Oz Racers around the World - October 2006

Moto GP – Motegi 24^th September, 2006

Loris Capirossi and Ducati have conquered the Japanese Grand Prix for the second year in succession. But second place for Valentino Rossi has put the reigning world champion well within striking distance of Nicky Hayden with just two rounds to go.

Capirossi converted his pole into an early lead, but third on the grid Marco Melandri made good of his pre-race threat to take risks and promptly forced his way into the lead and - although re-passed by Capirossi before the end of the lap - Melandri continued to hustle his fellow Italian right until lap 10 of 24, when the Fortuna Honda rider ran wide after almost hitting the back of Capirossi under braking.
That gave Loris vital breathing room, and his lead was up to one second by the halfway point, but Melandri's error had also left him vulnerable to Rossi and, with Capirossi escaping, The Doctor swung neatly inside Melandri to take second position with ten laps to go - causing the assembled Yamaha management to clench their fists with delight on the pit wall.

The seven-times world champion then raised expectations further by setting the fastest lap of the race to close to just 1.1secs from Capirossi's rear Bridgestone. With plenty of laps remaining, the race could have turned into a repeat of Malaysia where Rossi pipped Capirossi for victory in the closing stages - but this time the #65 responded early; initially defending his lead, then raising it to over two seconds by lap 20. Capirossi continued flat out and eventually wheelied across the finish line five seconds in front of Rossi for his third victory of the season, while Rossi performed a similar celebration as he took the chequered flag 3.2secs before Melandri - but there was drama unfolding behind...

With the top three, who had all started on the front row, breaking away early from the rest of the 21 rider field - Ducati's Sete Gibernau, Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano and championship leader Hayden (who suffered another poor start from seventh on the grid) had disputed fourth position for much of the event.
The last lap began with Michelin shod Hayden over one-second from fifth placed Nakano, but the Kawasaki star was on the attack and made a very un-Nakano like move to try and pass Gibernau at the downhill right hand turn, at the end of the back straight: Shinya didn't quite get alongside the Ducati by the apex and Sete, unaware he was there, turned across the Japanese star's front wheel - causing a collision.
Gibernau escaped lightly but Nakano was sent cart-wheeling when his front wheel folded and, despite rushing back to his feet to try and remount, was forced to abandon his ZX-RR and may have sustained light injuries in the accident.

Nakano's loss was Hayden's gain and the American inherited fifth, and one further championship point, but it was of little consolation. The Repsol Honda rider, newly re-signed for a further two seasons, arrived in Japan 21 points ahead of Rossi, but leaves just 12 points clear with two races and 50 points up for grabs. Six seconds behind Hayden, Melandri's team-mate Toni Elias claimed a confidence boosting sixth after holding off the second factory Honda of Dani Pedrosa, while Americans Colin Edwards and Kenny Roberts rode to eighth and ninth placed finishes.

Konica Minolta Honda's Makoto Tamada, riding in what could be his last Japanese Grand Prix, finished as the top home rider, in tenth, after Nakano's fall, with Suzuki wild-card Kousuke Akiyoshi thirteenth on his MotoGP debut. The lead GSV-R was that of Chris Vermeulen, who just held off team-mate John Hopkins for eleventh despite Hopper running off track and dropping to the back of the field on lap three after tangling with Pedrosa. Casey Stoner fell from the top ten on 'unlucky' lap 13, while Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet also left his machine in the deep Motegi gravel.

MotoGP introduces tyre restrictions for 2007

New MotoGP tyre regulations, drawn up after discussions between all three manufacturers will help 'reduce costs and preserve healthy competition'.

The most significant of the new tyre regulations is a limit on the number of slick tyres a manufacturer can bring and use during a GP weekend. Manufacturers who have scored at least two victories in dry conditions since the start of 2005 - meaning Michelin and Bridgestone - will be subject to a limit of no more than 31 slick tyres per rider, 14 front and 17 rear, for the duration of the race weekend. There will be no limit on the number of wet tyres.

The number of dry tyres has been unlimited for all manufacturers up to now, so this new limit will alter the approach tyre manufacturers and teams adopt ahead of each race. However, riders using Dunlop tyres - which haven't won a race since the start of 2005 - will have no restrictions until they win two dry races. This 'two win rule' will also apply to any new future tyre manufacturers.

World Superbikes – Imola 1^st October, 2006

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) finally wrapped up the championship he had led for so long with a safe fifth place in race one, before underlining his abilities with a second race victory in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Imola. Alex Barros (Klaffi Honda) broke his personal SBK duck in the first race, setting a new lap record of 1'50.266 as he powered through from eighth on lap one to the victory. James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) secured second in race one and Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) third, while in race two, Barros was second behind Bayliss, with Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) third. Bayliss now has an impressive 393 points, with Toseland up to second overall on 295, and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) third on 293. Pitt is fourth (239) and Barros fifth (231).

