World Superbikes Rd 4: Suzuki & Honda share spoils

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona rider Troy Corser (GSXR1000) took a win and a third place in the fourth round of the World Superbike Championships at Monza today extending his lead to 52 points over team mate Yukio Kagayama. Honda’s Chris Vermeulen (CBR1000RR) scored a second race win to revive Honda’s chances in the series and Ducati showed a return to form with podiums in both races.

The weekend looked like it was going to be business as usual for Corser, who had won five of the six races held so far this year. He finished Friday’s practice as fastest and completed a full race distance in morning practise and almost as far in the afternoon.

But with the Winston ten Kate Hondas of Vermeulen and Muggeridge showing a turn of speed, and Regis Laconi punting the Ducati 999F05 as fast as anyone, the veteran and superpole expert knew his superpole lap had to be good. Things didn’t quite go to plan.

On his out lap, a bird hit his bike and then the brake lever and sent blood and feathers all over Troy’s right arm and shoulder. Part of the bird got stuck between Troy’s brake lever and cable, so Troy had to flick it out and then check for any damage before getting up to speed for his Superpole flying lap.

Troy then blasted his way round the 5.793 kilometre course, but the smallest of errors cost him another Superpole win. Instead it was his team mate Yukio Kagayama who took the honours - albeit by just seven thousandths of a second! Third quickest was Regis Laconi (Ducati) with Karl Muggeridge (Honda) fourth.

Superpole: 1. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m47.439s; 2. Corser (Suzuki) 1m47.446s; 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1m47.885s; 4. Muggeridge (Honda) 1m48.054s; 5. Vermeulen (Honda) 1m48.128s; 6. Pitt (Yamaha) 1m48.580s; 7. Walker (Kawasaki) 1m48.613s; 8. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 1m48.695s; 9. Chili (Honda) 1m48.908s; 10. Bussei (Kawasaki) 1m49.245s.

The bookmakers showed scant regard for Kagayama’s pole position in framing the odds for the first race though, installing Corser as a long odds-on favourite at 1.61 ahead of Kagayama (4.5), Laconi (6.0), Vermeulen (9.0), current champion James Toseland (17.0), Muggeridge (21.0), Kawasaki-mounted Chris Walker (21.0), Pitt (21.0), Haga (26.0), Chili (34.0) and Abe (34.0).

On race day Corser performed exactly as expected in the first race, putting his front row start to good use and in race one he grabbed the holeshot and Yamaha-mounted Andrew Pitt worked in his favour by jumping into second place and holding up the fastest chasers whilst Corser made a getaway.

On lap two the Honda CBR1000RR of Chris Vermeulen blew the motor and it seemed likely that the Honda challenge had dissipated, as promising first-year superbike rider Max Neukirchner was not a starter due to an operation he had on his thumb and front-row starter Karl Muggeridge had been almost last away, leaving Pier Francesco Chili to fly the Honda flag at the front. Though a race-winner at the high speed Monza circuit in the past, Chili is no longer capable of running at the front in a superbike race and despite a good start that saw him running in sixth from early on the first lap, he never looked like improving his position.

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