World Superbike Championships: Suzuki Dominates again

World Superbike Championship leader Troy Corser raced his Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000 to a double race victory at the third round in Valencia today as his main rivals dropped away in the championship chase. Only Honda CBR1000RR-mounted Chris Vermeulen and Corser’s Suzuki team-mate Yukio Kagayama now look to stand any chance of remaining in touch with the runaway points leader. In the World SuperSport race, Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR team again streeted the field.

Troy Corser lead the field in every respect all weekend. Though clearly the fastest rider in the field, he also proved the smartest rider in the field on the first day of qualifying. It was no big surprise to see Troy top the standings on day one, but the gap between him and his nearest rival was a bit of a shock because it was over three quarters of a second! And, what’s more, Troy had done the time comfortably! Troy knew the track temperature would rise in the afternoon (timed) session, so he put his qualifier on early and posted a lap of 1:35.954. As the temperature rose, the grip level went down and nobody was able to get anywhere near him.

He subsequently posted the fastest time in every session and comfortably took superpole ahead of Chris Vermeulen’s Honda.

Odds for race 1 after Superpole: T Corser 1.44 Y Kagayama 6.50 R Laconi 7.00 C Vermeulen 9.00 M Neukirchner 13.00 A Pitt 17.00 J Toseland 26.00 K Muggeridge 34.00 P Chili 41.00 N Haga 41.00 N Abe 41.00 C Walker 41.00 S Martin 67.00 S Gimbert 67.00 G Mc Coy 81.00 D C Checa 81.00 M Borciani 101.00 L Lanzi 101.00 J L Cardoso 101.00 F Nieto 101.00 B Bostrom 101.00

Odds for Championship after superpole: T Corser 1.83 Y Kagayama 3.25 R Laconi 5.50 C Vermeulen 7.00 N Haga 21.00 J Toseland 21.00 M Neukirchner 21.00 N Abe 26.00 A Pitt 29.00 P Chili 34.00 K Muggeridge 51.00 S Gimbert 67.00 F Nieto 67.00 G Bussei 67.00 C Walker 101.00 M Sanchini 101.00

Corser led the first race from start to finish and took the chequered flag over nine seconds ahead of Chris Vermeulen (Honda), though the gap at the flag was more than nine seconds and Corser appeared to simply go through the motions in the lead while his main rivals languished in his wake.

The attrition of the field began before the first race when Laconi was ruled out of the action after a crash half-way through the morning warm-up, when contact was made with a slow-moving rider on the outside of the final curve. Laconi suffered concussion and was immediately examined by on-circuit doctors before being taken to Valencia hospital for an MRI scan, and for precautionary reasons a decision was taken for him not to race

Vermeulan was the most impressive of the rest, with Kagayama climbing from seventh to a rostrum third position as the field became depleted from crashing. Superstar rookie and front row qualifier Max Neukirchner survived a massive lap one highside relatively unscathed, despite flying for some distance and landing hard on the unyielding Valencia tarmac.

Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge’s first race was equally dramatic, if less painful, as he was run off track by Neukirchner’s crash, fell in the gravel, remounted, crashed once more on lap 19, before retiring from a non-points scoring position.

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