RACE ONE;

A brilliant race of strategy and sheer pace gave Barros his first ever win in World Superbike. He had been down the order in the early laps, but slowly worked his way forward at a pace no-one could match, and even scored a new lap record on lap five as he caught up with the leading group. Toseland, in second, was on his own at the finish, with Pitt third and Haga fourth. Troy Bayliss made his championship sure with a safe finish in fifth, and changed his crash helmet for one with cycling champion's colours on it his slow-down lap, to take the plaudits of a the adoring Ducatisti - 86,500 who thronged to the Imola circuit during this weekend.

RACE TWO;

Bayliss was uncaged from his championship concerns and would not be denied - even by the astonishingly rapid Barros. Suffering a terrible start, Barros still managed to score second, making him the highest point’s scorer on the day. Kagayama was aggressive in third, with Pitt fourth and Toseland fifth, riding his second machine after electronics problems in race one.

It was another difficult raceday, despite a good qualifying performance, from outgoing champion Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) left him a non-finisher in race one and only ninth in race two. He thus drops to sixth overall in the championship. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) had some issues to contend with in each race, and ran out eighth in each contest. Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik) was on form in each race, but fell from leading position on each occasion. Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) was in trouble from the outset, having qualified only 19^th, and he finished 12^th and 14^th, scoring a handful of points.

World Supersport

Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Ten Kate Honda) dominated the Supersport race at Imola, and with championship leader Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) only third, the race for the championship itself was not decided, and now goes to Magny-Cours. The table now has Curtain on 187 points, Charpentier on 169 and Sofuoglu third, on 137. Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) is still recovering from injury, and was thus sixth in the race (behind the impressive local duo of Gianluca Nannelli and William De Angelis) and Parkes now sits fourth overall, on 129 points.

AMA (American Superbike)

Ben Spies put the finishing touches on his tremendous 2006 campaign today at Mid-Ohio to lock up his first career AMA Superbike title. The rising star did exactly what he needed to do on Sunday, finding a safe area between traffic and cruising his way to history with a seventh-place ride.

This season the 22-year-old from Longview, Texas showed equal amounts of sheer talent, speed, intelligence, and grit - all of which were necessary to topple his legendary teammate, Mat Mladin, who entered the season with six titles in seven years and as the heavy favorite to claim number seven in ’06.

Spies displayed the goods to be considered among the series’ all-time elite in ’06. He overcame the major mental hurdle associated with beating the long-time dominant Australian and then threatened the single-season wins record. After scooping up ten victories in the season's opening 14 races he displayed the savvy to cool it down late in the year when a wrist injury put his hard-earned championship advantage at risk.

“Coming from the season prior, winning one race - and that was because Mat had a mechanical problem - this was an awesome season,” an ecstatic Spies said.

Like Spies, Mladin too did exactly what he needed to do on Sunday; it just wasn’t enough for him to hold onto his #1 plate. Mladin broke free at the front late in the once red-flagged final to drop fellow podium finishers Aaron Yates on the third Yoshimura Suzuki and Parts Unlimited Ducati’s Neil Hodgson and claim his eighth win of the season, the 51st of his record-setting career.

Perhaps more importantly as he looks forward to next year’s rematch, Mladin finished the year with a flourish, claiming five straight victories to close out '06.

The only other time anyone has stolen Mat’s title, the new champion (Nicky Hayden) immediately bolted for the world stage. But Spies has already signed on for at least two more years with Suzuki in the States, setting up an epic clash in ’07 and beyond.

Hodgson too scored an important podium finish with his third-place run. The result marked a strong conclusion to Ducati’s current era in AMA Superbike racing while giving the former World and British Superbike champ a bit of momentum as he listens to offers from teams in American and overseas.

Ben Bostrom, also still in play, picked up fourth for the outgoing Ducati squad, one position in front of the retiring Jason Pridmore, who scored a fine top five in his swansong.

Team Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden was sixth in his last race aboard the ZX-10RR before he takes over Yates’ spot at Yoshimura, followed by new champion Spies.

American Honda suffered a difficult ’06 finale in their first race breaking in their new MoTeC traction control system. While they showed impressive speed, they struggled to put a complete race together. Miguel DuHamel challenged at the front of the first leg before pitting just prior to the red flag. He came back out for the restart but again returned to the pits before the checkered flag was shown.

Zemke took eighth just ahead of Hotbodies Racing’s Marty Craggill and Honda-mounted Larry Pegram.

2006 turned the AMA Superbike world on its side. 2007 promises to be a titanic