top, and it was raining down at the bottom for the last two laps before I put my hand up, it was getting wetter and wetter. Although I wanted to win the race I just wanted to stay on the bike as well. Thanks to the boys on the team, and thanks to Nori there as well, I had an amazing race with him, fantastic riding. We're getting the bike better and better, hopefully we can get some more great results before the end of the year.
Max Neukirchner - Suzuki Alstare - 3rd/3rd I am really happy to get get two podiums in front of my fans here in Germany. It's been great to see all the German flags and here the noise of the crowd and it is a very special feeling. Of course, I would have liked to have won a race here today, but Nori, Troy (Corser) and Troy (Bayliss) were very strong today. In race one, my bike was not so bad, but we were losing time in the first sector and the handling wasn't so good. We changed the bike's front fork set-up for the second race to try and improve the first sector but I found that I could not brake so late. I tried my very best today, but just couldn't get the win I wanted.
Troy Bayliss - Ducati Xerox - 2nd/4th I've had a difficult day and have had to ride very hard, too hard in Race 2. After seeing Nori's consistency in this morning's warm-up I thought he was going to be the man to beat today and that proved to be the case. After about two-thirds of Race 1 I was doing everything I could to stay with him and although at one point I thought I might be able to take the win, in the end Nori won fair and square. My congratulations go to him, he rode a great race, bearing in mind he broke his collarbone just two weeks ago!
We made a small change to the bike set-up for Race 2 but this didn't help and riding over the limit meant I made a couple of small mistakes. I'm lucky to come away with more of a points lead over Carlos but at the same time I've given away points to Nori and Max (Neukirchner)... We will test this week in Mugello and so we plan to work more on the settings in order to be able to finish off the corners better because that's where I'm struggling a bit at the moment.
Race 2 Highlights
Carlos Checa - Hanspree Ten Kate Honda - 5th/5th We didn't find the right grip here this weekend. We have been working on the setup of the bike to improve this, especially in the rear, but didn't manage it. We were on a good pace with the qualifier, but on the race tyre we used here this weekend we couldn't find enough. We made some rather big changes to the set-up for the second race. I started well and chased the front group, but wasn't able to keep up with their speed. I had to get off the gas a couple of times to prevent the bike from high-siding. We have done our best. We just didn't find the same level of grip as our competitors.
Michel Fabrizio - Ducati Xerox - 7th/6th All things considered we are happy with today's results. In Race 1 I lost the front a couple of times which meant I also lost my concentration a little during the final laps. I finished in fourth, but the guys ahead of me all rode a great race and so I am satisfied with the position I took. In Race 2 I had a bit of a run-in with Xaus who touched me as he passed. The way the race ended was a bit unusual but anyway, at the end of the day I have earned another 19 points which is of course the most important thing and although I stay in eighth place in the classification I've significantly increased my points total. Now we move on to Misano where I hope for a great result in front of the Italian fans!
Fonsi Nieto - Alstare Suzuki - 8th/9th The first race was not so good because of our tyre choice and I couldn't brake well into the turns and the rear was also spinning and sliding. For me, the bike balance was not right. We changed the set-up and balance for race two, and also used a harder front tyre, and the bike felt much better. I didn't make such a good start and it took some time to catch the race pace, but the last five or six laps were very good and I was catching Xaus and Biaggi quite easily. If the race had not been red-flagged, I'm sure I could have passed both of them. Today's results were not good for me, but the second race was a positive improvement and the bike was much more rideable, so now I can look forward to Misano.
Ruben Xaus - Sterligrada Ducati - 6th/8th In race-1 I had difficulties especially during the first laps where it was really hard to keep the same pace of the rivals. Then, after three laps, I was able to reach and pass Fabrizio. Unfortunately I didn't realize to be at the last lap, so I left a gap and Checa passed me. In race-2 I wanted to repeat the same strategy. After the start I fought against my team-mate, with the will to focus all my efforts in the final laps. Unfortunately the rain stopped race-2 5 laps to the end; I would have had the opportunity to finish two positions ahead.
Max Biaggi - Sterligrada Ducati - 13th/7th The crash of the warm-up, when the gas was off, took away my faith in the rear of my bike and influenced my race-1. In the second race I started well, being 7th after the first lap. I tried to recover on the leading pack but in the second half of the race my tyres got really damage and I was forced to slow down. Seen what happened during the warm-up, it was not so bad.
Ryuichi Kiyonari - Hannspree Ten Kate Honda - 12th/11th My feeling with the bike was a lot better in the second race, but I am disappointed with the results. We used the base setting for both races. Yesterday we worked on the balance of the bike, but we made the wrong choice and didn't improve. I wasn't able to any faster. It was just a mistake that we changed the setup, but we have learned a lot. I would like to forget this weekend.
Makoto Tamada - Kawasaki PSG-1 - 9th/13th I didn't start as I wanted in race one but I began to recover positions from the first corner, when I went to the inside. That way I got a good position from the first lap, maintaining it for the whole race. I had a good feeling with the bike and the temperature was perfect for the tyres I chose. At half race distance I started to push even more to reach Nieto but I was at the limit and I couldn't take the risk. In race two I didn't start perfectly either and it's quite difficult to pass on this track, so I was not able to gain so many positions. I thought it could be raining at some points of the track so I started to push but they put out the red flag earlier than I thought. Sure, I wanted to achieve a better final result but I can be satisfied about the places I made up today, considering the position I was starting from. We'll work hard during these few days before the next round. I want to make a great result for the team as they really deserve it.
Regis Laconi - Kawasaki PSG-1 - 14ht/10th I was really happy with race two because we had a few problems running with a full tank in race one. There was a lot of movement on the front end. I made a bad start in both races, and it was hard to fight at the front because the leaders are already gone. We made a good job with the bike this weekend so thanks to everyone in the technical ride of the team. I have found one good base setting that I really liked and it was even possible for me to use the softest rear tyre today. The bike is more stable on the brakes now and everything was right. I was really happy to ride my bike today, so big thanks to all at Kawasaki for that.
